Century-old chocolate plant to shut its doors for good

Leadership of Cargill's North American chocolate and cocoa business will no longer be in Lititz, which is east of Harrisburg.

Affected Cargill employees who'll lose their job will soon receive notice from the state about how to move forward. It churns out industrial chocolate, which is sold to companies that turn it into various food products.

Production at the brick factory on North Broad Street there will be shifted in January to more modern and efficient plants on West Lincoln Avenue in Lititz and in Mount Joy, Hazelton, Milwaukee, and Ontario, Cargill said.

The Milwaukee facility, with around 250 employees, will add around 15 positions, said Pete Stoddart, a spokesman for Minneapolis-based Cargill. Cargill's corporate headquarters are in Minneapolis, which will give the business closer access to administrative, R&D, and marketing.

Shoppers will still be able to purchase Wilbur Buds and other Wilbur sweets in Lititz. A few jobs may be relocations from other Cargill facilities or they may be new hires.

"These are very hard decisions, especially when they involve people who have done such great work for us over the years", said Bryan Wurscher, president of Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate North America. The company employs about 2,200 people in Pennsylvania.

Cargill is taking these steps to help bring its customers expanded product offerings, increased production capacities and efficiencies. They want to be in control of what they are consuming based upon 3 key criteria: freshness, health and taste.

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