Chocolate giant comes to Turkey

ISTANBUL

Ferrero SpA, the Italian manufacturer of chocolate and other confectionary products began the construction of a new plant in the western province of Manisa yesterday.

The Italian firm, founded by confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1964, will begin producing Nutella and Kinder chocolates for the Turkish market next year. Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç attended the plant’s groundbreaking ceremony in Manisa’s organized industrial zone. The company plans to invest approximately 95 million euro in the plant, which will also produce chocolate products for the Middle East. Ferrero buys approximately 300 million euros of nuts from Turkey each year to use as ingredients for manufacturing its world-famous products.