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Wells showcases ‘family company’ in ribbon cutting of Dunkirk facility

DUNKIRK -- For more than 100 years, Wells Enterprises has prided itself on being "a family company." Thursday morning, every key piece of Wells as a company came together as a family to celebrate a day that has been in the works for years.

A ribbon was cut to signify the completion of Phase 2 of a four-phase project transforming the Wells plant in Dunkirk into one of the world's elite ice cream manufacturing plants. Thursday morning celebrated the completion of the first two phases of Wells' $425 million investment in the city of Dunkirk.

A three-story employee center was unveiled, including office spaces, a conference room, training spaces, a sizable break room, and employee lockers. It replaced a structure that was over 75 years old and failed to meet the needs of the employees of the plant. Speakers addressed a crowd of roughly five dozen guests seated in front of them and dozens more standing throughout the premises. Employees were encouraged to bring their families to the event to witness the unveiling of the new employee center.

"This isn't just an investment in business. Most importantly, this is an investment in what truly makes us great," Wells Enterprises COO Nicolas Neykov said, referring to all of the company's employees as the "heart" of its success.

The expansion is so much more than an employee center. It is an investment in the city of Dunkirk, in Chautauqua County, and in the state of New York as a whole. All three levels of government were on hand Thursday to celebrate the occasion, including Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel, and Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz.

"What a wonderful day for Dunkirk, for Chautauqua County, and for New York State," Knight said. "... When we talk about economic momentum in western New York, we're talking about projects like this."

Wells' investment in Dunkirk will bring 270 new jobs to the area, while retaining approximately 380 existing full-time positions. It is one of the largest single private investments in the history of Chautauqua County. New York State supported the project with up to $12 million in Excelsior Jobs and Investment Program tax credits and a $6 million grant from Empire State Development.

"We have built incredible momentum in Chautauqua County's manufacturing sector, and the progress of this massive expansion is a historic win for Dunkirk and the entire region," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release. "By partnering with Wells Enterprises, we have transformed this site into a high-tech, world-class manufacturing facility that will secure hundreds of good-paying jobs for New York workers and strengthen our local business partnerships and provide an enduring boost to our hard-working dairy farmers."

Despite a temporary reduction in the workforce during the initial phase of the project, production never stopped. The Dunkirk plant remained operational throughout the first two phases of construction, and its capabilities will only expand through Phases 3-4.

"What makes this project even more meaningful is that we did it while continuing to operate. We kept our team working, we continued to contribute to the local economy, and we continued producing ice cream. We maintained reliable supply for our customers. That is what commitment looks like, and I couldn't be prouder of our team for doing so," Neykov said.

Wendel defined the layoffs roughly two years ago as "a chance to take a breath" in order to refocus and regroup. Wendel said Thursday, "Today is a great example of a little bit of time, a little bit of effort, and great technology to continue great production of ice cream in Chautauqua County."

Wendel celebrated the dedication of Wells to the community, not only through supporting its workforce, but also in its support of the dairy industry. It also benefits the Americold cold-storage distribution facility across the street in the town of Dunkirk.

"This is a matter of working together. Our local, our state, our county officials, everyone putting their heads together, making this dream a reality," Wendel said.

Wells Enterprises purchased the Dunkirk facility in 2019. In 2023, Ferrero -- one of the world's premium chocolate brands based in Italy – took ownership of Wells and doubled down on the support to the city of Dunkirk with its investment in a new facility.

"When a company invests to this scale, it sends a message: This city is worth investing in," Wdowiasz said. "Ferrero is a global leader in sweet and packaged foods, and they've chosen Dunkirk as the place where they want to see their future growing. Out of everywhere in the country, out of everywhere in the world, they chose us. They chose this plant. They chose this workforce. That is a powerful statement for the quality, capability, and pride of the lives inside the walls of this facility."

The facility expansion project in Dunkirk includes a Segregated Compound Facility for the production of Ferrero chocolate on-site, which is the first facility of its kind in the United States. The chocolate ingredients are kept in a dry facility fully separated from the presence of water. The facility mirrors that of Ferrero's Italian chocolate production plant design. Neykov said that level of integration "opens the door to new possibilities for innovation in the future."

Plans for the expansion came together in September of 2023, with demolition beginning in February of 2024. Phase 3 is currently underway, as more production lines are being prepared. Phase 4 will expand processing capabilities, including raw materials. The entirety of the work is expected to be completed no later than 2028.

"Our investment here makes something clear. We believe strongly in the future of this facility, our people, and this community," Neykov said.

When all four phases are completed, the facility will total 350,000 square feet, featuring 11 to 15 production lines with the capability of producing roughly 20 million cases of ice cream products – five times what the facility could do prior to the project.

The expansion is tied to an estimated $891 million in local economic benefit over 10 years. Nearly 100 individual contractor companies and nearly 500 contractor employees have been employed on-site supporting construction since the project began in 2024. More than 60% of all contractors on the project were from New York State, and approximately 30% of all contractors were local to Dunkirk, headquartered within a 50-mile radius of the facility.

Wells' expansion was recently highlighted as the New York State Economic Development Corporation Project of the year. The Dunkirk facility will soon officially be named as Plant of the Year by Dairy Foods Magazine, recognizing it as the top production plant in the entire dairy industry in the United States.

"We're excited about what has been accomplished so far, but today isn't the finish line. It's another important step forward," Neykov said. "... We're proud to be in Dunkirk, we're so proud of our team, and we're excited about what will be built together in the future."

Wells Enterprises is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. The company was founded in 1913 by Fred H. Wells, and was run by the Wells family for generations.

Wells is responsible for more than 200 million gallons of ice cream production per year, distributed in all 50 states nationwide. The company is headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa, where it hosts two manufacturing plants. In addition to its foothold in Iowa and the facility expansion in Dunkirk, Wells also operates a manufacturing plant in Henderson, Nevada.

For more information, visit wellsenterprisesinc.com