Yogurt maker to close Naugatuck factory

The company that makes Dannon Yogurt will begin closing its only Connecticut manufacturing facility by year’s end.

Danone, a French company whose North American headquarters is based in White Plains, N.Y., has told state labor officials that it will begin closing its Rado Drive factory in Naugatuck in December. By the time the facility, which produces Dannon’s YoCrunch brand, closes on March 1, 2019, 147 workers will have lost their jobs, according to a filing the company made with the state Department of Labor at the end of April.

Dannon acquired the YoCrunch brand in August 2013. The Naugatuck factory was part of the YoCrunch acquisition, said Michael Neuwirth, a Danone North America spokesman.

“This is part of an effort to make more effective use of our production network,” Neuwirth said. “We are moving our Naugatuck operations to other factories, so this is not a matter of the brand being eliminated.”

He declined to elaborate on any specific factors regarding the decision to close the Naugatuck facility. Neuwirth said the company will work with its employees and local suppliers to help them deal with the company’s departure from Connecticut.

YoCrunch was founded in 1985 and moved to Naugatuck in 1991, taking over an old ice cream factory. The yogurt comes with toppings such as M&M candies and Oreo cookies.