Julie and Her Cookies Factory

paid Miss Julie a visit

at two of her cookies factories

she owns three in fact

 

photos are strictly not allowed

in the production site

I have done the best I could

 

pre-visit presentation

brief introduction.. blah blah blah

welcoming speech

declaration of health condition too

and donning the overcoat and stuffs

 

I used to hate lab work a lot

this is the very 1st time I am donning this

there was scarf, mask but no gloves

because gloves post the danger of

being swallowed into the running machine

and you can imagine the consequences

and working with gloves,

palms tend to get sweaty and more bacteria

plus our fingertips are the most sensitive detectors

to identify dirt or some unidentified objects

on the cookies

 

all the photos from this point onwards

I risked my life to take them

 

1st of all

the mixing

 

this is during fermentation

 

basically right after fermentation

the dough is poured into the

fully automated conveyance belt

where human labour is only required

at machine operation

the dough jus moved on and on

cut into cookies shape

moved through a couple of ovens

then came out as freshly baked cookies

then they will go through oil / salt sprinkler

and for some, the sandwiching processor

 

till the packaging department

human workers are seen, finally

they do the final QC of the cookies

and assist in packaging of the cookies

into the bigger boxes,  containers etc..

 

so basically now I see

why do workers always come to protest

when their factory decided to go machinezed

yup you can argue about economies of scales

but the factory ended up hiring more sophisticated workers

such as engineers, food chemists,

these manual workers which are already with low paid

will end up getting nothing at all

 

migrant workers

who are willing to work for lower pay at longer hour

and at mediocre working conditions

will always take the lowest and poorest jobs

the mixing and fermentation site

do not smell as good

due to the leaving agents

like sodium bicarbonate, ammonium…

arrgh.. something like that

the workers there are mainly migrant workers

while till QC and packaging,

local labours are seen

 

well after the visit

I must say that

it’s not really an eye-opening experience

I mean yeah.. it’s just cookies

mixing, fermenting, shaping, baking, cooling

it’s basically the same as how we bake at home

but the concern is from where do our cookies come from

and so are the hundreds other foods that

we stuff into our mouths

 

well, I must say that

the hygienic condition of the factory

is of top-rate

at least I feel safe

to pop in a love letter or wafer from Julie’s

and the workers we met on our ways

they do not seem to be unhappy at work

under some exploitation

in fact they have satellite tv set at the canteen

 

 

the packaging store

 

closing chapter

 

p/s

this is how I always skin your love letters

and lick the chocolate

so is chocolate wafer