Ferrara Pan Candy Company

Satellite, Forest Park Location

Chicago used to be the confectionary capital of the world. The candy industry is like the steel industry in that I don't have time to dig into it now. But I am going to post information as I encounter it because I have learned that it is hard to try to find something months after I had seen the info. In this case the information is a Facebook posting of a video by Edward Kwiatkowski that taught me about the existence of the Ferrara Pan Candy Company. After a merger in 2012 with Farley & Sather's Candies to form Ferrara Candy, it is the number one non-chocolate candy manufacturer in the U.S. Ferrara Pan Candy started production in 1908 at 772 W. Taylor, Chicago, and has grown to a billion dollar business. The manufacturing facility moved to a former dairy in Forest Park in 1959. The Forest Park plant is now one of eleven in US and Mexico. (Ferrara, Wikipedia) Forest Park is the location to which raw materials are being delivered in the above referenced video.

Update: Ferrara Pan Candy evidently has more than one location in the Chicago area because I discovered this location in Bellwood, IL, while checking out some interurban information.

Lukas Irons posted that their Forest Park location will be getting more work at the expense of closing the Winona Minnesota location. Over 120 people are losing their jobs.

Fifth photo posted by Clifton Linton
Out on the Altenheim Branch -- Still a good B&OCT customer -- Yep its the site of sweets -- Ferrara Pan Candy. — with Scott Griffith.

Marty Bernard posted two photos with the comment:

SOO Line at Harlem Ave., Forest Park, IL -- Rick Burn PhotosThat's SOO Line 2227A (F7A built in July, 1950) about to duck under Harlem Ave., Forest Park, IL in July 1962. To the right is the Congress Line of the CTA Rapid Transit and the Congress Expressway. Nice catch Rick

Mac English Along the old CGW mainline which was trackage rights on the B&OCT...

Tyson Park Ferrara Pan Candy has a lot more freight cars now than back then! https://www.flickr.com/.../photolist-26m9MoF-26m9M7P-26m9MbB

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Bill Kolton posted
Chuck Bowi They merged in 2012 with Farley's & Sathers Candy Company of Minnesota, the new combined company is now called Ferrara Candy Co.
https://www.ferrarausa.com/index.html
[According to the comments, they also have a packing plant in Bolingbrook, and they are moving into some office space in the Old Post Office.]

Loreto C. Benzon posted
Who remembers driving on the Eisenhower and passing this icon. Known for lemonheads, atomic fireballs, n Boston bake beans.
[There are some comments about smelling the cinnamon when they were making Red Hots.]
Paul Lucas The company is still alive and doing very well. They just moved their headquarters to the Old Main Post Office. Not sure if they still make the actual candy at this location in the photo or not. Does anybody know?Bob Colton They do still make candy there.
Giorgio Suffi https://www.ferrarausa.com/.../the-ferrero-group-picks-up...
Frank Hammond They are building a new plant and distribution center in DeKalb.
Michael Greenberg Mrs Fox (Ferrara) was my 7th grade history teacher, our class named the candy Alexander the Grape !!
Richard Stephen With all due respect, what is "vanished" about this candy plant? It's still there and still in operation.Carrie Kozlowski Stepanek Richard Stephen they are moving and will no longer be at that location.
Richard Stephen Carrie Kozlowski Stepanek They are only moving their corporate headquarters from Oakbrook Terrace to the old Post Office building in downtown Chicago. They are not moving their production facility.
Lynn Johnson Richard Stephen DeKalb

While looking for something else, I discovered that Ferrara also has at least one more modern facility in Chicago. Did they buy this warehouse from Kellogg's and have yet to change the signage or do they also own Kellogg's?

Street View, Aug 2019