76 Million Gallons of OJ

Tropicana of Ft. Pierce had a plant tour and I went!

Cold Storage Tank buildings hold 76 separate 1,000,000 gallon tanks.  Fresh squeezed, never frozen, not from concentrate, orange juice.  It's all collected during the harvest season and stored till bottling all throughout the year.  They have a massive 'daily tank' which they fill to bottle from.

 Receiving docks with conveyor separators where fresh oranges are weighed and offloaded.

 The excess pulp and skins are made into cattle feed at this end of the plant.

The plant dress code ROCKS!

The Fort Pierce Tropicana bottling plant tour.  

After going to a 'wrestling match' two weeks ago, I received an invitation to see the Tropicana bottling plant.  Unfortunately cameras and recording devices are not allowed on property, so i cant show you the massive bottle filling machines.  This overhead system of pulleys and spinning bottle washing machines from Germany, and Italy carry hundreds of bottles per minute through the filling station.  Faster than a speeding bullet the bottles are filled, the caps installed and then the finished OJ is carried to another machine where it is packed and heat shrunk, then stacked onto pallets.  It was incredible.  The entire operation was very impressive and we got to drink some Orange Juice!

It was a super efficient operation with every part of the Orange utilized. Plus the city landfill is next-door to the plant and Tropicana buys the overflow methane gas from the landfill to burn for power creating their own electricity.  There is a huge lake on property which collects rain water for use in the cooling plant.  It seems they have everything they need except the Oranges.  Fortunately Florida has plenty of Oranges!

I think I'll drink some OJ now....    -Skip

Back at the Marina

 Back in Fort Pierce, FL

"We've been siblings for 45 years, but this is the first time we ever met."  Our dad was married 7 times...  (i offered to take the photo as they were attempting to do a selfie.  they told me their story.) Yesterday they got matching tattoo's.

Lynn, the question sister, writes today and asks, "Just looked at your blog— is there a story about the colorful fish? Who made them? Are they up permanently?  You live in an interesting place and find interesting stories."   - Lynn  

Great question Lynn.  My reply?  Heck if I know... 

This fence is one block West of the marina (you can see sailboat masts in the far background) and i was riding my bike past it one afternoon mid September when these people were out in the rain to attach 'decorated fish' as some form of art project.  I'll see if i can get more research on it.

OK, answers.  I called the St Lucie county chamber of commerce.  they directed me to the ft pierce chamber.  I got one of their peeps on the phone to explain it all.  The City decided to 'brighten up the fence surrounding the empty lot' by putting artwork on it.  It seems plans are for the Marriott Hotel to build a new hotel in that open block of land.  Bottom line, they started back in the summer when school was out, having local high school shop classes cut out patterns of fish and Manatees and then had people paint them.  I am told that I can paint a fish.  On the third Friday of the month, they have an open house downtown called 'the art walk.'  I can paint an art object by going to the "Potions and Lotions" shop next door to the Subway Sandwich shop and asking for Gertie.  Aint life grand!  I am already planning my design!

I hope Life is Grand wherever you are!         -Skip