Tortilla factory not coming to Norwood
A tortilla company no longer plans to call Norwood home.
According to Norwood Town Administrator Scott Howard, CYES Factory will not be receiving a grant from the state to for a new tortilla factory in the downtown area. The factory was going to make Jalisco brand products; the company has a line of flour and corn tortillas along with tortilla chips.
Howard said he received an email from the grant administrator saying Tedros Kebede, a representative speaking on behalf of CYES, had “called a formal end” to getting the grant.
When asked by Councilman Keith Morgan about if the delay was because of something the town had not done, Howard said the process had been “dragging on for three years,” before he took over as town administrator.
Howard said the first grant expired because the grantee did not get the proper paperwork done in time. Town staff had to go through the process again.
Howard said he received an email from the company saying that “due to some incidents with his financial backer…he’s not able to come up with the money now. It’s nothing we did.” He noted nearly $250,000 had been spent on bringing the factory in, not to mention staff time and council meeting time.
“We did everything we could; the other side wasn’t able to do this,” Howard said.