Mount Franklin Foods, LLC, is adding a fifth food manufacturing plant and its first candy making facility to be located in the US. Through an investment expected to total $10 million, the plant will be updated with state-of-the-art equipment, allowing the company to add vitamin gummies and other fortified products as well as organic and natural fruit snack items to its product portfolio.

The Sumter facility, which belonged to the former Au’some Candy Company, is on track to be operational by the end of the second quarter of 2017 and is expected to lead to the creation of at least 225 new jobs. Mount Franklin Foods has acquired all of the equipment and is now working on finalizing the real estate transaction.

“Everyone at Mount Franklin Foods is excited about our new operations in Sumter, South Carolina” said Gary Ricco, the company’s President and CEO. “The Palmetto state and Sumter are pro-business and this new location will provide us with a strong platform for driving revenues by continuing to serve our customers with compelling product offerings.”