Pearson's Candy Closure Update: Some St. Paul Workers Kept On Until 2027

ST. PAUL, MN — A handful of workers at Pearson's Candy Company's St. Paul plant will stay on the job into the new year as the longtime candy maker winds down operations, according to a revised layoff notice filed with the state.

The company, formally St. Paul Candy Company, submitted a second revision to its federal WARN notice to Minnesota's State Rapid Response Team.

The update pushes back the separation dates for seven employees from Oct. 31 to Jan. 31, 2027. The company said the extension is meant to cover its continued operational needs while the facility winds down.

The plant at 2140 7th St. W is closing permanently, and about 80 employees in all are losing their jobs. Separations began Sept. 28.

The company's original notice was dated July 30, and a first revision followed on Sept. 15. As Patch previously reported, the maker of the Nut Goodie and Salted Nut Roll cited a lack of financial sustainability for keeping the site running.

Pearson's parent company, Promise Confections, has said it is looking to move certain key Pearson's brands to a strategic partner and will keep exploring ways to make the legacy products.

Some of the affected workers are represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union, Local 22. No bumping rights are tied to the layoffs, according to the notice.

The job cuts reach across the plant. Affected positions include candy makers, starch department cooks, wrapping and enrobing machine operators, feeders, packers, sanitors, maintenance mechanics, oilers, boiler operators, HVAC and electro-mechanical technicians, quality control technicians, shipping and receiving clerks, security staff, an IT manager and a production manager.

Pearson's traces back to 1909, when P. Edward Pearson and his brothers started a candy distribution business in Minneapolis. The company moved to St. Paul in 1950 and into its West 7th Street plant in 1959.

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act generally requires employers to give workers at least 60 days' notice ahead of plant closures and mass layoffs.