57 jobs cut at Polk County manufacturing plant

Nearly 60 employees will lose their jobs when a Polk County manufacturing facility closes one department in the coming months, according to a letter filed with state officials.

Mizkan America, a company that makes liquid condiments and owns brands like Ragu and Bertolli, plans to wind down operations of the bottling department at its Lake Alfred plant and lay off 57 workers on or around Sept. 19, says its letter, posted Friday to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification website maintained by the Florida Department of Commerce.

The plant in Polk County, located at 445 N. Dakota, is one of 13 plants in the United States overseen by Mizkan America. It is the only one in Florida. Others are in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Positions that will be affected by the Florida job cuts include maintenance technicians, production workers, shippers and receivers, bottling supervisors, project engineer, quality assurance supervisor and plant purchasing clerk, among others.

Mizkan America is headquartered in Mount Prospect, Illinois. It is part of Mizkan Holdings, a company founded in 1804 in Japan with the mission of “bringing flavor to life.” It has 3,600 total employees, including more than 2,000 in Japan. Mizkan Holdings focuses on manufacturing and sales of foods, seasonings and fermented soy beans for retail and food-service markets. In fiscal year 2024, it posted approximately $2.1 billion in sales, of which nearly $1.2 billion came from North America.

A spokesperson for Mizkan America says the facility will continue to operate for bulk vinegar production and warehousing.

“After much thought and consideration, we made the difficult decision to shutter our bottling lines at our Lake Alfred vinegar plant, effective September 19, 2025, and move production of bottled products to other plants. This change will impact 57 team members," Mizkan America CEO Koichi Yuki says in an emailed statement to the Business Observer. "However, the facility will continue to operate to produce bulk vinegar and provide warehousing. We are deeply grateful to our employees for their hard work and dedication and are committed to supporting those affected through this transition. We will be working with local agencies to provide resources and assistance.”

This story was updated to reflect a statement from the CEO of Mizkan America.