ADM and Milwaukee

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

There was a ADM plant around 43 and Lincoln, what did they mill? I have seen pictures of hoppers and boxcars.

Thanks

2

ADM mills Cocoa in Milwaukee.

-Tom

3

I never smelled anything even closely resembling chocolate when switching that area. Lots of other smells, though; great place to work if you are on a diet.

However, in Wisconsin, Burlington is the place to go if you want to smell good chocolate!!! And the Nestle plant is right next to (and served by) the CN.

Chocolate and trains…mmmmmmmm…how can ya go wrong?

4

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ADM does have a cocoa plant at 12500 W. Carmen Avenue

http://www2.jsonline.com/bym/news/jun01/whysd24062301a.asp

5

That’s the Ambrosia chocolate factory. As part of my apprenticeship we toured the plant after they moved in 1992. There is some unbelievable mechanical work in those plants. Every pipe was plumb and straight. Made me proud to be in the unions, boy!

6

This is what the plant is now;

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=r51q4d7p2g64&style=o&lvl=1&scene=5433325&sp=Point.r5mc7g7nv8py_12500%20W%20Carmen%20Ave%2C%20Milwaukee%2C%20WI%2053225-6100%2C%20United%20States___~Point.r51hwv7p2j1k_4200%20W%20Burnham%20St%2C%20Milwaukee%2C%20WI%2053215-2035%2C%20United%20States___

This is what it used to look like;

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=42881

The only thing that would make me doubt that it is cocoa is that in the pictures I have seen the hoppers were CNW, SOO, and ADM. I was under the impression that cocoa came in BNSF and UP hoppers?

7

CNW is part of UP. ADM owns the plant. The cocoa comes in from a port, and CP serves ports. Therefore, seeing CNW, SOO, and ADM hoppers seems reasonable. What is interesting is that on Hershey’s video of chocolate making, they show the cocoa beans coming into the plant in bags delivered in boxcars.

8

You have to wonder why. That makes no sense to me. Bring Cocoa beans to Milwaukee for processing? Why wouldn’t they process them before shipping?

My formula for using Cocoa? Get Swiss Miss mix with marshmellows. Place dry mix and dehydrated marshmellows in cup. Add hot, black coffee.

9

Because it costs more to ship the machinery and operating supplies to the producing area and then to ship the finished product to the consumming area than it does to ship the raw beans to the consumming area for processing and distribution.

Same reason that all that seafood landed in Dutch Harbor does not recieve all of its processing there but is “preserved” (usually flash frozen fish meat) and then forwarded to either Seattle or Japan where complete processing occurrs.

10

[C=:-)][tup][tup][C=:-)] Greyhounds wins by a nose for his recipe!

My formula for using Cocoa? Get Swiss Miss mix with marshmellows. Place dry mix and dehydrated marshmellows in cup. Add hot, black coffee.

Cocoa in boxcars makes perfect sense, since as previously mentioned, processing costs plenty of $$$$$$$, the countries of origin being mostly Third Word, the beans are bagged, and shipped in 100# or 50Kilogram burlap bags; which are convient to handle in areas where transport is minimal and labor plentiful, then transloaded onto ships or containers at the ports. Then, again, reloaded into boxcars or onto trucks for final delivery to the processor. The hopper cars are probably full of other ingriedients to make the cocoa, sugar, starch, etc, or whatever else is needed to make the end product at the processor.

http://www2.jsonline.com/bym/news/jun01/whysd24062301a.asp

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11

Plus, if the factory and equipment stay here, no third-world dictator can expropriate them and use them to compete against the rightful owner.