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Blommer Chocolate Co. to Close Legacy Chicago Processing Plant

March 25, 2024

Blommer Chocolate Co. today announced that it will close its Chicago processing facility — the company’s original manufacturing plant, which opened in 1939. The company said the location and age of the plant has made repair and maintenance work and costs untenable moving forward, and has created production reliability issues.

Blommer’s corporate headquarters, Applications Lab and New Research & Development Center (scheduled to open in Fall 2024) will remain in the Merchandise Mart building in downtown Chicago, and in fact, parent company Fuji Oil Holdings will invest to expand the lab capabilities there.

Blommer also believes it will be able to better focus efforts and resources on its remaining processing plants in East Greenville, Pa., Union City, Calif., and Campbellford, Ontario, Canada. The company called the decision to close the Chicago plant “incredibly challenging yet inevitable,” but also pointed to expansion to the Campbellford operation as the next step toward its transformation.

Further, it noted that it will invest $100 million in those three facilities — with 60% of that outlay going to make Campbellford into one of the largest confectionery coating manufacturing facilities in North America when it comes online in April 2026.

Investments in East Greenville and Union City will increase operational efficiency and reliability, adding automation in the processing and packaging areas.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.