Pics and video from the Mission factory tour!

Can I just say that the tour of Mission Foods has been one of the highlights of this year, if not in the entire existence of Springs Bargains? So much fun to be able to connect with readers in real life, see one of our favorite foods being made, and understand more of the history and mission of the awesome company that sponsored my trip to a blogging conference earlier this year.

This morning about 35-ish Springs Bargains readers were able to take a tour of the Mission Foods factory in Pueblo.  It was just like being on a live episode of Food Network’s Unwrapped show – only way better!  We started by learning about Mission’s efforts to reduce waste and energy, about the company’s history and vision, and then took a tour of the actual production facility.

I wanted to take notes but couldn’t find a pen!  They produce an incredible amount of product every day, supplying Colorado and surrounding states with tortillas and chips.  One of the most interesting things to me was how much of the food service industry they supply as well.  Everything from Chipotle to Taco Bell to Chili’s!

(By the way, I recently discovered that you can find those huge tortillas like Chipotle uses at just about any grocery store.  They’re sold under the Guerrero brand, which is just another division of Gruma Corporation, the company that covers Mission as well.  If you liked the Better Than Chipotle Burrito recipe but felt like something wasn’t quite right, try those tortillas!)

Mission gave all the attendees, including the kids, reusable grocery bags with their Mission Green logo, filled with Mission products like chips, queso, salsa, tortillas, and even pork rinds!

Photos and video aren’t allowed in the production facility, but it wouldn’t have done justice anyway – no way to capture the awesome smell of fresh tortillas on video!  I was able to take a little bit of video during the Q&A time, though, so here you go:

Again, thank you so much to Mission Foods for allowing us this opportunity!  Here’s hoping we can do it again next year!  You can view more pics on Facebook and upload yours there as well.

Got any questions about Mission Foods and the products they make?  We can get answers, just ask in the comments!  For those of you that went on the tour, what did you think was the most interesting part?  The most interesting thing you learned?  Please share!