A Michigan bottled-water plant is scheduled to close at the end of October, adding to the state’s recent food and beverage industry layoffs. Niagara Bottling plans to shut down its facility at 8835 General Drive in Plymouth, with 86 jobs slated to be eliminated on October 31, 2026, according to state labor records.
The planned closure follows Niagara’s June purchase of the retail bottled-water business of Michigan-based Absopure. The state lists the reason as “company reorganization,” but the filing does not explain whether production will be shifted to a particular location.
86 jobs are scheduled to go
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity identifies the action as a facility closure, not simply a reduction in staff. Its official WARN job list details 21 production operators, nine production operator leads, 11 forklift operators and eight maintenance technicians among the affected positions.
Warehouse staff, quality-control workers, supervisors, accounting employees and the plant director are also included. The list adds up to 86 jobs, illustrating that the planned shutdown reaches well beyond the bottling line.
The company filed its notice on August 31, and the state’s posted layoff date is October 31. Those are planned job losses, not evidence that all 86 people have already been laid off. As of October 8, the listed closure date remains in the future.
The shutdown follows a June acquisition
On June 23, Niagara announced that it had acquired Absopure’s retail bottled-water business. That distinction matters: the announcement described the retail business, not a purchase of every part of Absopure’s operations. The Plymouth location was previously operated by Absopure, a longstanding Michigan bottled-water name.
Alongside the deal, Niagara said it planned to invest several hundred million dollars in manufacturing infrastructure across the Midwest, Northeast, West Coast and Southwest. The company said the investments would modernize production and reduce energy use, packaging materials and freight emissions. Its June announcement did not identify the Plymouth plant as a recipient of those funds.
Will Absopure water disappear from stores?
The closing of one plant does not necessarily mean the Absopure brand is being discontinued. Niagara said in June that it looked forward to growing the brand, and Michigan reporting in September said Absopure bottled water remained available in stores. No announcement reviewed for this article said the brand itself was ending.
Niagara, based in Diamond Bar, California, described itself in June as a family-owned business with more than 9,000 employees and over 50 plant locations. It produces bottled water and other beverages for retailers, grocery stores and other customers. The Plymouth closure therefore affects one location in a much larger manufacturing network.
What happens next in Plymouth?
For local workers, the confirmed number is 86 positions scheduled to disappear. The public records do not establish whether employees will be offered transfers or severance, nor do they identify a future use for the property. It would be premature to claim those details are settled.
The important date remains October 31, 2026. Unless the schedule changes, that is when the Plymouth bottled-water facility is expected to close, months after Niagara’s Absopure retail-business acquisition.
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