Ferrero has been part of regional Australia since 1976, when Lithgow became the family-owned company’s first factory site outside of Europe. Lithgow shares many similar characteristics to Ferrero’s Italian home, Alba – a cooler climate, easily accessible location, and a close-knit community.
Today, the Ferrero factory is one of the major employers in Lithgow town, with a long-standing reputation of providing a safe and stable working environment. We’ve grown from around 20 employees in the 1970s to more than 100 today.
Ferrero’s factory produces Nutella for Australia, New Zealand and East Asia and has grown to become an Australian icon in its own right – around 13,500 tonnes (or 13.5 million kilograms) of Nutella are made at Ferrero’s Lithgow factory each year. In fact, Ferrero created and donated specially produced Lithgow labelled jars to Lithgow Council in support of local tourism projects.
Ferrero has set itself ambitious global sustainability commitments that are evident in Lithgow where the factory is minimising waste to landfill, improving resource efficiency and increasing its use of renewable energy. Achievements in these areas include 30% reduction in water usage since 2021 and around 20% of all power used by the factory is generated via rooftop solar panels. This work has also been recognised by the NSW Sustainability Advantage program, awarding Ferrero Gold member status for the third consecutive time in 2023.
Daniel Quack, Regional Industrial Manager for Ferrero Australia commented, "We have strong plans to support our continued growth at our Lithgow factory and across our Australian operations. Ferrero values the positive relationship we share with the local and state governments in supporting our business to develop.”