Mizkan America, Inc., the Illinois-based food manufacturer, announced it will lay off 30 employees at its Orleans facility on West Avenue in Lyndonville, New York. Mizkan American is the North American subsidiary of Japan’s famous 220-year-old condiment-to-cocktail mixer maker Mizkan Group.
Mizkan America, Inc. Announces Sudden Workforce Cut
The corresponding downsizing is scheduled for May 11, 2026. This translates into a reduction in the workforce by about 36%, with the present staff strength of 83.
According to the detailed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report, all 30 employees will be permanently laid off. Any union does not represent these employees.
Mizkan officially notified on February 10, 2026, while the WARN posted the notice on March 4, 2026.
This is the first recorded lay-off by Mizkan America in 2026.
Not the First Round of Job Cuts
Last year, Mizkan America permanently laid off 57 employees after shuttering its Lake Alfred-based bottling facility, according to The Ledger. Operations in the bottling department ended on September 19, 2025, following the termination of nearly 50 employees.
In 2023, Mizkan American short-scaled the staff at its Owensboro facility which saw 34 hourly and 5 salaried employees losing their jobs. The move was followed by closing several open positions, while eliminating a total of 77 open roles. This accounted for less than 10% of the total staff strength at the Owensboro location.
The then-Mizkan America’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Diego Palmieri, mentioned “restructuring” as the reason for layoffs, while citing it as an outcome of the annual planning process. The Ragu Drive-based facility was largely affected by projected volume reductions for fiscal year 2023, the CEO said.
According to Mizkan America’s job listing page, the corporation is currently hiring for 17 new roles in Schaumburg, Crossville, Owensboro, Dallas, and other locations.
Mizkan’s Leadership
In addition to hard and strategic decisions regarding employee cessations, Mizkan American also underwent changes in top leadership, including the promotion of former CEO Koichi Yuki to the newly created position of Chairman and former President and COO Diego Palmieri to CEO. Palmieri was directed to report to Yuki, while the latter will be answerable to Mizkan Holdings’ President Yuko Nakano.
The Chief Financial Officer, Hiroyuki Ogawa, was given additional charge to oversee the Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability, Audit and Quality. The former Vice President for Branded Sales & Commercial Operations, Amy Luke Busker, was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer, and formerly Vice President, Information Technology, Patty Ward was promoted to Chief Talent & Technology Officer.
Expansion in Kentucky
In 2025 itself, Mizkan announced the expansion of its pasta sauce plant in Owensboro, Kentucky, one of the company’s 12 manufacturing sites in the Northern American region. Following a $156 million investment, the condiment maker said the plant will add 44 new full-time jobs.
Furthermore, the capital injection helped the pasta-sauce manufacturer expand its Owensboro facilities by approximately 320,000 square feet, effectively increasing the total operational space to nearly a million square feet.
Acquisition Push in 2025
In July 2025, Mizkan America further expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of the Chicago-based Bloody Mary brand Zing Zang®.
“As a leader in the U.S. Pasta Sauce and Vinegar categories, this acquisition solidifies the company’s position in a growing third space. Mizkan already has strong expertise in this area as the exclusive distributor of ANGOSTURA® bitters in North America. We see the acquisition of Zing Zang as a win-win,” Palmieri said while announcing the deal.
Competitive Condiments Market
In the ever-growing sauces, dressings and condiments industry in the United States, Mizkan America competes with Nestlé S.A., Unilever Group, Kraft Heinz Company, Del Monte Foods, McCormick & Co Inc., The J.M. Smucker Company, Grupo Herdez SA de CV., General Mills, etc.
Other major competitors include Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc., B&G Foods, Inc., Ventura Foods, LLC, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Ken’s Foods, Inc., etc.
Higher inflation, cut-throat competition, volatile raw-material prices, and increasing demand for low-preservation and organic products have impacted the sauces and condiments market in the United States. At the same time, the fears and repercussions of tariffs have added to the misery of corporations operating in the market.
However, the cocktail mixers market is poised to reach $5.3 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6% from 2025 to 2030, according to a report by San Francisco-based market research and consulting firm Grand View Research. Given the bright prospects of the mixer industry, Mizkan’s recent acquisition of Zing Zang® is likely to augment the brand’s portfolio while building an additional stream of revenues.
Shifting Consumer Preferences
Consumer preferences across North America are evolving rapidly.
In 2025, PwC surveyed 21,075 consumers across 28 countries on food preferences. According to the report, consumers are now inclined to purchase food that aligns with their health, convenience, and sustainability.
In North America, about 43% of respondents find food prices prohibitively high, and concerns over food safety and product quality curb consumer confidence, the report highlighted. Nearly 60% of surveyed consumers have expressed concerns about ultra-processed foods and pesticides.
Getting started in 1981, Mizkan has expanded to 12 manufacturing facilities in America. Earlier in 2025, Mizkan America relocated its headquarters within Illinois from the long-term base in Mount Prospect to Schaumburg.
