69 Jelly Belly Fairfield employees to be laid off amid broader economic strain in Solano County
By Richard Ramos
Fairfield is facing another round of job losses as Ferrara Candy Company prepares to permanently lay off 69 corporate employees at its Jelly Belly campus, even as the factory, warehouse and visitor center operations remain open.
According to a WARN notice received by Mayor Catherine Moy, “Ferrara Candy Company is ceasing its Fairfield corporate-commercial operations” at multiple addresses along One Jelly Belly Lane and North Watney Way. The layoffs are scheduled to begin in June and will be completed by the end of 2026.
Ferrara confirmed in a statement to CBS News Sacramento that the cuts affect corporate positions only and will not impact manufacturing, warehousing or visitor center roles at the Fairfield facility.
“Ferrara Fairfield and its Jelly Belly manufacturing, distribution and Visitor Center teams remain a critical part of Ferrara’s operations,” a Ferrara spokesperson said.
The business group also said the affected workers “are invited to stay with Jelly Belly and Ferrara until the positions are closed.”
There are currently 374 employees at the Fairfield location. The 69 affected positions represent corporate workforce reductions following Ferrara’s acquisition of Jelly Belly Candy Company in late 2023.
Fairfield City Manager David Gassaway informed the City Council in a letter that the reductions were anticipated following the acquisition, according to a post Moy put out on social media last week. He said Ferrara reiterated that it has no plans to close the factory and will continue providing philanthropic support in the community at similar funding levels.
“They are assessing some of the organizations previously supported that may not align with Ferrara’s corporate values,” Moy said Gassaway wrote in the letter.”However, the amount of funding they donate in the community will remain the same.”
The layoffs come at a difficult moment for Fairfield, which is also navigating the closure of the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser facility. That plant’s shutdown impacted more than 230 workers, with its last day of operation on Feb. 22.
City officials, along with the Solano County Workforce Development Board, are working to help affected employees find new jobs and access retraining resources.
Mayor Moy also previously noted there has been interest from two companies — a beverage company and a biotech firm — in potentially purchasing the Budweiser plant.
While the loss of 69 corporate jobs is smaller than some of the other recent layoffs in Solano County, it adds to mounting economic pressure across the region. Countywide, more than 600 employees have been affected by layoffs or closures since early December, with additional potential job losses pending at other major employers.
The latest cuts underscore a broader effort underway across Solano County to stabilize its workforce while attracting new employers to offset recent losses.
