A Day in the Life — Production - Blending Specialist

It is always busy. On Monday, everyone comes in to look at the production schedule and the production team starts producing and pulling materials needed for the first few batches. I will start testing flavors and getting shipments ready to send that were previously made. At the same time, the production team is managing orders coming in that need to be made. The client sets a production day at the plant and relies on us to complete our work by a certain day. If we get delayed on products that are shipping to us, late arrivals will delay our production and can cause issues. There are a lot of parts and additives coming in and people working out on the production floor; we all must come together to make it successful. Production is like a big puzzle. The team is responsible for making the product. It is then passed on to me to test, taste, and from there it goes to shipment. Once we test it, it can be bottled, boxed, or stored and then shipped out.

My favorite part is when the production of a beverage is finished and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing the project.

My current job is quite different because I was previously employed in produce management. I was responsible for taking inventory of produce, caring for the produce, and reworks. In a way, it is similar to the current work I am doing because of the first-in, first-out structure we work with here at Flavorman.

We have everything planned on a schedule. Our schedule is constantly changing, and we have to learn to adapt to unexpected situations or problems.

In just about everything we do here in Flavorman production, there are so many working parts that must function together to ensure the success of the production. At first, these little details may not be considered essential to making the production process successful, but are truly necessary to create a complete and finished product. I too was surprised by this and had to learn how to quickly adjust to my work environment.

There was one day in our old building I will never forget. There was an individual who was helping me fill a drum with a hose (we do this process differently now). This person, for some reason, decided to look at hose while it was filling the drum. When the hose was lifted, it hit the edge of the drum and caused the mix to drench the walls and this person's clothes. They were wearing a light-yellow shirt that was completed stained with green; their hair was drenched, and our production room was painted. They panicked and couldn't get the hose back in the drum and it continued to spill everywhere! I look back on that moment light-heartedly.

Mr. Pibb Zero — it's hard to find, but I love it.