I was with two supervisors pretty much all week; Miguel and Armando (AKA Crusty, like from the Simpsons but pronounced with a thick Mexican accent). Miguel's wife was due any day for his 4th child so Armando was taking over for him when he left on Wednesday. Miguel has responsibility for 27 supermarkets and about 40 or so people. Their job entails pretty much the same thing as our ASM/TSM: Check the market for POGs, out of codes, rotation, out of stocks, opportunities, and review orders, all this on top of making sure programs are executed. Usually, they spend 5 days on the market and 1 day in the office per week.
Monday and Tuesday were spent on the market checking stores, doing the supervisor thing. The way they look at their business is a little different from the way we do in the USA. Each week they are given a goal they must meet. This goal is given to them by the sales analysts and is based on sales. It is based on 100%, you obviously want to hit your goal 100% or better (duh Ramon). Returns are used to identify opportunities. The top for returns in this channel is 5%. If the returns are too high, they cut back on orders, too low, they increase orders. We look at our business compared against the same period last year; are we up or down? The lack of competition allows them to operate in ways we definitely can't.
On Tuesday, we were about to go into a store and Miguel saw a street vendor selling some sort of drink called Tejino. It is a kind of thick, brown colored drink made from fermented corn mixed with salt, lime, and then they put some Italian ice type ice cream in it. I gave it a try and thought it was awful. They love it though.....
Thursday was Mothers Day in Mexico (Happy Belated Mothers Day to all the moms out there) so in the afternoon they had a party for the vendadoras and promotoras that were also mothers. It was a very nice party. All the moms sat around the outside of the room, there was food and music, and all the men were serving the moms. I was out in the market when it started so I showed up about 45 minutes after it started. Right when I walked in, Jose started to egg me on about dancing. I quickly obliged. You really don't have to ask me twice to dance for beautiful ladies. I hopped in the middle of the room and started to "tare up a rug". All the moms seemed to love it. They all had their phones out recording it. I am probably a star all over Mexican Facebook. Of course I wasn't going to be the only one to dance so I had the ladies chant for the rest of my comrades to do a little dance as well. Jose was quick to jump in but Chico and Joe took a little more convincing. They eventually did a little jig, very reluctantly. It was a lot of fun.
For our one day off we wanted to have a little fun and experience some Mexican culture so we went and toured the Jose Cuervo Tequila Factory. First off, I love tequila. It is Mexico's national drink so obviously we have drank our fare share of it down here. We took an hour bus ride to "Tequila City" where all the magic happens. It was extremely cool to see how tequila is made from start to finish. It starts off in the agave fields where all the plants are hand planted and harvested. Then, they take the plants inside to be cooked and grind-up. Next, all the juice and sugar is extracted to be fermented and distilled. At one point along the process, the tequila is at 55% alcohol, which is over 100 proof. They don't sell this in stores but we were able to sample some. Right when you take the shot, it warms up your insides. It is extremely smooth too. Very good stuff. Once the tequila is distilled, they put it in charred barrels. Depending on what kind of tequila you are going for determines the length of time it stays in the barrel. Tequila Blanca (clear) is suppose to never be in the barrel. However, Jose Cuervo Blanca is put in a barrel for a short amount of time which is why they call theirs Tequila Silver. Next length of time (I can't remember all the exact lengths) is called Reposado. This is my favorite kind, Jose Cuervo Traditional to be exact. A little bit longer in the barrel and it becomes Anejo, and finally, the longest, Extra Anejo. I wish I could remember all the little details and history about the tour but I would have had to be taking notes, which I clearly was not. If you ever get a chance, and like tequila, I would recommend taking a plant tour. It definitely gave me a new perspective on the drink I enjoy *takes a shot of tequila*.
Ya boy with the giant Cuervo!!
Agave fields. Before the tour of the plant we stopped in the field to see where the agave get harvested. It takes 5-11 years for a plant to mature enough to be harvested for tequila. I guess it is true what they say, patients is a virtue.
Old school Jose Cuervo rides.
HEAVEN!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment