Ferrara Candy Co. to shutter Little Village manufacturing plant

Ferrara Candy Co. will shutter its Little Village distribution facility and lay off more than 150 employees in April.

The company announced plans to close its 31st Street manufacturing plant in April 2027, citing “market conditions and our long-term innovation roadmap.”

Officials notified 154 employees and the state last week and plan to shift production to other facilities. The plant is located at 2945 W. 31st St.

“Ferrara is deeply grateful to Chicago’s Little Village community for years of partnership and neighborly collaboration,” the company said in a statement.

Ferrara, whose brands include SweeTARTS, Brach’s and NERDS, began as a bakery in Little Italy in 1908 and has operated in Chicago for nearly 120 years.

The confectioner was acquired by Ferrero in 2017 but remains a privately held company under common ownership. Ferrara also operates four other manufacturing facilities in the Chicago area, located in Bellwood, DeKalb, Forest Park and Itasca.

Ferrara said employees can continue working at the plant until its scheduled closure. Workers will also have the opportunity to apply for open positions across Ferrara and its affiliate network.

The company said it will provide severance benefits and outplacement services to help affected employees find new jobs.

Ferrara said it notified employees of the planned closure last Thursday in compliance with the WARN Act.

The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires businesses with 75 or more employees to provide workers and the state with at least 60 days’ notice before plant closures or mass layoffs.

It’s not the first time the company has closed a manufacturing plant in the area.

In 2024, the company closed its Jelly Bean plant in North Chicago, laying off 66 employees less than a year after acquiring family-owned Jelly Belly for an undisclosed amount.

The same year, Blommer Chocolate Co. announced it would close its factory due to increasing costs of running the aging facility at 600 W. Kinzie St., cutting 250 jobs.