# Ferrara Candy will close its Little Village plant in April, cutting 154 jobs. What the City can and can't do

*The plant at 2945 W. 31st St., in the 24th Ward, makes fruit snacks. Ferrara filed a state layoff notice and plans to sell the site; a new use could need City zoning approval.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 12, 2026

Ferrara Candy Company will close its plant at 2945 W. 31st St. in Little Village in April and lay off 154 workers, [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/ferrara-candy-company-is-shutting-down-its-little-village-plant/) Thursday. The company has notified the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which state law requires before a mass layoff, Block Club reported.

Why it matters: 154 jobs is a large employer for one neighborhood, and the City's budget fight this fall has been in part about whether new taxes push employers out. A closing like this one also leaves a large industrial site whose next use the City will help decide.

## What the company said

- The plant hasn't run at full capacity for several years, and production of Funables Fruity Snacks and Stretch Island Fruit Strips will move to other Ferrara plants, a spokesperson told Block Club, citing "market conditions and our long-term innovation roadmap."
- Workers can stay through the last production day, are encouraged to apply for other company jobs, and eligible workers get severance and outplacement help.
- The company plans to sell the property. Ferrara, founded in Chicago's Little Italy in 1908, keeps its global headquarters in Chicago.

The company closed another Illinois plant two years ago: the Jelly Belly factory in North Chicago, with 66 layoffs, in October 2024, [ABC7 reported](https://abc7chicago.com/post/jelly-belly-close-north-chicago-plant-october-ferrara/15023949/).

## What the City can and can't do

- **The closing itself** is a private decision. State and federal law, not City law, require the advance notice to workers.
- **The site's next use** is where the City has a say. A buyer needing a zoning change would go through the Council's Zoning Committee, where the local alderperson's view traditionally carries weight.
- **Incentives:** we found no City incentive for this address in the Council legislation we track. Property-tax incentives for industrial buildings, such as Class 6(b), need a Council ordinance.

## What our records add

**The ward.** The plant is in the 24th Ward, by our map, represented by Ald. Monique Scott. Her two challengers in February both face petition objections ([our story](/on-my-block/2027-objections-24th-33rd-wards-scott-rodriguez-sanchez-challengers-no-rulings)). Block Club didn't report comment from Scott.

**The budget link.** Scott is one of 28 signers of Tuesday's letter rejecting the Mayor's head tax, a $25 monthly per-employee charge on businesses with at least 125 full-time-equivalent workers ([our story](/on-my-block/budget-letter-objections-priced-head-tax-lease-tax-335-million-signers-votes)). The company gave no tax-related reason for the closing, and the head tax hasn't passed. Voters in nine precincts in four wards, Scott's among them, backed a corporate tax in an advisory question last week ([our story](/on-my-block/corporate-tax-referendum-5th-8th-21st-24th-wards-88-percent-yes-alderpersons)).

**Other City money nearby.** The Council has approved tax increment financing for Park District work at Piotrowski Park, 4247 W. 31st St., in 2025 ([O2025-0015978](/matter/O2025-0015978-intergovernmental-agreement-chicago-park-district-provide)), and renews the Little Village special service area's tax levy every year.

## What's next

Production runs until April. We'll follow the property sale and any zoning request.


## Sources

1. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago reported](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/ferrara-candy-company-is-shutting-down-its-little-village-plant/)
2. ABC7: [ABC7 reported](https://abc7chicago.com/post/jelly-belly-close-north-chicago-plant-october-ferrara/15023949/)
3. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2)

On the map: [Little Village](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/little-village), [24th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/24)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/ferrara-candy-closing-little-village-plant-154-jobs-24th-ward-what-city-can-do · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt