CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
Several Franklin County workers will be facing layoffs.
Officials have confirmed that Gibble's Foods has filed layoffs warnings with CareerLink, but do not yet know how many employees will be affected.
The plant has gone through some recent changes. On December 1, it was sold from Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. to Eldon Dieffenbach.
According to Scott Heintzleman, vice president of finance and administration for Martin's, they did not know about possible layoffs when they sold the plant. Heintzleman said the president of Martin's is married to the daughter of the founder of Gibble's and consequently:
"Gibble's means more to us than simply a snack company. The news we learned today saddens us and the entire Martin family," he said in a statement to abc27 News. "This is not something we expected, intended, or wanted. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that lost their job today and/or will lose the ability to distribute this popular brand."
Heintzleman said Martin's sold the Gibble's division to the current owner so they could focus on the bakery business.
"During the entire process of divesting of this division, our goal was to protect the jobs, the brand, and our independent distributors that sold the product," he said.
At this time, it is unclear what will become of the plant, but members of the Gibble family want to make it clear to the public that Mrs. Gibble's Candies and Mrs. Gibble's Restaurant no longer have any connection to the plant.
Those businesses are located near the plant, but have not been affiliated with the business for years. They will remain open and continue to feature Mrs. Gibble's original handmade candy recipes and homemade meals, along with several regular specials.
