Wells Enterprises, Inc. is an American food company and is the largest family-owned and managed ice cream manufacturer in the United States, based in Le Mars, Iowa . It is the maker of Blue Bunny ice cream.
23-535: Blue Bunny may refer to: Blue Bunny, ice cream produced by Wells Dairy in Iowa, USA Blue Bunny, ten-kiloton nuclear mine, later renamed Blue Peacock , using the Blue Danube physics package. Blue Bunny, flight suit ("Suit, Flyers, Electrically Heated, Type F-1") Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
46-517: A confectioner and small-time pastry maker who laid the groundwork for Nutella . The company saw a period of tremendous growth and success under Pietro's son Michele Ferrero , who in turn handed over the daily operations to his sons, Pietro Jr. and Giovanni Ferrero (the founder's grandsons). Pietro Jr., who oversaw global business, died in April 2011 of a heart attack while cycling in South Africa at
69-489: A high-rise freezer helped the company double the North Plant's capability. After completion, the expanded plant covered the equivalent of one city block, with the first floor taking up 109,000 square feet (10,100 m ) and its second floor comprising 44,000 square feet (4,100 m ). When D.S Abernethy's company Merritt Foods closed down in 1991, Wells' Dairy bought the business, including Bomb Pops. The ice cream had remained largely
92-487: A knife, and was succeeded by a spreadable version called Supercrema. With assistance from his brother Giovanni Ferrero Sr., Pietro Ferrero created his new company to produce and market the initial product. Pietro was succeeded by his son Michele Ferrero as chief executive. Michele and his wife Maria Franca relaunched his father's recipe as Nutella, which was first sold in 1964. After World War II, they opened production sites and offices abroad, and Nutella eventually became
115-450: A regional brand until 1992 when it began an aggressive program to expand nationally. The centerpiece of the expansion is a 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m ) plant, which in addition to manufacturing includes a 12-story-tall freezer. The plant is referred to as the “South Ice Cream Plant” because of its physical location on the south side of Le Mars. Operating two ice cream plants in Le Mars, Wells
138-572: A variety of flavours, along with sugar free versions. Other Ferrero products include Giotto, Fiesta Ferrero, Hanuta chocolate hazelnut-filled wafers, and Gran Soleil frozen desserts, which won the company an innovation award in March 2011. Ferrero has been producing Thorntons products since acquiring the company in 2015. In 1983, the company established the Ferrero Foundation in Alba, Piedmont at
161-494: Is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba . Ferrero is a manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world. Ferrero SpA is a private company owned by the Ferrero family and has been described as "one of the world's most secretive firms". It was founded on 14 May 1946 in Alba , Piedmont , Italy , by Pietro Ferrero ,
184-509: Is the second largest ice cream maker in the United States behind Unilever . Wells produces the Blue Bunny brand, along with 2nd St. Creamery, Bomb Pop and several private label brands. In addition, Wells is the licensee for Weight Watchers Ice Cream. In 2007 and 2008, Wells sold its cultured dairy and fluid milk business to Dean Foods and its yogurt business to Grupo Lala . In 2023, it
207-504: Is the world’s largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location (which in turn has prompted Le Mars to claim the title of “Ice Cream Capital of the World”). In 2003, an ice cream plant in St. George, Utah was opened to better meet the west coast market. In 2014 Wells announced it would be closing the St. George, UT facility. In November 2007, Mike Wells was named CEO of Wells. On 7 December 2022,
230-641: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) began investigating a "rapidly evolving" outbreak of salmonella linked to Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs. The outbreak affected European countries, with products being recalled "as a precautionary step". Products were also recalled in Canada and the US. On 8 April, Belgian authorities ordered
253-414: The 1980s. New corporate offices were added in 1980, and Wells built new facilities for its growing fleet of trucks used to deliver milk around Iowa. In 1983, Wells purchased an Omaha plant and after being remodeled, it processed milk, yogurt and fruit juice. In the mid-1980s the firm's North Plant in Le Mars was enlarged through the purchase of five adjacent lots. New production lines, a mix department, and
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#1732876653591276-475: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation was announced. The partnership allows consumers across the United States to nominate educational charities to receive a $ 25,000 grant. Blue Bunny products were rated favorably in a 2013 edition of Consumer Reports . Ferrero SpA Ferrero International SpA ( Italian: [ferˈrɛːro] ), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero ,
