14  ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
For more than 115 years, Ferrara has 
created sugar confections that push 
innovation boundaries. It all started 
in 1908, when an Italian immigrant 
brought the joy of his homeland’s tra­
ditional candy to Chicago and began 
testing new techniques. Today, the 
privately held company that creates 
more than 30 recognizable brands is 
the nation’s top-selling sugar confec­
tions company, employing more than 
8,200 people throughout the world, 
across 17 facilities and offices in the 
US, Mexico, and Thailand. Ferrara’s 
headquarters remains in Chicago, 
continuing the city and state’s legacy 
as America’s “candy capital”.
BRANDS YOU KNOW 
AND LOVE
From iconic products that bring 
back childhood memories to today’s 
innovations that are bestsellers – 
NERDS®, Trolli®, SweeTARTS®, Lem­
onheads®, Laffy Taffy® Black Forest® 
and BRACH’S® -- Ferrara’s sugar con­
fections push innovation boundaries 
while also sparking nostalgia.
Anna Olsen
Senior Director of 
Research & Development
Ferrara Candy
It all started in 1908, when an Italian immigrant 
brought the joy of his homeland’s traditional candy 
to Chicago and began testing new techniques
A Heritage of Sharing Delight
	
In 2023, Ferrara acquired 
another classic candy company, 
California-based Jelly Belly Candy 
Company (founded in Illinois in 
1869) as well as Dori Alimentos, one 
of Brazil’s leading manufacturers and 
distributors of sweets and snack­
ing products. Both brands support 
Ferrara’s international growth as they 
springboard from Illinois roots to 
share products with international 
consumers, carrying the message that 
our state is a global food innovation 
hub. 
GETTING NERDY
A 2020 innovation, NERDS® Gummy 
Clusters™ – a multi-sensorial and 
poppable combination of a gum­
my center surrounded by crunchy 
tart Original NERDS® candy – has 
rocketed to the top of the US candy 
market, propelling NERDS® from $40 
million in annual sales to more than 
half a billion dollars in annual retail 
sales in just six years. Today, Ferrara 
sells NERDS Gummy Clusters in the 
U.S., Canada, and the UK.  

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