MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. — Through its wholly owned subsidiary Tortilla King, Flagship Food Group announced Thursday that it has acquired approximately 18 acres of land adjacent to its manufacturing site in Moundridge, Kansas, and that its board has approved a multi-phase expansion of manufacturing capabilities at the site.
Phase one of the expansion is already under construction and will increase its flour tortilla manufacturing capacity by 25%. Future phases of the expansion are expected to increase the company’s manufacturing capacity for tortilla chips, snacks, and frozen foods. The Company is also planning to develop additional frozen and dry warehouse and distribution capacity.
Flagship’s Mama Lupe’s, La Tortilla Factory, Lilly B’s, and Hatch Kitchen brands are expected to benefit from the investment and increased capacity.
“Flagship acquired our business last year with plans to expand on our site,” said Juan Guardiola, president of Tortilla King. “It didn’t take long for our collective team to decide that our centralized location, great people, and ample space for growth made the business case to expand our operation.”
Today, Tortilla King employs approximately 130 people and runs five food manufacturing lines. The multi-year expansion plan calls for more than doubling both employment count and capacity.
“Over the past couple of years Flagship has made several plant and manufacturing investments to support our brands and our customers. Service levels and reliability have set us apart, and we look forward to utilizing this facility expansion to better serve our customers,” said Forrest Kragten, Principal at CREO Capital Partners. CREO is the financial investor behind Flagship and Tortilla King.
As part of the inward investments approved by the Flagship board, expansions are also planned for the company’s manufacturing sites in California and New Mexico.
“As we build one of the leading premium CPG food companies focused on the Hispanic sector, we’re actively investing our capital to grow our facilities. We expect to significantly increase our employment numbers in Kansas and across our other sites,” said Rob Holland, executive chairman of Flagship Food Group.