Chocolate company shuts down after Sandy

NEW YORK

It is now shutdown all because of damage from Hurricane Sandy.

It's bad news for the company which was founded by holocaust survivors.

It's also bad news for its 450 workers, many of whom live in homes damaged by the storm.

It's a not-so-sweet holiday all around.

The factory floor of the largest employer in the Rockaways is empty.

The packing tables are empty, the machines are silent, and the floors are littered with thousands of pounds of holiday chocolate that will never end-up in Christmas stockings or Chanukah cards.

"First of all, it's a shock, you know," said Jorge Farber, Madelaine Chocolate Company.

Jorge Farber and his cousin, Norm Gold, are the second-generation owners of the Madelaine Chocolate Company.

Before the storm, Madelaine's packaged and shipped 100,000 pounds of chocolate every day and 20 million pounds a year.

But the hurricane devastated the factory and destroyed their inventory.

It put 450 employees out of work.

Rebuilding the business will take months.

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