The underwater photographs appearing throughout the Seagate World blog were taken by me. I have been diving for over 40 years. I am now 60 years old, and have a healthy case of denial. While diving at this the age is today’s topic, the real message is that it is possible to continue to do…
Mexico’s Presidential Elections – coming soon on July 1st
Whoever wins, the Mexican people always lose Excitement is growing in Mexico again as the July 1 election date approaches for this country to choose a new president. One good rule that the U.S. could learn from is that the Mexican presidents and other major office holders like Governors cannot run for consecutive terms. So…
Artichokes
That fellow flying by the Seagate farm is not an artichoke, just a seagull flying inland. While most people encounter these birds along the coast, following fishing boats or scavenging garbage, many of the different species of seagulls inhabiting Southern California nest inland. Seagate is very close to adding artichokes to its product list….
Seagate becomes a farmer in 1997
Seagate began operations in 1981 as a fishing company and specialty seafood processor in Baja California with a small office and a leased cold storage located in San Diego. By 1993, Seagate ventured into the health food industry by processing the shark cartilage that was a byproduct of their filleting operations, a raw material that…
Powder Grinding
After last week’s blog (scroll down below) about prostitution, drug trafficking, and tacos in Tijuana, this week it is back to business with a discussion about how Seagate pulverizes freeze-dried raw materials into powder. First, some local news- April 27th marked the date of the annual Newport (CA) to Ensenada yacht race. The two sailboats…
Tijuana
This blog is about Seagate’s World, the people and scenery in this very picturesque region where Seagate’s factory is based, which is actually in Ensenada, Baja California … not Tijuana. In order to reach Ensenada by road, a beautiful seaside community along the Pacific coast 100 miles south of San Diego, you must first pass…
The Freeze-Drying Process
The concept of freeze-drying is simple — the evaporation of water directly from ice. However, the machinery and controls to accomplish freeze-drying are very expensive and challenging. Most of the 20 raw materials that Seagate processes are freeze-dried in the Ensenada factory. This method very gently removes the water, leaving the…
Seagate Olive Trees and Olive Leaves
If you look carefully at the photo above, you will see one of the Seagate farm employees on a ladder pruning one of the olive trees located along the side of one of Seagate’s farms. This photo was taken during a dry summer month, when the interior of Baja California has daytime temperatures averaging over…
Nopal Cactus farming and processing
Nopal Cactus is one of 20 raw materials that Seagate produces on their farms and from their fishing operations. The cactus farm is located inland from their factory in Ensenada, Baja California in one of the most arid regions of the world. Typical annual rainfalls average less than 6 inches per year in these inland…
The Mexican Border
(Tijuana side of the border fence) This photo of the very shaky border fence separating the U.S. and Mexico is located 3 miles from the southwestern edge of the continental U.S., where the fence begins in the Pacific Ocean. Up until 1993, this fence was entirely constructed of surplus military airplane landing mats…