UNION TOWNSHIP -- Crews are busy renovating the inside of Penn Cheese, near Lewisburg, getting the factory ready to reopen! The business closed in July and laid off all of its employees. The company was scheduled to go up for auction next week.
"Everything had a tag on it, a yellow tag. It was going to be sold piece by piece to the highest bidder," said Jonathan Weber, general manager.
Weber said the company's bi-product costs too much money, so the bank forced Penn Cheese to close and lay off all of its employees. Tom Weber worked at Penn Cheese for 34 years.
"It was a lot of disappointment, a lot of families here. My sons and a lot of our coworkers, their sons have been working here for years," said Tom Weber.
In September, a trucking company from Carlisle bought Penn Cheese. It plans to reopen the plant in November and hire back all 12 of its employees.
"I had never felt such relief in my life before. It was so fantastic. Finally I can breathe again," said Ben Weber.
"It's a relief. Many hours and hours of prayer went into this," said Tom.
Weber said Penn Cheese used to provide cheese to companies in Wisconsin and Canada, but now the company plans to sell in Pennsylvania.
Previously Penn Cheese only made swiss cheese, but Jonathan Weber said once it reopens it will make different types of cheeses and other dairy products.
"Including maybe some butters or some drinkable type things," said Jonathan.
The manager at Penn Cheese said the company plans to be up and running under its new ownership by November 1.