Sweet giant Haribo has unveiled plans for a new £92 million factory in Yorkshire, England, which will create almost 300 jobs.
Business secretary Vince Cable is visiting the site of the proposed factory at Whitwood Common Lane in Whitwood this week and will view plans for the multi-million pound project.
Work is expected to be completed by April 2015 and once fully operational, the plant will employ 286 people and produce 48,000 tonnes of treats a year.
The company will build a 30,700 sq m three-storey manufacturing unit and four-storey office facility on in Pioneer Way in Wakefield, which will operate alongside Haribo's existing facility in Pontefract.
Haribo UK's managing director, Herwig Vennekens, said that the investment in a new facility will "enhance Haribo's production capabilities and help us meet the growing demand for our products.
"Our existing factory is near capacity and so this new site will allow for progressive expansion, enabling us to continue to extend our offering and to develop new and innovative products".
Vennekens also said that Haribo had experienced year-on-year double digit growth in the UK over the last six years.
Haribo was founded by Hans Reigel in 1920, armed with little more than a sack of sugar, a copper kettle and a rolling pin. It produced its first golden bear in 1960 since when it has made enough of the sweets to stretch around the world four times.
It first entered the UK in the 70's when it purchased shares in Dunhills of Pontefract. It purchased all remaining Dunhill shares in 1994.
