Blue Bunny to close Utah facility; about 100 employees to be affected by decision

St. George Blue Bunny facility
(Chris Caldwell/Spectrum)

One of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. is taking a major economic hit. The Blue Bunny ice cream plant in St. George, Utah, announced on Tuesday that it is closing its facility, David DeMille reports for The Spectrum & Daily News. About 100 employees work at the facility.

Wells Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of Blue Bunny, said in a statement that the decision was made to "optimize its existing capacity in Le Mars, Iowa. The decision also allows Wells to more effectively compete in the ice cream category that has been flat to declining for several years and has been further challenged by unstable commodity costs. Wells is mindful of the impact changes of this nature have on employees and their families and is committed to helping impacted employees through this transition."

St. George, located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, had a population of 72,897 in the 2010 Census, well above the 2000 population of 49,628, making it the second fastest growing city in the U.S. behind Greeley, Colo. (Read more)