Wells Enterprises in the town of Dunkirk (August 2026)
Wells Enterprises in the town of Dunkirk has cut the ribbon on its $425 million facility expansion.
The facility significantly increases production capacity for the company’s popular ice cream brands, introduces cutting-edge capabilities for future innovation, and features a first-of-its-kind chocolate manufacturing facility within the plant to produce ingredients for its ice cream and novelty lines.
The investment will bring 270 new jobs to the area while retaining approximately 380 existing full-time positions, marking 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 & Investment Program tax credits and a $6 million grant from Empire State Development. The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) also provided critical local assistance to bring the project to fruition.
The Dunkirk facility, located at 810 Main Street, spans approximately 350,000 square feet, more than doubling its original footprint. The plant’s high-tech production lines are engineered to scale total output to more than five times its previous capacity, supporting the company’s aggressive growth in novelty and packaged ice cream. The completed expansion features high-output manufacturing lines, an integrated chocolate compound manufacturing facility, and best-in-class breakrooms, offices, and amenities designed to offer a premier working environment for employees. Throughout the multi-year construction process to date, Wells maintained full ice cream production in its existing facility to satisfy consumer demand. Construction is still underway to complete additional production lines and expand processing capabilities and is expected to be completed in 2028.
The company’s scaling operations will heavily benefit the northeast dairy industry. The expanded facility continues to utilize millions of pounds of dairy annually, a volume projected to rise in tandem with growing domestic consumption. Industry forecasts show the ice cream market size in the U.S. is projected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated value of USD 28.56 billion by 2032, driven by high demand for frozen dairy desserts and the rising number of fast-food chains and restaurants in the country. Additionally, New York ranks fourth nationally in ice cream manufacturing, with 51 payrolled business locations positioning the state third in total nationwide ice cream production.
Wells Enterprises, Inc. is a part of the Ferrero Group, a global leader in sweet, packaged foods whose iconic brands include Nutella, Tic Tac, and Ferrero Rocher.
The expanded ice cream plant will continue to seamlessly utilize Americold’s cold-storage distribution facility located in the Town of Dunkirk, which provides critical supply-chain infrastructure for the region. Americold’s adjacent $41 million project was supported by up to $700,000 in performance-based tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Program in exchange for creating 60 full-time jobs.
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