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Bister anniversary

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Guided visit...

SEED MILL

The mustard seeds are grown in Canada. They are milled on the upper floor and return below in the form of a "flour" in the tanks.

TANKS

Two 1550 L. tanks are used for mixing the milled seeds with water, vinegar, salt, and spices. A slow mixer allows the seeds to become soft.

CRUSHERS

All the mustard manufacturer's art lies in this operation. The mixture is pumped towards the crusher. Inside, two "emery" stones turn on each other at a very fast speed to crush the mustard seed. If the stones are not tight enough, they will fail to produce a fine paste and the skins of the seeds will leave a rough sensation on the tongue. If they are too tight, the stones will burn the mustard before breaking. When the mustard enters the crushers, its temperature is 15° to 20° but the friction, pressure and speed increase the temperature to as high as 55° without any heating operation being involved in the process.

PACKAGING

The mustard is kept in a tank for several days so that its spiciness may decrease. When it is cool, the mustard is placed in jars. The design of the "grenade-shaped" container prevents the packaging chain from becoming fully automated. Closing is done by hand because the covers are made out of soft plastic. The bottling speed can be as high as 2400 jars/hour. The jars are then placed, by six or 12, in cartons called trays. The plant produces 1,500,000 jars a year.

UNITIZATION

After transport, the jars are packed in a plastic "folder". Two plastic sheets are welded together after which it passes through a retraction tunnel at a temperature of 175°. The heat melts the plastic slightly so it moulds itself around the jars. The bundled trays are placed on palettes ready to be sent to the customers.

DISTRIBUTION

The palettes are loaded in the lorry and distributed to the warehouses of the major stores, where the film is cut and the jars placed on shelves. The plastic film and tray are separated so they can be recycled .