Wrigley Manufacturing Company, a subsidiary of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, is located in Flowery Branch and produces 14 gum brands including Juicy Fruit®, Wrigley’s Spearmint® and Big Red®. The Gainesville facility opened in 1971 with 100 employees and today has over 700 employees. As the largest gum manufacturer in the world, the Gainesville plant is also the most efficient of Wrigley’s 13 world-wide factories.
Jan Bruce-Brookes was promoted to factory manager in April. A graduate of Duke University with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Bruce-Brookes joined Wrigley’s in 1988 as a project engineer. She was promoted to maintenance manager, then production superintendent. Prior to Wrigley’s she was a project engineer for Bristol-Myers.
As factory manager, she directs the overall operations of the Gainesville Factory to ensure the efficient, effective, and safe manufacture of high quality products and the effective operations of supporting staff functions. Born and raised in Atlanta, she is married and has two daughters.
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company started in Chicago in 1891, first selling scouring soap and then baking powder.
In 1892, founder William Wrigley, Jr. decided to offer two packs of chewing gum as a premium with each can of baking powder. The promotion was a tremendous success, and Mr. Wrigley turned his full attention to marketing gum. Juicy Fruit® and Wrigley’s Spearmint® were introduced to the market in 1893. Today, Wrigley’s gum is sold in over 150 countries around the world.
Wrigley Manufacturing in Gainesville expanded its facility in the spring of 2000 with two production lines. A technically advanced continuous mix process was added to increase production capacity, efficiency and assist in speeding new products to the market. In addition, precision coating and wrapping equipment was installed to produce Wrigley’s new Eclipse® brand.
Wrigley Manufacturing Company, 4500 Atlanta Highway in Flowery Branch. 770-967-6181.
Related Information http://www.wrigley.com