A longtime food manufacturing operation in Fort Myers is heading for a full shutdown. The closure will leave 135 workers without jobs by late June.
The plant, operated by Peterson Brands, makes shelf-stable fruit juice products for large institutional customers. According to a WARN notice filed with the state of Florida, the shutdown is permanent and will affect all employees at the facility.
Plant shutdown will end a longtime Fort Myers operation
The facility is located at 9910 Bavaria Road in Fort Myers, in Lee County. Peterson Brands said in its state filing that the site will close as part of a total plant shutdown, with job losses expected by June 27.
The operation has been known for aseptically packaged juice products. Those products have been sold to schools, health care providers, military organizations, airlines, cruise lines and other foodservice buyers that rely on shelf-stable beverages.
The closure marks the end of a business that had operated in Southwest Florida for nearly two decades. For the local area, that means another manufacturing employer is disappearing at a time when many communities are already watching labor market shifts closely.
WARN filing outlines the scale of the job cuts
The state WARN notice gives the clearest picture so far of how broad the layoffs will be. It shows that 135 employees are expected to be affected, and that the cuts will span nearly every part of the operation.
Workers listed in the filing include machine operators, maintenance technicians and warehouse staff. Food safety and quality assurance employees are also affected, along with production supervisors, logistics specialists, human resources staff and administrative personnel.
The filing states that there is no union representing workers at the plant. It also says employees do not have bumping rights, meaning they cannot displace other workers in order to stay employed within the operation.
Company has not publicly given a reason for closing
One of the biggest unanswered questions is why the plant is shutting down. The WARN notice did not include a specific reason for the closure, and company representatives did not immediately provide additional public detail, according to reporting on the filing.
That leaves workers and the broader Fort Myers community with little explanation beyond the basic announcement. In cases like this, closures can reflect a range of factors, including changing demand, production consolidation, operating costs or broader company strategy, but no official cause has been confirmed here.
For affected employees, the practical impact is immediate. Losing a job at a single-site manufacturing plant can ripple outward, especially when positions range from production-floor roles to office and logistics jobs tied directly to the facility.
Ownership changed recently before closure announcement
The Fort Myers juice operation previously did business as King Brands. It was acquired in 2024 by the Peterson Farms family of companies, a Michigan-based food business headquartered in Shelby.
Peterson Farms operates several food-processing businesses focused on fruit products, juices and related foodservice offerings. That broader footprint makes the Fort Myers closure notable, especially because it follows a relatively recent ownership change rather than a long, publicly signaled wind-down.
For Lee County, the shutdown adds 135 workers to the list of Floridians affected by large layoff notices this year. It also highlights how food manufacturing, even in products as familiar as fruit juice, can be vulnerable to sudden business decisions that reshape local employment in a matter of weeks.
