Nestlé to Close Solon, Ohio Factory by End of 2027

Nestlé will close its Solon, Ohio factory by the end of 2027, moving foodservice pouch production to Gaffney, South Carolina, the company said.

The Lean Cuisine and Hot Pockets maker described the decision as a response to changing consumer needs and shifts in product volume. Production in Solon will wind down gradually over the coming months, ending by the third quarter of 2027, with the factory shut by year-end.

The company did not say how many employees will lose their jobs. It plans to file a WARN notice around March — so the real headcount is still unknown until that filing lands.

What does the closure mean for Solon?

Not everything in Solon is going away. Nestlé said the broader Solon campus will stay open and continue to house R&D, corporate operations and multiple Nestlé businesses. The Switzerland-based food giant employs nearly 3,000 people across seven facilities in Ohio.

Still, this is the second hit to the site in two years. Nestlé announced in 2024 that it would lay off 216 workers from the Solon factory, which employed 780 people at the time. That means the plant had already lost roughly 28% of its workforce before this closure decision.

"As customer needs and volumes evolve, we determined that building on capabilities already in place elsewhere in our network was the most sustainable path forward," Nestlé said in a statement. "We understand that this decision is difficult, not only for employees, but also for the community members who have deep ties to the Solon factory."

Why is Nestlé trimming its network now?

The closure lands while executives at the world's largest food company admit performance in North America is lagging. They have recently said they were "not happy" with results in the region.

CFO Anna Manz told a Barclays conference that "more needs to be done" to improve execution in North America. She flagged creamers and the infant and child brand Gerber as two areas that are "underperforming," and said frozen food is seeing slower growth across the category — a caveat that matters, given Solon makes pouch products for foodservice and Nestlé's frozen brands anchor its U.S. lineup.

Nestlé is not alone. Food and beverage manufacturers across the U.S. have been actively closing facilities this year to improve network efficiency, cut costs and bring supply in line with consumer demand that has fallen amid elevated prices. PepsiCo, Tyson Foods, JBS, Danone and Mars have all announced closure plans.

The takeaway: Nestlé is consolidating into existing capacity while demand softens — and the March WARN notice will show how many Solon workers pay the price.