Sort by
Sort by

Nestlé to Move HOT POCKETS® Business to Ohio

Back to Press releases
Solon, Ohio

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, a division of Nestlé USA, is relocating its HOT POCKETS® and LEAN POCKETS® brand frozen sandwich and snacks business team from Englewood, Colorado to its headquarters location in Solon, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. Frank Higgins, President and CEO of Nestlé Prepared Foods, made the announcement this morning from Colorado. “We believe the opportunities for shared learning and continued progress – both for our employees and our business -- are greater with all our teams working together,” noted Higgins.

Acquired by Nestlé from Chef America in 2002, the HOT POCKETS and LEAN POCKETS brands helped define convenient, delicious and affordable American fare in what is now a $2 billion category of frozen sandwiches and snacks. With Nestlé’s product development and marketing expertise, the well-known brands have been extended to breakfast, lunch, dinner and anytime snacking. Over 80 varieties are available nationwide in U.S. grocer’s freezers. The products also are sold in Canada, Mexico and Brazil and in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom under the Nestlé-owned MAGGI® brand name.

In Solon, the HOT POCKETS and LEAN POCKETS business will join a family of well-known food brands including STOUFFER’S® and LEAN CUISINE® frozen meals; BUITONI® refrigerated pastas and sauces; NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® baking ingredients and refrigerated cookie dough; LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin and the NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Milks.

Several Nestlé USA corporate functions also are housed in Solon, where Nestlé recently expanded by building the Nestlé Professional Culinary Center and acquiring the former Keithley Building on Bainbridge Road, which now houses Nestlé Business Services functions. Plans also are being developed to establish a global R&D center specializing in frozen and chilled foods research on 18 recently rezoned acres of property near the Nestlé campus.

Over the last two years, Nestlé has added nearly 170 employees in Solon, bringing total employment in this location to just over 1900. Nestlé Prepared Foods Company also operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Total employment for Nestlé Prepared Foods Company is 7650.

As a result of this relocation, some positions will be eliminated as activities are consolidated within Nestlé Prepared Foods.  Other positions will move from Colorado to Ohio. “We’ve encouraged the Englewood team to travel to Cleveland and explore the housing and recreational opportunities in the region before making their decisions. I moved my family here about a year ago, and we are pleased to have found great quality of life – a wonderful home, great schools and an easy commute,” added Higgins.

About Nestlé USA

Named one of “The World’s Most Admired Food Companies” in Fortune magazine for fifteen consecutive years, Nestlé provides quality brands and products that bring flavor to life every day. From nutritious meals with Lean Cuisine® to baking traditions with Nestlé® Toll House®, Nestlé USA makes delicious, convenient, and nutritious food and beverage products that make good living possible. That’s what “Nestlé. Good Food, Good Life” is all about. Nestlé USA, with 2011 sales of $10 billion, is part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — the world’s largest food company with a commitment to Nutrition, Health & Wellness — with 2011 sales of $94 billion. For product news and information, visit Nestleusa.com or NestleNewsroom.com.

Contact:

Roz O’Hearn
Nestlé USA
(440) 264-5170
[email protected]