A Sweet Deal South of Border

PARK CITY, Utah — Mrs. Fields Cookies Inc. says it will open 50 cookie stores south of the border under a licensing agreement with a Mexican bakery chain--but it isn’t saying how much dough is involved in the deal.

Debbi Fields, president and chief executive of the corporation, made the announcement of the agreement along with Fernando Servitje, president of Pasteleria El Molino, based in Mexico City.

“In the Mexican culture there is tremendous appreciation and demand for high-quality baked goods,” Servitje said.

Mrs. Fields Cookies, founded in 1977, operates more than 700 cookie stores in the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Thailand.

El Molino was founded in 1928 by the Servitje family. Another family-owned business is Bimbo, the largest bakery in Mexico and one of the nation’s largest companies.