By Carl Fish | Daily Ridge News
Mizkan America has announced it will permanently shut down the bottling department at its Lake Alfred facility, resulting in the loss of approximately 57 jobs. The closure is scheduled to take place around September 19, 2025, and will impact a range of positions including production workers, technicians, supervisors, and warehouse personnel.
Located at 445 North Dakota Avenue, the facility has been a part of the Lake Alfred industrial landscape for well over a decade. While an exact opening date for the plant wasn’t immediately available, company records show that in 2012 Mizkan invested in a new research and development center on-site. That expansion supported food innovation projects and helped diversify the types of condiments and vinegars produced at the location.
Although the bottling lines are being shut down, Mizkan will continue to operate the Lake Alfred facility for bulk vinegar production and warehousing. According to company officials, the closure of the bottling department is part of a broader shift in operations. Bottled product production will be moved to other Mizkan sites in the United States, while the Lake Alfred facility will focus on larger-scale bulk operations.
Mizkan America is the U.S. subsidiary of Mizkan Holdings, a Japan-based food company with more than 200 years of history. The company owns several well-known consumer brands including Ragú and Bertolli pasta sauces, Holland House cooking wines, and Nakano rice vinegars. Mizkan operates more than a dozen manufacturing plants across the country, but the Lake Alfred site is the company’s only facility in Florida.
In a written statement, Mizkan leadership expressed appreciation for the contributions of the Lake Alfred employees and indicated that assistance would be provided to help them through the transition. The company also stated there is no labor union representing the affected workers, and no internal job transfers or “bumping rights” will be available as part of the shutdown process.
While the bulk production side of the operation will continue for now, the end of bottling operations marks a significant shift in Mizkan’s Florida footprint. For many in the community, it’s another reminder of how quickly the economic landscape can change—and how important it is to support workers and families during periods of transition.
