A popular organic food brand known for its frozen meals and canned soups is preparing to shut down one of its longtime California facilities. The closure will eliminate hundreds of jobs as the company reshuffles production across its manufacturing network.
Amy’s Kitchen closing Santa Rosa facility
Amy’s Kitchen plans to close its manufacturing plant in Santa Rosa, California, affecting approximately 207 positions at the facility. The closure is part of a broader restructuring that will eliminate about 260 jobs across the company’s operations.
The shutdown will take place in phases, with layoffs beginning toward the end of 2026 and the transition expected to conclude by summer 2027.
The Santa Rosa plant holds a significant place in the company’s history. Amy’s began commercial production there in 1988, building a business around convenient organic foods, including vegetarian frozen meals, soups, and burritos.
Production moving to Oregon and Idaho
Rather than discontinue the affected products, Amy’s plans to redistribute manufacturing among its remaining facilities.
Production from Santa Rosa will shift to plants in Medford, Oregon, and Pocatello, Idaho. The Medford facility will focus on pizzas, soups, and burritos, while Pocatello will become the company’s primary facility for frozen entrées.
The reorganization will also eliminate approximately 51 positions in the canning area at the Idaho facility as those operations move to Oregon.
Amy’s Kitchen CEO Paul Schiefer said the company carefully considered alternatives before deciding to consolidate its manufacturing operations. He explained that the existing production network had become more complex than the business required.
What the closure means for workers
The company said affected employees will receive separation packages, job-placement assistance, and counseling services to help them navigate the transition.
The announcement comes as food manufacturers face changing consumer demand and pressure to operate more efficiently. Although interest in convenient, better-for-you foods remains, growth across the frozen food category has been uneven.
For Amy’s Kitchen, the restructuring is intended to streamline production and position its remaining facilities for the future. However, the closure marks a major change for Santa Rosa, where the company’s manufacturing roots stretch back more than three decades.
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