Cargill Incorporation to close Hazleton cocoa plant
USA – Cargill Inc., an American multinational food corporation, has announced plans to halt production at its cocoa and chocolate facility in Hazleton, Pa., in May.
Production is expected to shift to other Cargill plants in North America, where the company said it plans to invest in new upgrades to support evolving customer needs.
The company said, “This decision was not easy as it impacts the 102 employees at the Hazleton facility, their families and the community at large. We are working closely with our impacted employees through this transition, including offering severance benefits and job placement assistance.”
Cargill acquired the Hazleton plant in 2015 as part of its US$440 million acquisition of Archer Daniels Midland Co.’s global chocolate business.
That transaction included three chocolate plants in North America (Hazleton; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Georgetown, Ont.) and three in Europe (Liverpool, UK; Manage, Belgium; and Mannheim, Germany).
Cargill closes turkey plant
The company recently shut down its turkey processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, affecting around 1,000 workers and 100 contract growers.
The company intends to move most of the facility’s operations to its turkey plants in Missouri and Virginia to ensure customers continue receiving their supplies.
Cargill Global External Communications Senior Manager Chuck Miller confirmed the move, stating that the company remains committed to fulfilling contracts with growers and will continue processing turkey and other proteins across more than 40 United States and Canada facilities.
WATT Global Media’s Top Poultry Company database shows that Cargill Protein produced about 793 million live pounds of turkey in 2024.
The closure comes as Cargill is also implementing significant job cuts worldwide in response to declining profits.
In December 2024, the company announced plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 8,000 positions, representing 5% of its total staff.
Cargill attributed the decision to financial struggles, reporting US$160 billion in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, a 10% decrease compared to the previous year.
The company stated that the restructuring is necessary to align its workforce and resources with its long-term strategy.
Cargill acknowledged the impact of the layoffs and said it would support employees during the transition.
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