EL PASO, TEXAS — Mount Franklin Foods, LLC has broken ground on a 280,000-square-foot expansion to its candy manufacturing facility in San Jeronimo — a port of entry in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, across the US border from Santa Teresa, NM, and the company’s headquarters in El Paso.

The addition to the existing facility will more than double both square footage and capacity when it opens in January 2024 and will bring more than 400 new jobs to the area, the company said.

“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our San Jeronimo facility, increasing our capacity by 140 million lbs annually, which will double our current output capability,” said Enrique Grajeda, president and chief executive officer 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.”

Mount Franklin Foods opened the San Jeronimo facility in  September 2020. At the time, it marked a major investment in technology and manufacturing for the company in its core confectionery business.

“Expanding manufacturing capabilities allows us to stay on the leading edge of technology so we can be an even more robust resource for our customers,” Mr. Grajeda said. “This expansion gives us both the ability to better serve our customers today and the room to support our future growth initiatives.”