This is how Quaker oats are made, a product that has been in Ecuador for several decades
The Quaker brand has been present in the world market for 146 years, since it was founded by Henry Seymour and William Heston. In 1877 they named it Quaker Mill Company, in the United States, and it was the first breakfast cereal brand in that country.
Its arrival in Ecuador occurred after the Second World War. It was founded by Luis Noboa Naranjo, father of Álvaro Noboa Pontón, who has been a presidential candidate, and the businesswoman Isabel Noboa Pontón.
“It was founded with the vision of specializing in the production of basic items that guarantee food security and contribute to national development,” says Verónica Barreda, general manager of Industrial Molinera C. A.
In 1945 is when Quaker began in Ecuador, according to Ángel Abad, deputy production manager. “We are 78 years old. We started in 1945 and we were a pillar; After 1960 we set up the first wheat mill, and in 1968, the second,” says Abad, who also points out that in 1977 they located the first mill, but for oats, and eight years later it was the second. Currently, the company has four mills.
With this development, Super4 emerged, one of the most important brands of baking flour, and the marketing of Quaker Oats began under the license of Quaker Oats, today owned by the multinational Pepsico.
Abad indicates that the raw material is imported. He is not from Ecuador. The wheat comes from Canada, the United States and Argentina. Oats come from Canada and Chile. “Ecuador is not a cereal producing country; There is no agribusiness in the country. This company has the strength that we are on the banks of the Guayas River and we have a dock; From origin the raw material comes by boat and goes to the plant. So, it is a strength,” explains Abad.
The mills are located in the south of Guayaquil, near the Guayas River. With these, products such as the renowned Quaker Oats emerge: ground, flaked, cereal mix and flavored, such as naranjilla, passion fruit and pineapple.
“Quaker has an important responsibility with the Ecuadorian consumer, due to its presence and consumption in homes. The brand represents a large percentage of packaged oatmeal consumption and is currently among the ten most chosen brands in the food sector, according to the Kantar Brand FootPrint 2023 report,” says Barreda.
The executive points out that, during the pandemic, Industrial Molinera tried to maintain supplies. “This is because its industrial capacity allows it to control the entire process, from the purchase of the grain, reception in its private port to marketing, always guaranteeing the quality and freshness that characterizes the brand,” says Barreda.
According to the company, Quaker oats are consumed on average every fifteen days and are in eight out of ten families in the country. Its production plant has quality control systems and certifications in good manufacturing practices (GMP) and HACCP, BASC standards. In 2023 it was certified with the FSSC22 000 standard in safety systems.
How do you make Quaker oats?
The process of making Quaker oats lasts a little more than fourteen hours, says Abad. This begins with the purchase of raw materials abroad, which arrives at the plant and is stored in silos for processing.
Then it goes through cleaning to eliminate impurities coming from the fields. Once this step has been completed, we move on to husking, in which the hull of the oat grain is separated, which is similar to a grain from a pile of rice.
“Next we have the roasting process to give the characteristics and benefits of the product, which is the color, flavor and aroma of the grain. Once roasted, it is passed to a cutting process to section the grain into two or three parts, as necessary,” Abad mentions and adds that, depending on the length, the grain is classified.
When it is cut, it is taken to a conditioning hopper to be cooked. Next comes the lamination process, which consists of stretching and transforming the product into oat flakes. “It goes through a cooling process and can be stored in a finished product hopper to finally be packaged,” says Abad.
Oatmeal for children
Presentations of Quaker oatmeal with strawberry, vanilla and original flavors for children are part of the brand’s recent launches, says María del Carmen Bonifaz, Food Safety leader.
“It is fortified with calcium, iron, vitamin C, fiber and micronutrients that help strengthen our children’s defenses,” she says.
This product also goes through the same process indicated above, with the difference that it has nutrients according to the target audience and with other flavors.
“Each serving of Quaker Kids would be equivalent to the calcium contained in a glass of milk, the iron in a cup of cooked spinach, the vitamin C in half an orange, and the fiber in half an apple,” says Barreda. (I)