AFA Foods, as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, has closed down its Asheville, N.Y., processing plant. The last day of business was September 12, and the approximately 100 employees were laid off.

AFA Foods filed for bankruptcy in April, which the company stated was due to the “pink slime” uproar. Don Butler, plant manager, said that during the bankruptcy process, the Ashville plant's equipment was liquidated by another company, reports the Westfield Republican/Mayville Sentinal News.

AFA Foods was once known as Fairbank Farms. The family-operated enterprise had its origins when Will Fairbank established a meat market on Third Street in Jamestown in 1897, according to The Post-Journal.

The company had conducted operations at its Ashville location since 1948. On March 8, 1989, the facility was destroyed in a fire that caused an estimated $15 million in damages. At the time, the parent company, Farmhouse Foods Corp., was not going to rebuild the business. However, under the leadership of Joe Fairbank, the business was purchased by Fairbank Reconstruction Corp. and rebuilt.

Sources: Westfield Republican/Mayville Sentinal News, The Post-Journal