Last week I had the opportunity to tour one of FritoLay‘s factories.

I toured the Beloit, WI plan, which opened in 1973.  Beloit produces Lays, Ruffles, Cheetos, Fritos, Doritos, and Tostitos: 600 million bags per year!  The plant operates 362 days per year and uses 500,00 potatoes per day.  About 85% of those potatoes come from central Wisconsin.

My day began with a 3 hour bus ride from Chiacgo, IL to Beloit, WI.  I heard a rumor that the drive was only supposed to take an hour and a half so I’m guessing we might’ve taken a few wrong turns.  Caitlin organized a CatchPhrase tournament to pass the time.

Once we arrived at the plant and received our badges, we were lead into a conference room.  Everyone listened to a brief history of the Beloit plant.  They’ve been undergoing impressive changes to become more environmentally friendly and have even reduced their water natural gas, and electricity usage each year since 1999.

We were split into groups; I was part of Group 1 so I toured the plant before lunch.  Before beginning the tour, everyone had to don hairnets, goggles, and ear plugs.  We also had to roll a lint brush over our clothes to pick up any dust and stray hairs.  As a final precaution, we walked through a wind chamber to blow ourselves clean.

My small tour group (just 4 of us and a guide) started by learning about packaging.  We saw rolls of bags being filled with chips and sealed together.  We then saw bags being packed into boxes both by machine and by hand.  Boxes are often reused 10 times before they’re recycled!

We moved on to the Perfect Chip testing area.  There were lots of signs with photos and information about what makes the perfect chip or other Frito Lay product.  Of course there were samples on hand for us to enjoy!

We took a peek at the Frito machines and learned how Cheetos are made.

Unseasoned Cheetos.  I ate one; I don’t think I was supposed to.  It wasn’t tasty.  Bad decision.

Flavored Cheetos.  Super hot and spicy.

We enjoyed samples that were still warm from the machine.  Even though I didn’t like the flavor, it was a fun experience to eat a freshly made Cheeto.

We learned how tortilla chips are made.

Corn is mashed and mushed and formed into a paste.

Molds are used to create specific tortilla chip shapes.

It was overwhelming to learn so much information amidst the loud sounds of the machines.

Tortilla chips being formed and baked…then sent to packaging.

Fascinating!

And finally, we learned how potato chips are made.

It only takes 3 ingredients to make regular Lays potato chips.

1. Potatoes
2. Oil
3. Salt

The potatoes (most picked that morning) are washed and peeled.

And then they’re sliced into chips.

The chips are coated with oil and baked.

Finally, the chips are seasoned with a little bit of salt.  Yum!

When we finished touring the plant, I couldn’t wait to tear my hairnet off.   But it was a great tour and I learned so much fascinating info.  Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity!

After Group 1′s tour, we were treated to lunch and a presentation by one of the dietitians that works with FritoLay.  I was going to try to cram all of my FritoLay information into one post but it’s way TOO much.

Hold on to the edge of your seat because Part II and the RD’s information will be posted later.  Hopefully sometime tomorrow afternoon!