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HANOVER — Foodies flock to New Jersey for its famous pizza, outrageous bagels and regional delicacies like Taylor Ham (or is it pork roll?).
But how many people know that one of the world’s most popular and widely available cookies − the Oreo − is a part of Garden State history? The first pack of the beloved sandwich cookie was sold in Hoboken in 1912.
The Oreo-Jersey connection was renewed Monday as executives of Mondelēz International were joined by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Rep. Mikie Sherrill and local officials to cut the ribbon on the international snack-maker’s $50 million research and development center on Route 10 in Whippany.
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The renovation transformed a 150,000-square-foot building that formerly served as an R&D site for Mondelēz subsidiary Cadbury. It is now owned by the parent company, which traces its history to Kraft Foods and makes snacks including Oreos and Belvita breakfast biscuits, Ritz crackers, Trident gum, Sour Patch Kids and Tang drink mix.
“This was not easy and it was a long process,” Hanover Mayor Thomas “Ace” Gallagher said of the project. “Serious and extensive corporate planning and months of hard work have brought us to this point. But this is just the beginning. This partnership officially begins right now.”
Inside the new facility
The property is now staffed with about 50 R&D specialists to develop new snacks, flavors and varieties, taking them from conception to mass production. The renovated facility includes new labs, industrial-grade baking, assembly and packaging equipment; and warehouse space to store large quantities of ingredients.
“I can’t wait to see what comes out of this facility in the years to come, said Norb Chaclin, Mondelēz’ senior vice president of R&D for biscuits and baked snacks.
Menendez called the research center “just an installment of the long tradition of innovation in the Garden State stretching back to the Wizard of Menlo Park,” a reference to Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park labs. “From air conditioning to vacuum cleaners, Band-aids to cell phones, so much of what we take for granted today is due to New Jersey grit and ingenuity.”
“I wanted to start my day here before I head to Washington because it will be sweeter here than it will be there,” he said, as an orange Sour Patch Kid mascot loomed behind him. “I understand this is the place where taste bud magic will be created for generations to come.”
The building is located less than two miles down Route 10 from the Whippany site of the former Bell Labs campus, where Bell produced groundbreaking telecommunications technology and top-secret military research.
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East Hanover development
Mondelēz still bases its North American operations at a 40-acre facility in neighboring East Hanover. The company sold off another 80 acres there to the Kushner Real Estate Group, which is currently building more than 500 residential units on the property.
Many business leaders decry New Jersey as a highly taxed state. But Sherrill, a Montclair Democrat, said the business community appreciates the “incredible” workforce companies find here, especially during a period of low unemployment.
That workforce, she said, is a product of “our top-ranked public school system and leading colleges and universities.”
“We also value and invest in workforce development training to ensure workers can continue to access training that can help move their careers and their employers forward,” Sherrill said.
The congresswoman and New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way agreed on their favorite Mondelēz snack: Double Stuf Oreos.
Menendez said he loved the company’s snacks in his younger days but mostly avoids them now because “they don’t burn off as fast.”
They all participated in an appropriate, celebratory milk-and-Oreo toast before the event concluded with guided tours of the facility.
In Morris County, Sherrill added, “companies are making new advancements in defense technology and medical treatments − and we’re also on the cutting edge of cookies.”
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com
Twitter: @wwesthoven
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