AB Mauri North America, a leader in yeast and bakery ingredient products and solutions, recently hired Michael Tamayo as senior business development manager – tortillas. In this new role, Tamayo will lead the company’s tortilla sales and innovation strategy and foster relationships with new tortilla customers.

“Tamayo is a natural fit for this position having worked on all sides of the tortilla business,” said Gregory Strauss, vice president of sales and business development at AB Mauri. “He’s developed new formulas, worked closely with some of the largest branded restaurants in the US, and knows what it takes to run a bakery successfully.  As an entrepreneur, he is able to empathize with our customers, understanding their unique challenges and working determinedly to advance their businesses.”

“I’m enthusiastic to be supporting AB Mauri North America by keeping the company in the forefront of tortilla trends and continuing the company’s excellent customer service,” said Tamayo. “Having spent more than 30 years in the baking industry, I feel like I’ve been training my whole life for this role as it gives me the opportunity to share my passion for baking tortillas with tortilla manufacturers all across North America.”

Tamayo’s passion for tortillas and the baking industry began while he was in high school and his family established La Tortilla Factory in Santa Rosa, CA, where he worked until 2008. In 2009, Tamayo and his wife opened Sonoma Latina Grill in Novato, CA, a Mexican restaurant focused on natural and organic ingredients. Most recently, he’s acted as a bakery consultant and the director of R&D for Mi Rancho Tortilla Factory in San Leandro, CA.

Tamayo joined the AB Mauri team on June 10, 2013.