Wells Enterprises, an Iowa-based ice cream company, has announced to invest $40m in Le Mars facility to expand its production capacities.
The manufacturer of the Blue Bunny ice cream brand and three other local companies have been awarded a total grant of $93m by the Economic Development Board of Iowa.
With the expansion, Wells Enterprises is expected to create 81 new jobs at the Le Mars facility.
Founded in 1913, Wells Enterprises has been into the ice cream and frozen dessert segment. Apart from Blue Bunny, its other brands include Bomb Pop and Sweet Freedom.
It will utilize the investment to upgrade and modernize the South Ice Cream Plant, its existing facility in the city that is considered as the “Ice Cream Capital of the World”.
The investment would be directed to add new production lines besides making several improvements to the plant’s manufacturing facilities.
Wells Enterprises has been awarded tax benefits by Iowa Economic Development Board’s High Quality Jobs Program (HQJP) for the expansion project based on its commitment to create 81 job openings with a qualifying hourly wage of $19.31.
In March, Wells Enterprises gave a brand re-launch to its flagship Blue Bunny through product enhancement, innovation in packaging while introducing a brand ambassador called Blu.
Earlier this month , Blue Bunny had issued a voluntarily recall for two of its variants from six states due to concerns over possible contamination with listeria.