299-462: The age of 47. The Ferrero Group worldwide – now headed by executive chairman Giovanni Ferrero – includes 38 trading companies, 18 factories, and approximately 40,000 employees, and produces around 365,000 tonnes of Nutella each year. In 1946, Pietro Ferrero invented a cream of hazelnuts and cocoa , derived from gianduja and called it Pasta Gianduja . The initial product came in solid loaves wrapped in aluminium foil, which had to be sliced with
322-487: The blue bunnies in a department store window at Easter. After Fred H. Wells, Jr. died in 1954, his sons, Harold, Mike, Roy and Fay, and their cousin Fred D. Wells, son of Harry Cole Wells, ran the family business as a partnership. Meanwhile, new facilities were added in the postwar period. For example, the main part of the company, the North Plant, was built in Le Mars in the 1950s for the manufacture of ice cream products. In 1963,
345-656: The closure of a Kinder chocolate factory in Arlon suspected to be behind the outbreak. On 12 April, the EFSA and the ECDC published a rapid outbreak assessment on a multi-country outbreak of monophasic salmonella typhimurium linked to chocolate products made at the Belgian factory. The report found that in December 2021, salmonella was detected in a buttermilk tank at the Belgian establishment during
368-492: The company announced its acquisition by Ferrero Group , an Italian confectionery manufacturer. Blue Bunny Ice Cream is a brand of novelty ice cream products manufactured by Wells Enterprises. The company received the "most delicious chocolate ice cream flavor award" at the 2008 International Dairy Foods Association Ice Cream Technology Conference, the same year the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope Program in partnership with
391-482: The company constructed its Milk Plant. The family retained ownership and management of the business after it was incorporated under Iowa law in 1977 as Wells' Dairy, Inc. Fay and Fred Wells retired in January 2001, leaving the positions of CEO, president and COO to Fay Wells' sons and the positions of executive vice president and vice president of retail sales to Fred Wells' sons. The newly incorporated business expanded in
414-586: The ice cream distribution system in Sioux City along with the right to use the Wells name. In 1935, the Wells family decided to sell ice cream in Sioux City again. Unable to sell their product under their own name "Wells", they decided to hold a “Name That Ice Cream” contest in the Sioux City Journal. A Sioux City man won the $ 25 cash prize for the winning entry of “Blue Bunny” after noticing how much his son enjoyed
437-589: The manufacturer's own checks, and the chocolate products were distributed across Europe and globally. As of 8 April 2022, 150 cases had been reported in ten European countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Ferrero produces several lines of confectionery goods under various brand names, as well as the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella (since 1964). Ferrero uses one-quarter of
460-462: The title Blue Bunny . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Bunny&oldid=1143153457 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Wells Enterprises Wells
483-674: The world's annual hazelnut supply. It also produces the line of Ferrero branded chocolate products, including Pocket Coffee , Mon Chéri , Confetteria Raffaello , Ferrero Küsschen and the Ferrero Prestige line, which comprises three different brands of pralines : Ferrero Rocher , Ferrero Rondnoir, and Garden Coco. Ferrero's Kinder brand line of chocolate products includes Kinder Surprise , Kinder Joy , Kinder Chocolate , Kinder Happy Hippo , Kinder Maxi, Kinder Duplo, Kinder Country, Kinder Délice, and Kinder Bueno . The company also produces Tic Tac mints, available in
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#1732876653591506-544: The world's leading chocolate-nut spread brand. Ferrero is the world's largest consumer of hazelnuts, buying up 25% of global production in 2014. The company is currently run by Giovanni Ferrero , grandson of Pietro and son of Michele Ferrero. The company places great emphasis on secrecy, reportedly to guard against industrial espionage . It has never held a press conference and does not allow media visits to its plants. Ferrero's products are made with machines designed by an in-house engineering department. On 6 April 2022,
529-418: Was reported that Ferrero SpA had completed the purchase of the company. Fred H. Wells Jr. opened a milk route in 1913 in Le Mars after purchasing a horse, delivery wagon, and a few cans and jars for $ 250 from local dairy farmer Ray Bowers. Around 1925, Wells and his sons began manufacturing ice cream and selling it in neighboring Iowa towns: Remsen, Alton and Sioux City. In 1928 Fairmont Ice Cream purchased
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