Cargill to close cocoa plant in Humboldt Industrial Park; protein plant unaffected
HUMBOLDT – One of the largest employers in the Hazleton area is downsizing.
In a statement to the Sentinel, Cargill confirmed the closure of its cocoa and chocolate facility in the Humboldt Industrial Park. They have owned the plant at 400 Stoney Creek Road for ten years.
“We have decided to permanently stop production this summer, shift the Hazleton production volume to other North American Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate facilities, and invest in new projects at these other facilities that will support evolving customer needs,” Cargill said in the statement. “This decision was not an easy one as it impacts the 102 employees at the Hazleton facility, their families and the community at large.”
The decision, they said, does not impact the protein facility on Green Mountain Road, which employs about 800 people according to their website. The protein facility is in East Union Township, Schuylkill County, and is the fifth largest employer in Schuylkill County.
Statewide, Cargill employs 2,900 people in agricultural and food businesses.
Cargill bought the cocoa plant from Archer Daniels Midland along with plants in Wisconsin, Canada, England, Belgium, and Germany.
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