It's not Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but the Cadbury plant in downtown Toronto is now able to make hundreds of chocolate bars a minute with new technology following a $37 million investment.
Mondelez Canada, the owner of the factory, says the plant is now among the most modern in the world when it comes to making sweet snacks.
The company says its production line is one of the most advanced chocolate bar packaging lines in the industry.
“We get asked all the time what it's like inside a chocolate factory and we can't let everyone in everyday, but we thought this was a great opportunity to let a few people in to share and see the investment we have made in this plant in the past five years,” said Julie Edwards, the senior director of the Mondelez Supply Chain.
IN PHOTOS: A look inside downtown Toronto's chocolate factory
Mondelez says it’s been on a hiring and spending spree to keep its plants up to date. The company says it’s spent $250 million on production facilities in Ontario over the past three years.
This year the company has hired 55 new people to its head office operations.
As well as spending $37 million at the Cadbury plant, the company has spent $130 million at its East York bakery. The total number of employee employed by Mondelez across Canada is now 2,600.
The company is known for its iconic brands like Cadbury, Maynards and Mr. Christie products, which have been around for about 50 years. Along with along Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, the Toronto factory also makes Caramilk, Crunchie, Wunderbar and Mr. Big chocolate bars.
The company says investing in this Toronto plant allowed it to increase food production, local competitiveness and keep skilled jobs in Ontario.
“Chocolate is growing in Canada,” said Edwards. “Canadians love dairy milk and the business is growing and we are continually coming up with new flavors and formats with the intention of delighting consumers.”
Mondelez says it is now the second largest snacking company in Canada and that its products are now available in 150 countries worldwide.