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Voices of ACES Blog

IBIP Day 9 | Until Next Time, Holland

Students at the PepsiCo/Quaker Oats production facility in Rotterdam

Today we IBIPs began our last day in the Netherlands with a visit to PepsiCo/Quaker Oats production facility in Rotterdam. We started the visit with a short introduction to the company and factory. Soon after, we suited up in safety gear and took a tour around the production factory. During the tour we were able to watch the production of a popular cereal product in the Netherlands, Cruesli, from start to finish. We watched the Cruesli as it was running through various conveyer belts getting crushed, weighed, sorted, and flavored. Throughout the production process, we were able to taste the cereal as different layers of dry and liquid ingredients were added to compare with the final product. Cruesli is similar to a granola cereal in the U.S. with added pieces of chocolate candy.  It was the most delicious dark chocolate in a cereal we’ve ever tasted!  We’re so grateful to PepsiCo rolling out the red carpet for us on this visit, as it was truly a remarkable experience to visit with the plant executives and learn about this supply chain.

Our next stop of the day was at a restaurant where we enjoyed lunch while learning about the wine industry in the EU. The lecture was provided by Vinium.net wine consultant, Marco Tiggelman, who owns his own business. He is contracted by vineyards of all sizes around the world and aids winemakers in expanding their business based on their products. He showed us how the wine industry alters greatly depending on the country due to consumer preferences. For example, Scandinavian countries have a monopoly on wine within their own country.
           
Our last stop was at Monsanto which was formerly the De Ruiter Seed Company who mainly researches and produces vegetable seeds such as cucumbers and eggplants. This facility comprised of three different greenhouses all of different purpose. We toured the main greenhouse which covered 5.8 hectares. Once again, we were required to suit up in safety gear to protect ourselves and the plants from any contamination. The greenhouses contained many specialty crops such as sweet peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes which was an interesting learning opportunity for us, as we were used to associating Monsanto with large-scale production crops in the U.S. such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

All in all, it was a great last day in the Netherlands. Although we are sad to say goodbye to our amazing tour guide Niek Botden, we are excited to continue our adventures in Belgium tomorrow!