TAMPA — Nestle Professional has begun rolling out severance packages as it lays off 45 employees serving its downtown Tampa offices, smaller than expected when it first announced the pullout in November 2016.

About 30 of those positions are in Tampa, while 15 were remote salespeople.

Nestle Professional, the food and beverage division of Nestle Global, is combining its food and beverage divisions and relocating operations to its headquarters in Solon, Ohio, and a branch in Thonotosassa.

"It just made the most sense to pull food and beverage together to present one face to our customers," Laura Hardin, communications manager for Nestle Professional, said.

The company's Thonotosassa location is set to receive 22 employees from the Tampa branch, while 13 others will head to the Cleveland suburb. Another 15 will work remotely, some in the Tampa area. The remaining employees will receive a severance package.

"We still intend to have a presence in Tampa and with the remote employees," Hardin said.

The transition, which was announced in November, is expected to take place by late June or early July. A WARN notice filed at the time said the company was laying off 77 employees.

Nestle moved its beverage headquarters to Park Tower at 400 N Tampa St. in 2009 when it purchased Tampa-based Vitality Foodservice Inc.

Contact Malena Carollo at mcarollo@tampabay.com. Follow @malenacarollo.