A mushroom company is closing its location in Orange County and will terminate over 200 employees and contractors as a result.
Monterey Mushrooms, LLC announced the terminations of 214 employees at its farm operation located in Zellwood on Wednesday.
According to a worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) filed by the company with the Florida Department of Revenue, the terminations will begin on January 13, 2024 and will continue through “the anticipated final closure in late January or February 2024.”
In the filing, the company says that it has faced “significant challenges in recent years including the global pandemic, weather impacts, inflation, and other factors beyond” its control.
“As a result, it is necessary for the company to reposition its efforts to ensure the long-term success of the company, including by closing the Zellwood, Florida farm operation,” reads the filing.
Located at 5949 Sadler Road, the Zellwood farm says the terminations include over 100 employees and nearly 100 individuals who had “contract positions” with the organization.
“The entire Zellwood farm operation will close, and the closure is expected to be permanent,” reads the filing.
Monterey Mushrooms was founded in 1971 and says that, through its partners, it currently produces more than “200 million pounds of fresh mushrooms every year.”
The farm operation in Zellwood was the company’s sole farm in Florida. The nearest farm is now Tennessee, according to the company’s website.
The company operates multiple farms throughout the rest of the United States, including several in California.
Monterey Mushrooms joins Yelloh!, which formerly operated as Schwan’s Home Delivery, as national food companies that have closed locations in Florida.