Nestlé plans to close its foodservice manufacturing factory in Solon, Ohio, by the end of 2027, adding a new chapter to Ohio’s recent factory changes. Production is expected to end months earlier, during the third quarter of 2027.
The company confirmed the planned shutdown on October 19. Work performed at the Solon factory will move gradually to Nestlé’s facility in Gaffney, South Carolina, where the company says it already has the capabilities needed to handle that production.
The closure is planned, not immediate
Nestlé expects the transition to unfold over the coming months rather than stopping operations at once. The Solon factory makes foodservice products in pouches, including sauces and beverages intended for commercial customers.
The company said changing customer needs and production volumes led it to build on capacity elsewhere in its manufacturing network. Nestlé called that approach the most sustainable path forward, while acknowledging that the decision will be difficult for employees and the community.
A precise job-loss figure is not yet available. Nestlé expects to file a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice around March 2027, which should provide the number of affected positions and more detail about the timing of layoffs.
The company said it plans to offer affected workers separation benefits, transition assistance and opportunities to apply for other jobs inside Nestlé.
The wider Solon campus will remain open
The planned closure applies to the manufacturing factory, not Nestlé’s entire Solon campus. Research and development teams, corporate functions and other Nestlé businesses based there are expected to remain.
Nestlé’s separate Cleveland factory on West 25th Street and its distribution center in Streetsboro are also unaffected. The company says it employs nearly 3,000 people across seven Ohio facilities.
The Solon site has already experienced a major production shift. In 2024, Nestlé announced 216 layoffs as frozen-food manufacturing moved elsewhere in its U.S. network. Food Dive reported that the factory employed 780 people at that time, but Nestlé has not released a current headcount for the operation that is now scheduled to close.
Production will move to South Carolina
The receiving plant in Gaffney will take over the Solon factory’s pouch production. Nestlé has not said that the move will affect shoppers immediately, and the lengthy transition gives the company more than a year to transfer the work.
For Solon employees, the biggest unanswered question is how many positions will disappear. Until the WARN filing arrives, the closure timeline is clear, but its full effect on the workforce remains unknown.
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