FORT WAYNE, IND. — Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc., a subsidiary of UK-based Froneri, has unveiled plans to invest $145 million to further expand its ice cream production plant in Fort Wayne.

As part of its latest round of investment, Dreyer’s said it will add two new production lines for the company’s Drumstick products, set to be fully operational by the end of 2023. That’s in addition to another new Drumstick production line, announced in October 2020, which is already up and running.

Dreyer’s currently employs about 400 at its Fort Wayne facility, and the expansion is expected to add 145 more manufacturing jobs by the end of 2024 to support the new Drumstick ice cream production lines.

“We have been serving customers across the US our delicious and quality ice cream for over 35 years from our Fort Wayne facility and are very excited to continue to grow our capacity and team to make more ice cream with this sizable investment,” said Julia Zirpoli, factory manager at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream’s Fort Wayne facility.

Founded in 1928, Dreyer’s is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and is part of Froneri, a global ice cream company with operations in Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and the United States.

“Dreyer’s continued growth in Fort Wayne is another example of private investments that are making a tremendous impact in our community,” said Tom Henry, mayor of Fort Wayne. “The planned expansion and new jobs are an encouraging sign that Fort Wayne is a great place to start and grow a business. We value and appreciate Dreyer’s commitment to being part of the positive momentum we’re experiencing in our city and region.”