DECEMBER 2024  15 
pany also engages with Chicago-area 
teens and young adults through 
STEM nonprofit Lumity.
	
Always present in Ferrara’s for­
ward-looking perspective is the im­
portance of food safety and quality. 
Through a robust and validated food 
safety management system, Ferrara 
completes approximately 33,000 
quality checks every week.
	
“People outside of the industry 
often comment on how fun it must 
be to work in candy and food inno­
vation,” said Olsen. “They are right! 
In addition to our role in making the 
world sweeter, our team truly consid­
ers it a privilege to work in Illinois, 
amongst the world’s most iconic food 
companies.”
CONTINUED INNOVATION
“Our singular focus on sugar confec­
tions allows us to focus our invest­
ments – be it in consumer insights 
or specified technologies – to meet 
consumer’s desires, imagining what’s 
possible as we dream big in sugar,” 
said Anna Olsen, Ferrara’s Senior 
Director of Research & Development.
	
In 2023, Ferrara extended their 
commitment to creating the future of 
sugar confections by building a state-
of-the-art Innovation Center in Fer­
rara’s downtown Chicago headquar­
ters. Designed to create and test new 
candy concepts, the center is home to 
their deep bench of food scientists, 
researchers and technicians crafting 
and testing new, delectable creations. 
This commitment is exemplary of 
Ferrara’s spot at the forefront of the 
city and state’s position as a global 
leader in food innovation. 
	
Ferrara also is passionate about 
engaging with the next generation 
of home-grown talent, investing in 
the future of the industry in Illinois 
by actively recruiting from leading 
universities such as University of Illi­
nois-Chicago, Northwestern, DePaul, 
Loyola, Northern Illinois University 
and University of Chicago. The com­

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