By Neil J Kanatt and Paolo Laudani (Reuters) -McCormick said on Thursday it will raise its stake in its Mexico joint venture to 75% by acquiring 25% more for $750 million as the condiments maker seeks to expand further in Latin America. McCormick, maker of Cholula hot sauce, said the deal should close early in the 2026 fiscal year and that the transaction should be accretive to adjusted earnings per share within the first year. Shares in Grupo Herdez, the Mexican salsa seller and coffee chain operator that has shared the 50/50 joint venture with McCormick, shot up during morning trading, triggering a brief suspension on the Mexican stock exchange. Its shares were up 25% at 8:45 a.m. local time (1445 GMT), bringing its market value up to nearly 23 billion Mexican pesos ($1.23 billion). Shares in McCormick meanwhile rose nearly 1%.