(FOX40.COM) — Blue Diamond Growers made a shocking announcement Friday, deciding to close its historic Midtown Sacramento manufacturing plant.

Shuttering the facility will take place in phases over the next couple of years, with 600 team members expected to be impacted. Plant employees were seen exiting the facility Friday morning after a meeting with Kai Bockmann, Blue Diamond Growers President and CEO.

"It's not good for anybody in any position," one employee said. "Everything is like a shock."

Alicia Rockwell, Blue Diamond Growers' Chief Public Affairs Officer, tells FOX40 that they will transfer most of their manufacturing operations to their existing facilities in Turlock and Salida.

In a press release, Bockmann explained the reasons behind the closure. Saying in part:

"The chall

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