Forty-nine workers are set to lose their jobs when The Campbell’s Company closes a plant in the Massachusetts town of Hyannis this spring.
And with it, the region will lose production of the snack staple that bears its name – the Cape Cod potato chip.
Cape Cod chips have been made at the Hyannis plant since 1985 though, over time, the factory volume of this location has declined to just 4% of the overall output of these potato chips for Campbell’s.
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As such, the food manufacturer says the plant “no longer makes economic sense” and that it will move the production to facilities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Elizabeth Duggan, the president of Campbell’s Snacks division, called the decision “difficult,” while stressing that it was made with the goal of strengthening the company’s snacks business for long-term growth.
Duggan added that the company would maintain a community presence by “honoring the brand's heritage and [continuing] local investment to support the next generation of food innovators on Cape Cod."
In 2017, former brand owners Snyder’s-Lance announced a $20 million investment in the Cape Cod plant, saying the financial boost to the outdated and overcrowded plant would allow production to stay in the region. At the time, there were 100 employees at the plant and the pledge meant adding 17,000 square feet and upgrading the plant tour experience for visitors.
Later that year, it was announced that Campbell’s would purchase the brand as part of a $4.87 billion deal to buy Snyder’s-Lance.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance responded aggressively to the plant closure announcement, calling the state of Massachusetts “increasingly hostile to manufacturing.”
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