Creamery ’s LA ice cream plant will close May 15

Originally published in the "5-7-09" issue.

With no buyer lined up, Humboldt Creamery’s Los Angeles- based ice cream novelty production plant will close May 15. Approximately 45 employees will be let go.

“The plan was to try and find someone who would buy it and. keep it running,” said Humboldt Creamery’s CEO Len Mayer. “The original desire was for a new buyer to hire the folks there.”

Mayer said the plant has “produced all the product it made sense to produce” at the plant, which was acquired several years ago during the company’s expansion. “We’ve run through all the raw materials.”

Mayer said it didn’t make financial sense to keep the plant operating and hopes now are to find a buyer.

Meanwhile, employee Derrick Baker, who has worked at the plant for 20 years, says several buyers have looked at the plant, but “not with the employees in mind.

“We know that they are waiting for the place to close before buying,” he said, adding that most of the employees have been together for many years and that despite being out of a job soon, the morale among employees “is pretty good,” despite being notified that they would not be paid for earned vacation due to the Chapter 11 filing.

“Many people like myself have 4-5 weeks earned by now,” he said via email at the end of April. “We were trying to be loyal and not take the vacation and just ride it out but now people are ready to leave.”