Mondelēz International ready for biscuit boom
Oreo cookies and Belvita breakfast biscuits had previously been made at the company's factories across Europe.
Head of manufacturing at the Sheffield site Ian Dearn told Food Manufacture the move was part of a multimillion pound investment in the plant, announced last year.
He added work to prepare the Hillsborough site for the development was now almost complete and that production would begin in "early 2013".
"This is something we are very excited about because these are very successful brands, but ones that we have previously produced on the continent," he said.
"It is a great news story for us and really demonstrates the faith that Mondelēz International has in Sheffield."
Refurbished
The biscuit factory will be housed in an existing building on site previously used as an export consolidation factory which has been refurbished to meet the firm's quality and food safety standards.
Dearn said it was "too early" to give projected volumes. However, he confirmed that the start of biscuit production will lead to 20 new jobs being created.
The Sheffield factory already employs 550 people working on brands such as Trebor Mints, Bassett's Jelly Babies, Liquorice Allsorts and Maynards Wine Gums.
The change of name to Mondelēz International is yet another guise for the Sheffield site. What started off as Bassett's later became Cadbury Schweppes and Cadbury Trebor Bassett before the takeover by Kraft in 2010.
Kraft changed its name to Mondelēz International after spinning-off its North American grocery business on October 1. The Kraft name will still be used in some parts of the business until the firm's legal entity changes in April 2013.
World of delicious products
According to the company, Mondelēz is "a newly coined word that evokes the idea of a world of delicious products".
Other brands to come under the Mondelēz banner include Cadbury, Jacobs, Milka, Philadelphia, Tassimo and Trident.
"Mondelēz International is a clear leader in the $335bn (£270bn) European snacking market with strong leadership positions in chocolate, biscuits, coffee, as well as gum and candy," said Tim Cofer, president for Europe.
"Already number one in 10 key countries, we are uniquely positioned to deliver top-tier performance in the challenging economic environment."
