Del Monte Foods’ Yakima, Washington, Fruit Plant to Close
Del Monte Foods will close a fruit processing facility in Yakima, Wash., and two warehouses in the area that store fruit products, according to local news reports citing a statement from the company.
A timeline for the wind down and closure was not announced, but the company told the news outlet that discussions had begun with the workforce and the plant’s manufacturing partners on next steps. It also said that there would be no packing at the plant this season, and that the company would notify authorities of the shutdown “at the appropriate time.”
It’s the latest closure or divestiture of a facility by Del Monte Foods in the last year and a half — including the sale of its Hanford, Calif., tomato-processing plant to Morning Star Tomatoes in March 2025, the shutdown of the Toppenish, Wash., facility in April 2024, and the closure of a central Wisconsin plant in early 2024.
The Yakima processing facility produces canned pears and other products, the news outlet noted. Although Del Monte’s spokesperson did not further explain the reasoning for the closure or how it might affect the local agriculture business, sources cited by the news outlet noted that demand for canned pears has decreased since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has put pressure on companies in the business.
