Bamba
BambaiStock

The Israeli "Osem" company dedicated its new factory in southern Israel earlier this week.

The factory, which is Kiryat Gat's third, is spread over 16,000 dunams (55,285,272 acres) and cost 200 million NIS ($55,285,272), and will employ 150 people. A new visitor's center is also planned for the site.

In the first stage, the factory is expected to allow Osem to double its output to approximately 1 million bags of Bamba each day. Later, output is expected to increase to 1.5 million bags per day.

The increase in output comes in response to an increase in demand for the famous peanut snack, both in Israel and abroad.

Osem has exported its products to the US and Europe for 30 years, serving mostly kashrut (kosher) observant consumers.

In January 2017, the FDA published a new guideline and recommended that babies with a family history of nut allergies be exposed to peanuts in order to minimize the risk of developing a peanut allergy, as part of a preventive plan. In their recommendation, the FDA mentioned Osem's Bamba as a good product to offer babies to expose them to peanuts, and allowed a line mentioning the recommendation to be added to the packages of peanut products.

Osem Chairman Dan Propper said, "When we invented Bamba 55 years ago, we did not imagine that it would become Israel's most popular snack and arouse so much interest abroad. Over the years, Bamba has continued to change, with additional shapes and flavors, and the baby that became an Israeli icon has done will in Israel and abroad."

"I am especially proud of the talent and achievements of Osem employees, thanks to whom we are dedicating the new factory today, and fulfilling Osem's and Nestle's obligation to invest in Israeli production and expanding the sale of Bamba around the world."