Hershey To Shutter Dot’s Pretzels North Dakota Flagship Plant

Aug. 24, 2023

Processing facility in Velva, N.D. — the birthplace of Dot’s Pretzels — will close on October 27 in a move to improve process efficiency.

Andy Hanacek

The Hershey Co. will shutter the legacy Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels processing plant in Velva, N.D., according to news reports from the area. The plant is scheduled to close on October 27, the report says.

Dot’s Pretzels was created in Velva by Dot Henke, and when Hershey acquired the business (as well as Pretzels Inc.) for a reported $1.2 billion in November 2021, the company expected to keep the plant running — and reportedly invested in upgrades and renovations to the facility in 2022.

However, the company cited the need for more efficient production of what it called one of its power brands in the salty snacks category. The plant’s physical limitations of the building and costs to operate it caused Hershey to decide to shut it down. Hershey has offered the 27 hourly employees at the Velva facility the opportunity to relocate to facilities in Robinson, Ill., or Lawrence, Kan.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.