
Del Monte Foods of San Francisco, which recently bought Sager Creek Vegetable Co. of Siloam Springs, said Thursday it will close a Sager Creek vegetable processing plant in Pulaski, Wisconsin, leaving 27 full-time employees and 200 seasonal workers unemployed.
Del Monte said in a news release Thursday that it will be moving production to other Sager Creek and Del Monte owned vegetable production facilities.
Del Monte will also be closing a warehousing and labeling plant in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, which will leave 14 workers without a job, the news release said.
The closures are expected to happen in mid-June.
“This decision was difficult, but will ultimately allow Del Monte to maintain a strong grower and manufacturing presence in Wisconsin,” Dave Withycombe, Del Monte’s chief operations officer, said in the release.
But the move will allow Del Monte Foods “to prepare for the upcoming season by improving and optimizing production capabilities across the remaining manufacturing network,” the news release said.
Del Monte hasn’t disclosed its plans for Sager’s Arkansas operations.
Earlier this month, Del Monte Foods bought the assets of Sager Creek Vegetable Co., in a $75 million cash deal. In February 2014, Sager Creek bought Allens Inc. out of bankruptcy in a $160 million deal.
Allens, a family-owned vegetable and food processor was founded in 1926, produces brands including Veg-all, Freshlike, Popeye, Princella and Trappey’s.