Now some of the workers from chocolate biscuit plant Gray Dunn are preparing to mark a decade since the production lines in the Kinning Park factory stopped for the last time.
And one family who worked there will be among those who will be attending a reunion tonight at what used to be the workers' 'local', The Angel bar, at Paisley Road Toll.
Brian Leslie, 49, of Linwood, Renfrewshire his sisters Gail Spiers, 45, Janis Millan, 51, and brother Scott Leslie, 42 all worked at the factory, and all except Janis, who had already moved on from her position in the wafer room, lost their jobs when it shut.
They followed in the footsteps of their late dad Dougie, who worked at the factory for 25 years.
Brian, who was at Gray Dunn's for 19 years, even met his partner Karen, 45, over the Caramac production line. The couple now have a daughter Caitlin, 10.
Even Janis's children, Robert Millan, 32 and Kerry Browning, 29 did stints at the plant, which later made biscuits for supermarket giants Tesco and Marks & Spencer.
The Stanley Street factory, which was one of Glasgow's oldest companies, with a 150-year history, also produced Chocolate Gingers, Chunky KitKats and Caramel Wafers. The production line could make 2000 Blue Ribands a minute.
But all that stopped on June 29 2001 when the company went into receivership.
Brian, whose job as a transporter was to make sure the machines were fully equipped, arranged tonight's reunion.
He said: "Most of us all finished the first week of June 2001.
"It was a bit of a shock when the first folk went, four or five months before that.
"We all went in one morning and were told to go into the canteen and they told us that was us, we were out.
"To most of the people who had worked in Gray Dunn this was more like a huge family rather than a place of work. Many a friendship was made and even a few marriages.
"It was like an extra family. The folk still talk about it. We'd go back in a minute."
And he continued: "We used to run dances, they used to have karaoke nights and my dad would take kids to the pantomime at Christmas."
Karen was also made redundant - though when the bosses found out she lived with Brian he was given a few more months' work as they didn't want to make two members of the same family jobless.
Brian said: "Every time we pass, Caitlin says 'dad, that's where you met mum.'
"She was on the Breakaways, I was on the caramel wafers.
"They brought out a Caramac biscuit and I got put on the night shift with Karen.
Brian got a job at another factory, McCormick's which made dips for McDonald's, before he was made redundant again five years later.
He's now a warehouse supervisor for a medical company in Hillington.
His sister Gail Spiers, 45, from Kilbirnie in Ayrshire who was a supervisor in the Blue Riband section for 13 years, said: "We were devastated, Gray Dunn had been part of our family for so many years.
"I think even my gran worked there years ago. Most days it was a good laugh and we had loads of nights out.
"When it closed it was very cutting. I thought I would be there forever."
Another employee of 13 years going to the reunion is Mary Gilfillan, 70, from Craigton.
She said: "I enjoyed it - and I miss the people.
"They were always kind. If you had troubles you went in and you always found somebody with worse troubles."
Union bosses called it a "disaster" as tearful workers were sent home from their last shifts.
One said: "The factory has closed - there is nothing more we can say. We are gutted.''
Mike Conroy, regional organiser of the GMB said at the time: "The workforce is devastated. It's a sad day for Glasgow and a personal tragedy for all staff.
"We negotiated to the bitter end but, unfortunately, the factory has now closed.''
One of the biggest creditors was former managing director Ray Blakely, who ploughed more than £2million into tackling short-term cash flow problems.
Despite the prospect of job losses, workers battled to keep contracts and fulfilled orders for Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Tesco.
The reunion is at the Angel Bar, Paisley Road Toll, tonight from 7.30pm.
