In the cool hills west of Sydney, a factory that began with Tic Tac and has long been known for Nutella has reached its fiftieth year, the first of Ferrero's sites beyond Europe. Its recognition for environmental work, funded by tens of millions of dollars in upgrades, speaks to a quieter truth about industry: the old plant endures not by being replaced but by being reimagined, its roof catching sunlight and its ovens shedding their dependence on gas. Around it, families and former workers gather to remember what was built, while the wider region weighs the pressures of energy costs and distan
Ferrero's Lithgow Plant Marks 50 Years of Nutella Production With State Sustainability Recognition
An electric roaster has cut the plant's gas needs by nearly 90%
Mark
Fifty years in one town. Why does this anniversary matter beyond the cake?
Mimi
Because Lithgow was Ferrero's first site outside Europe, and it still runs. About 100 people work there, and many have had long careers at the plant.
Mark
The headline number is AUD $30 million. What did that buy?
Mimi
Mainly two things: a rooftop solar array that can cover up to 20% of the factory's electricity, and an electric hazelnut roaster that cut gas needs by nearly 90%.
Luke
Careful with those figures. They come from Ferrero and company information. The article doesn't cite an independent audit.
Mark
And "up to 20%" isn't the same as 20%.
Luke
Right. It's capacity, not a measured annual share. Likewise, the 90% is a reduction in gas requirements, not necessarily in total emissions.
Mimi
Still, the Platinum recognition from the state's Sustainability Advantage Program is an external endorsement, and the Banksia award in 2025 adds to it.
Mark
Does the story say why they invested at Lithgow rather than elsewhere?
Luke
No. It says regional manufacturers face energy costs and import competition, but it doesn't give Ferrero's reasoning or any future commitments.
Mimi
What it does show is a retrofit approach: cutting energy use at an existing plant.
Il Polso
- A half-century-old plant in Lithgow must prove it can still compete while energy prices and import pressures press on regional manufacturers.
- AUD $30 million in upgrades has turned the factory's rooftop into a power source covering up to a fifth of its electricity.
- An electric hazelnut roaster has slashed gas use by nearly 90%, pulling fossil fuel out of a core production step.
- The state's Platinum recognition and a 2025 sustainability award signal the retrofit is landing well, with about 100 jobs and roughly 15 million kilograms of Nutella a year secured for now.
In the cool hills west of Sydney, a factory that began with Tic Tac and has long been known for Nutella has reached its fiftieth year, the first of Ferrero's sites beyond Europe. Its recognition for environmental work, funded by tens of millions of dollars in upgrades, speaks to a quieter truth about industry: the old plant endures not by being replaced but by being reimagined, its roof catching sunlight and its ovens shedding their dependence on gas. Around it, families and former workers gather to remember what was built, while the wider region weighs the pressures of energy costs and distant competition. The anniversary becomes less a single celebration than a marker of how a community and its enterprise decide, year by year, to keep working together.
In Lithgow, a town west of Sydney, a factory that has made Nutella for nearly five decades has just turned 50. The plant opened in 1976 as Ferrero's first site outside Europe, beginning with Tic Tac before Nutella arrived two years later. Today it is the only product made there, roughly 15 million kilograms a year, shipped across Australia, New Zealand, and parts of East and North Asia.
The anniversary drew current and former staff, their families, community partners, and several state and local politicians. There were speeches, staff awards, a cake, and displays on sustainability, food safety, and quality. Christopher Hinton, the factory's regional industrial manager, said the milestone was really about the people: old colleagues reconnecting, and current staff showing their loved ones the work they do.
The celebration also marked Platinum recognition from the New South Wales Sustainability Advantage Program. Behind it sits AUD $30 million invested over three years, most visibly a rooftop solar array that can supply up to 20% of the site's electricity and an electric roaster that has cut gas use by nearly 90%. Together these changes address both power demand and direct fuel use.
The plant employs about 100 people, many with long careers behind them, and has supported school programs and local initiatives. As regional manufacturers face energy costs and import competition, the Lithgow investment stands out. The open question is whether other plants will follow with similar retrofits rather than building anew.
In Lithgow, a regional centre west of Sydney, a factory that has been making Nutella for nearly five decades has just turned 50. Ferrero marked the anniversary of the plant, which opened in 1976 and was the company's first site outside Europe.
The site began with Tic Tac. Nutella followed two years later, and today it is the only product made there. The factory turns out about 15 million kilograms a year, supplying Australia, New Zealand, and markets in East and North Asia.
The anniversary event drew current and former employees, their families, community partners, and political figures. Trish Doyle MP, Andrew Gee MP, and Paul Toole MP attended, along with Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman and Deputy Mayor Eric Mahony. The program included speeches, staff awards, the cutting of a 50th anniversary cake, and displays on sustainability, food safety, and quality.
The factory also received Platinum Project recognition from the New South Wales Government's Sustainability Advantage Program, for environmental work at the site. Ferrero says that work has been backed by AUD $30 million in investment over the past three years.
Two projects stand out in that spending. A rooftop solar array can supply up to 20% of the factory's electricity needs, easing reliance on the grid during daylight hours. An electric hazelnut roaster has cut the plant's gas requirements by nearly 90%, taking fossil fuel out of a key step in production. Between them, the upgrades address both electricity demand and direct gas use. The factory also won the Banksia Foundation's New South Wales Sustainability Award for Primary Industries and Regional Development in 2025.
According to company information, the plant employs about 100 people, and Ferrero says many local residents have built long careers there. The site has also supported school career programs, the Seven Valleys Visitor Centre, and the Lithgow Emerging Economy Plan. Lithgow's manufacturing base has changed markedly over recent decades, and the continued investment stands out while regional manufacturers face pressure from energy costs, supply chain volatility, and import competition.
Christopher Hinton, Regional Industrial Manager at the factory, said the milestone was about the people behind it. The celebration, he said, brought together local friends and families who have contributed to the site, with former colleagues reconnecting and current staff showing loved ones what they do. He called that sense of pride and connection something special to Lithgow.
Ferrero, founded in Italy, also makes Kinder, Ferrero Rocher, and Tic Tac. In Australia and New Zealand, Lithgow combines local manufacturing with imported product lines. With Nutella production concentrated there, the plant has a defined role in the company's regional operations. What to watch is whether other regional manufacturers follow with similar retrofits of existing plants rather than building new ones.
Citazioni salienti
Fifty years is an incredible milestone, but what makes it special is the people behind it.— Christopher Hinton, Regional Industrial Manager, Lithgow factory
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su IT Brief Australia ↗
Politics & Governance