R.W. Garcia Company Inc. announced May 12 its plans to minimize the impact of its flagship manufacturing facility with a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment solution.
The manufacturing facility, located in Lincolnton, N.C., produces 6,000 cases of tortilla chips each day. This production level requires more than 60,000 pounds of corn to be cooked and processed in the facility each day which results in a significant amount of solid waste in the form of kernel skins and corn starch.
Since the facility's inception, R.W. Garcia has utilized a solids separator to remove kernel skins from the cooking process. The kernel skins are donated to local cattle farmers for feed and the impact on city sewage treatment plants is minimized.
"R.W. Garcia Company is committed to minimizing our impact on the environment by reusing and recycling as much as we can in our manufacturing process," said Robert Garcia, CEO. "The addition of a new wastewater treatment solution supports our goals and further minimizes our impact on the city's sewage treatment facility and our local environment."
The new wastewater treatment solution uses a technology called dissolved air flotation, which enables R.W. Garcia to remove virtually all of the corn starch that is left after the manufacturing process. This leftover corn starch is then sent out to ethanol convertors – not a bit is wasted.
About R.W. Garcia Company
R.W. Garcia is a recognized industry leader in the manufacture of organic, premium and all natural tortilla chips since 1982. With corporate offices in San Jose, Calif., and manufacturing facilities in California and North Carolina, the company delivers great-tasting, organic, all-natural and imaginative flavor combinations in branded and private label offerings.
