The Coca-Cola Co. filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice that it will permanently close its orange juice processing plant in Dunedin, Fla., at the end of May, resulting in the layoff of nearly 200 workers, according to local news reports and the WARN notice.
The notice states the plant, which dates back to the 1940s (Coca-Cola acquired it in 1988), is expected to shut down on May 31, 2024, with layoffs expected to begin as soon as April 5. Workers were informed of the layoffs on Feb. 5, the notice says. All workers and positions at the facility would be eliminated, though some employees will remain employed through the closure date in order to assist with administrative tasks associated with the plant shutdown.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson reminded one local media outlet that the plan to close the plant was announced in early 2020, and added that all volume for the plant would be transferred to third-party co-packer Peace River Citrus, which has a plant some two hours east in Bartow, Fla.
The plant continued to operate for years after the original 2020 announcement, with the company needing the additional processing capacity as recently as last year to handle demand. Even then, Coca-Cola told officials the facility would remain in operation until this spring, which eventually will become the date of closure.
