Shares in Dunedin Manufacturing Holdings (DMH) would be priced at $50 if the offer goes ahead. A website, www.ownthefactory.co.nz, has been launched to register pledges.
"You will not be committed to make an investment at this time, but we ask you to only make a pledge if you intend to invest in the future," O'Malley said.
It was an opportunity to invest in a viable business while helping the community, he said.
The plant would make the full range of New Zealand favourities, such as Jaffas and Pineapple Lumps under licence for Mondelez International.
DMH would also look for new markets, and it planned to expand over time to full chocolate production.
Production would start in August 2018, he said, but Mondelez wanted to confirm the third-party manufacturer in a couple of months' time.
The business would employ 25 workers initially, increasing to 69 over three years.
