Bacardi Canada will be shutting down and selling its Brampton bottling plant in the coming months, which will end an almost five-decade presence in the city.

In a statement to The Guardian, the company said it told its employees on Feb. 9 that they made the "difficult decision" to discontinue operations at the facility on Steeles Avenue East after a review of production and market needs.

A total of 51 employees will lose their jobs when the plant closes and the company says it's providing support to them through severance packages, counselling and access to a specialized consultant to help them find new employment. No final date has been set for the closure.

Of the workers, 47 had positions in blending, processing and bottling and four kitchen employees are also affected.

"Bacardi carefully considered all other options before making this decision, which was necessary due to the changing business environment over many years in Canada and the importance of increasing efficiency to ensure the company's future competitiveness," said the statement.

The company plans to sell the Brampton site and will move to a new office location in the Toronto area. They said the closure won't affect Bacardi supply in Canada.

Two-thirds of Brampton's production will be transferred to the company's facility in Jacksonville, Florida. The rest, which represents products exclusive to Canada, will go to a Canadian co-packer.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the closure comes less than a year after Bacardi Canada was awarded a government grant worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the plant's operations. Last May, Jeff Leal – Ontario's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – announced that $350,000 was earmarked for the company through the federal/provincial program Growing Forward 2.

"Having Bacardi Canada's bottling operation anchored in our province sends a clear signal to domestic and foreign markets that Ontario is a prime location where food and beverage processing companies can invest, expand and be successful," Leal said at the time.

Bacardi was expected to use the money to upgrade equipment and produce packaging made from recycled materials.