Nearly 300 employees to lose jobs after Modesto ice cream factory closes

(FOX40.COM) — An ice cream factory in Modesto that employs nearly 300 people is scheduled to close its doors for good.

Tropicale Foods, LLC, which specializes in “Mexican-inspired ice cream,” is expected to put an end to production in Modesto on July 19. The company was founded in Mexico in the 1940’s and has had a production plant in Modesto since 2002.

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“Tropicale is committed to treating its employees with dignity and respect throughout this
process,” Tropicale spokesperson Malana Harpst told FOX40.com. “In addition to required legal notices, (Tropicale) will provide certain separation benefits and assistance as they transition to other opportunities.”

Details of employee benefits were not disclosed.

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Harpst said the company plans to move production from Modesto to “its newly opened Lubbock, Texas, and existing Ontario facilities.”

Stanislaus County Workforce Development told FOX40.com it received a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification on Tuesday. A WARN notice is a 1988 law that requires employers to give a 60-day notice to affected employees, state, and local representatives before closing a plant or a mass layoff.

According to the California Employment Development Department, WARN notices provide employees and their families time to transition and adjust to the potential loss of employment, time to seek alternative jobs and time to obtain skills to successfully compete in the job market.

Doris Foster, a Stanislaus County Workforce Development representative, said the agency is providing ‘rapid response services’ to the affected employees. Those services include:

• Unemployment insurance filing assistance
• Local employment opportunities
• Reemployment services such as resume writing and interview assistance
• Ongoing follow-up and referrals
• Enrollment into the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act program that assist with job search, training, and work based learning

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