Lowville Manufacturing Plant Facing Potential Job Losses

A local manufacturer has made the decision to discontinue one of their most popular product lines.

The Kraft-Heinz plant in Lowville, NY has made the very difficult decision to stop producing a popular snack for people who pack lunches for work or school. That snack is the delicious string cheese!

According to a statement from the company, the manufacturer will stop producing Polly-o string cheese effective November 29th, 2024. Anyone who has ever consumed a stick of cheese they can bite into or peel will be devastated by this news. You don't know the beauty and joy of consuming cheese sticks until you've bitten into one. Many parents look to these lunchbox staples as a healthy snack or lunch item for their children.

This change was part of a 2021 agreement to sell Kraft-Heinz's cheese business to U.S. affiliate Lactalis Group. Kraft-Heinz said in a statement to Townsquare Media,

Impacted salary and hourly employees will have the option to transfer to open positions across Lowville’s cream cheese packaging and processing teams and compensation and benefits will be maintained. Our Lowville plant will continue to produce Philadelphia Cream Cheese and it remains a critical part of the Kraft Heinz manufacturing portfolio. We’ve been a proud member of the community for 53 years, and we are committed to the long-term success of our Lowville facility.

It is unknown how this discontinuation will impact the workforce. It is never easy when we see local manufacturers scale back operations, especially in a town like Lowville that relies on the facility as an employer.

The true effect may not be known right away. Only the best can be hoped for.

O'Scugnizzo's Pizzeria is 110 Years Old in Utica, NY

Founded in 1914 by Eugenio Brullino, a determined immigrant from Naples, Italy, O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria has become synonymous with quality, consistency, and the unique flavors of

Utica.

Eugenio Brullino arrived in America in 1913 on the Canopic to Boston, Massachusetts, from Naples at the age of 25. Settling in Utica with his wife Maria, he began his American journey as a pastry chef. To supplement their household income, Maria would prepare little tomato pies, which Eugenio sold at church feasts each weekend. The name "O'Scugnizzo" comes from Naples, which was a slang term used for street urchin’s looking for a day’s work.

When he decided to open his pizzeria in 1914, it was this term that became the trade name, a legacy that would endure for generations.

Gallery Credit: Permission by Lisa Burline Roser for TSM

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