Day 6: A Marathon of Company Visits

Today was our huge day of company visits, and it was a lot to take in! We all woke up extra early for our big day. Best of all, we got to wear these steel toed safety shoes for the day.

First, had a bus ride to Hela Tools, our first company visit. The factory was about 45 minutes away from Viña and was relatively isolated. The factory was one large building where the tools are created, packed, and shipped.

We split up into two groups two tour groups. First we saw where industrial brushes were made; these brushes are used to strip paint and rust off various materials.

The brushes are made from steel and go through many steps of production. 

This machine was used to spin the steel wire that created the brush into the shape that it needed to be in. Once the brushes were completed, they are put into screws and then packaged.

After seeing how these steel brushes are made, we also got a look at how paint brushes are made. Hela imports pig hair from China for their brushes.

The hair is packed together, then stuffed into the metal handle of the paint brush. Then, a seal is added over the hair. Finally a wooden handle is added.

The brushes are combed to remove extra hair and then packed and sealed for delivery. I found it interesting how many workers were on the factory floor. We were told that about 100 people work at this plant. So even though Hela has a lot of machinery, they still have a lot of on hand labor for quality checks and packaging. 

After Hela, we took a drive to Centauro. The canning plant was in a very remote location. The first thing we had to do upon entering the plant was wear a hair net and a mask. The hair net was for cleanliness, of course, and the mask was because the plant was producing chillis which could irritate our noses and mouths. 

Centauro was producing tomatoes on our visit. First, the tomatoes are brought in and peeled. Then the tomatoes are sorted based on if they are nice enough to be canned whole or if they should be diced and used for other purposes. 

We were then walked through the process of creating the tomato paste which is used for different sauces for different companies. Centauro makes one base product and then adds to it based on the company's requests. For example, this section of tomato paste was used for pizza sauce. 

I found this interesting because I didn't realize there were so many intermediate steps for such products and that products could be so similar. We also got a little look at jalapeño peppers being cut, the reason for our masks.

Again, I was surprised at the amount of labor that went on in such factories. 

Centauro also has a shipping and packing section of the factory for the products they ship directly to retailers and for those shipped to other food companies. 

We stopped for lunch in Concón where we had empanadas by the beach.

I had a chorizo, pepper and cheese one and also an apple one which reminded me of apple pie from America. It was very good. After lunch we went to our final company visit, Nature's Farm. 

Nature's Farm is a mushroom farm, and it smelled like nothing I have ever smelled before. Because mushrooms are grown in a mix of hay and chicken manure, the whole area had a distinct smell. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the process of mushroom farming. He explained how the compost is created for the mushrooms to grow in and showed us the steps that are taken. 

We also got to see the rooms that the mushrooms are grown in. They are kept at optimal temperature and oxygen level.

I found it interesting that in Chile, mushrooms are not marketed based on type. As our tour guide said, Chilean consumers will eat mushrooms as long as they are white and clean. In comparison, American consumers pay based on the type of mushrooms.

Overall, today was a very busy but informative day. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the factory visits, especially Hela. I really enjoyed seeing the technology in action and it was evident that the factory layouts were well thought out. Also, all our your guides were kind and eager to answer questions. I felt very welcomed, which made the day even better.

Tomorrow we have a more laid back day of horse riding, which I am excited for since students from previous years have said it was a highlight.