Mount Franklin Foods expands production facility, names new CFO

Mount Franklin Foods, a producer of branded, contract and private label nuts, snacks, candies and other products, has announced the expansion to one of its facilities. 

The company has broken ground on a  280,000-square-foot expansion to their candy manufacturing facility in San Jeronimo, TX. The addition to the existing facility will more than double both square footage and capacity when it opens in January of 2024 and will bring more than 400 new jobs to the area. The facility opened in 2020.

"We are pleased to announce the expansion of our San Jeronimo facility, increasing our capacity by 140 million pounds annually, which will double our current output capability," said Enrique Grajeda, president and CEO of Mount Franklin Foods. "The new facility is being built to house additional mogul production for soft candy items, such as gummies and jellies, and will enable us to meet increasing customer demand as well as continue to innovate with the development of exciting new products."

Soon after the expansion news, the El Paso-based manufacturer announced a leadership change. Mount Franklin Foods has named Mayela Soto the company’s new chief financial officer.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Mayela Soto to chief financial officer," said Grajeda. "Mayela has been an integral part of the growth and success of our company and this promotion brings her strong financial leadership, mergers and acquisitions expertise and deep knowledge of multi-national regulations and compliance to the leadership team. She has been, and will continue to be, part of the dynamic and seasoned team that will lead us into the future ensuring our aggressive growth goals are shored up with the soundest foundation."

Soto joined Mount Franklin Foods in 2015 as the financial planning and analysis and special projects manager. One year later, she was promoted to director of finance and accounting-U.S. In 2018, Soto was promoted to the role of vice president of accounting and finance, and then assumed her most recent role as senior vice president of finance and accounting. She is the first woman to serve as chief financial officer for Mount Franklin Foods.

Soto holds a bachelor's of business administration in accounting from the University of Texas at El Paso and recently obtained certification from Harvard Business School in succeeding as a strategic chief financial officer.