CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. (AP) — An organic food company that announced plans for hiring 1,000 workers in eastern Indiana three years ago now has about one-fifth that many after a round of layoffs this week.
Really Cool Foods laid off 31 full-time workers on Monday from its Cambridge City manufacturing and distribution center, leaving it with 205 full-time employees, company spokesman Roger Harvey said.
"As our busy holiday seasonal orders have been fulfilled, it has become necessary for us to reduce our work force," Harvey told the Palladium-Item of Richmond. "We are optimistic that 2011 will put the company in a strong position to grow, which will eventually lead to additional staffing needs."
Really Cool Foods opened its Cambridge City operations in 2008, a year after company executive announced their plans for a $100 million investment and the hiring of 1,000 employees in a five- to seven-year period.
Government support for the company included 50 acres of land and a 10-year property tax abatement from Wayne County and about $1.9 million spent by the state and county to build two access roads for the facility near Interstate 70 about 50 miles east of Indianapolis.
Really Cool Foods manufacturers fresh and organic foods, with meals such as almond-crusted flounder and garlic rosemary roasted potatoes distributed through supermarket chains such as Giant, Kroger, Shop Rite and Stop & Shop.
Harvey said that despite the layoffs, "sales remain strong."
"This decision allows us to return to pre-holiday production after completing our busiest month of the year in terms of holiday orders," he said. "Obviously, the company wants to continue to grow here."
