Streator peanut butter factory closing; officials estimate loss of about 50 jobs

Streator neighborhoods soon will be without the familiar scent of peanut butter, as the 8th Avenue Food and Provisions peanut butter factory on Iowa Avenue is closing.

8th Avenue shared the news with employees Thursday. The company has owned and operated the factory since fall 2019 when it purchased the facility from ConAgra Foods.

Post, the parent company of 8th Avenue, opted not to comment on details of the closing.

The Streator Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates the company had more than 50 employees.

“It’s a disappointment for our community to have 50-some jobs lost,” Streator Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Jack Dzuris said. “That’s about $3 million in salaries. That affects our community. Hopefully, there’s somebody else out there that might look at the location.”

Dzuris said the building is in good shape and has been fixed up since a roaster caught fire last March. No injuries came of that incident.

The factory opened in 1948 as part of J.L. Read Inc. before being sold to James H. Black, later coming under the ownership of Sunstar, Carriage House, ConAgra and then 8th Avenue, a subsidiary of Post.

“To have this coming forward now while dealing with the virus, and now we have this other thing, it’s just a shame,” Dzuris said. “I’m sure between the city and the Chamber, we can find something to fill the vacancy.”