Mars Wrigley Australia is celebrating 40 years of manufacturing delicious treats at its factory in Ballarat, Victoria. The factory produces around 18 million chocolates a year, and in 2018, produced enough Maltesers to fill eight Olympic swimming pools.
Many of Mars Wrigley’s creations, such as Pods and M&M’s Honeycomb, were invented by Australians in the Ballarat factory, which is recognised as the Regional Technical Hub for Mars Wrigley’s global brand development and innovation pipeline.
The Ballarat team celebrated the 40-year milestone last week (November 7) alongside the Mars family, who opened a commemorative reflection garden for staff to enjoy. The Ballarat facility first opened in November 1979 by the Victorian premier and members of the Mars family.
Mars Wrigley Australia general manager Andrew Leakey said the success of the Australian business is a testament to the hard work and passion of Mars Wrigley’s associates past and present.
“Their commitment and our Principles-led culture has allowed Mars Australia to continually be recognised as the #1 FMCG manufacturer in the Australian Great Place to Work rankings,” said Leakey.
“As we look ahead to the next 40 years, we’re committed to exploring sustainable solutions to ensure we remain a competitive, local manufacturer. In line with our commitment to minimise our local carbon footprint, we’re proud that from the start of 2020 all of Mars Australia’s local operations will be powered by 100 per cent renew able energy.”
Mars invested $14 million into the Ballarat factory in 2018 to maintain and upgrade operations, and in October, announced a seven-year partnership with Toll Group and Webster Hall to construct and manage a new warehouse in west Melbourne.
The company said it is on track to achieve zero fossil-fuel energy use and zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and since 2015, all six Mars Australia factories have achieved zero waste to landfill.
