Germany's Haribo To Open Gummy Bear Factory In United States

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's iconic gummy bear will soon be "Made in USA."

Bonn-based Haribo, which invented the gummy bear nearly a century ago, said Friday it would open a U.S. factory in Wisconsin in 2020.

Haribo, founded in 1920, has been in the U.S. since 1982 with a sales operation, and is already the top seller of gummy bears in the country, but says it wants to grow further.

Company head Hans Guido Riegel says "Haribo of America is the fastest growing confectionary company in the U.S.A., therefore the step of starting our own production there from 2020 is important for us."

The $242 million factory near Kenosha is expected to create 400 jobs. Haribo employs 7,000 people worldwide and produces 100 million gummy bears daily at 16 factories in 10 countries.

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