A HOME TOWN TOUR - SRIRACHA CHILE FACTORY

On Saturday morning, I read in the LA Times that the Sriracha Chile sauce factory was conducting tours.  They apparently have had tours for a while, but the tours on Friday and Saturday were special.  It was the factory's 34th anniversary, it was the height of the chile harvesting season, and, even better, the city of Irwindale had stopped demanding that they leave town.  They had been under attack for the smell from the factory.

Charlie and I called, made an appointment to join the 3 pm tour, downloaded a parking lot pass, and set off to see the factory.  The only snag was the traffic on the 210 Fwy.  What a mess.  Apparently there were several crashes on the 57 Fwy which then clogged up the 210.  Gak.  The rest of the tour was great!

Everyone on the tour - in the factory had to wear nets on hair

These piles of boxes were shipped all over - Canada, Shanghai, Korea, and, of course, all over the US

One of many trucks filled with chilies 

A chili waterfall

Once ground up, with the spices added, the sauce is put into barrels - lots of barrels.

The plastic bottles begin as a squat, test-tube looking plastic screw topped bottle.  They are then vacuum formed into the more typical bottle shaped, and filled with the sauce.  A bit hard to see, but the filling is going on behind the glass.

Filled bottles on their way to being boxed.

My favorite robot machine.  It put down palates and stacked boxes

Huge piles of boxes being wrapped in plastic to get ready for shipping all over.

The cardboard owner of the plant (on the left by the way)

The rooster room was a shop with T shirts, tote bags, chili chocolate (quite good).  Because this was a special tour, we got a free T shirt and a bottle of chili.  Fun thing to do.