BBC NEWS | Americas | Uruguay serves up slice of history Uruguay serves up slice of history By Veronica Psetizki Fray Bentos, Uruguay Fray Bentos: The town was once known as "Kitchen of the World" After many years the small western Uruguayan town of Fray Bentos is once again exporting the product that gave it name recognition around the world: corned beef. Initially manufactured for the working classes, the tinned cooked meat became a staple for many people in Britain and continental Europe. "I was brought up on it. I remember eating corned beef until it came out of my ears," said Prince Charles during a visit to Uruguay in 1999. Fray Bentos is the original location of the main factory of the German-British Liebig Extract of Meat Company. Established in 1863, it produced meat extract, tinned beef and by-products. The factory exported its goods around the world Renamed the Anglo Meatpacking plant in 1924, the factory fed generations of Europeans and allied troops during World War I and II. Such was its importance as a food exporter that the town was once known as "The Kitchen of the World".

"Not only did our products fill European stomachs; they also got into European hearts and minds," said historian Rene Boretto, director of the Museum of the Industrial Revolution, which is on the site of the former abattoir. "In World War I, soldiers would say 'Fray Bentos' to indicate that something was good, the same way we nowadays say OK, " Mr Boretto said. Further proof of the product's impact, he said, was the fact that during that war, when there were only a few tanks, British soldiers named one of them "Fray Bentos" because inside it they felt like tinned meat. Family history Thirty years after the closure of the Anglo Meatpacking Plant, the Brazilian-owned Marfrig Group is producing corned beef in Fray Bentos once again and exporting it to Britain. Exports to the United States were set to start at the end of October. Julio Bonizzi, Marfrig's plant manager, said the company was already producing corned beef at its Brazilian plants but decided that Fray Bentos offered an inexpensive and simple way to expand production capacity. "The opening of this plant has a double meaning for us," said Omar Lafluf, the local mayor.

"First, we are resuming production of a staple that made us world pioneers, and that gave global recognition to this town. Second, it provides an important source of jobs, employing more than 100 people." Residents of this small Uruguayan town, which has a population of 23,000, are proud to have recovered the industry that put them on the world map and employed several generations of fraybentinos. "I work in the labelling department, doing the same job my husband's grandmother did at the Anglo," said Leticia Martinez at Marfrig's plant. In its heyday, the Anglo factory employed several thousand people Her husband, Marcelo Da Rocha, says that corned beef gave jobs to his whole family: he, his brothers, cousins, uncles and grandparents have all worked in meat processing. Recalling his days at the Anglo, where he began work at age 14, Norberto Bordoli, now 84, said the factory attracted employees from afar. "Workers came from almost 60 countries.

My grandfather came from Italy to work here, and I worked at the plant until it closed." The end of the WWII, coupled with both Europe's economic recovery and outdated equipment at the plant, led to the factory's closure in 1979, explains historian Rene Boretto. Minus the moo Although the opening of the new plant is good news for the town, it is far smaller than its predecessor, the Anglo. In its heyday in the 1940s, 5,000 people worked in the five-storey building. More than 200 types of tinned and processed food were produced, not only meat by-products but also vegetables, sweets and jams. The new plant's Brazilian owners think Fray Bentos is an ideal location "Every day, 1,600 cows, 6,400 lambs and hundreds of pigs and turkeys were slaughtered. The smell was very intense in the whole city," recalls Mr Bordoli. According to Mr Boretto, "The only part of the cow that went to waste was the moo." "Before the English arrived we only slaughtered the cow for its hide, tongue and some cuts of meat," he said.

"Then we learned that there was a market for each by-product. France bought bile stones for the perfume industry. Thick ear hair made into brushes, there were unthinkable uses." In today's Fray Bentos, the mood is one of hope. Some people are taking advantage of a job opportunity in an industry that left its mark on the town and, for many, it is the continuation of a long family tradition they do not want to lose. Sunset in a one-pie town | Travel | The Guardian The Observer Sunset in a one-pie town A giant factory that once fed the world is now only a crumbling museum. Tom Hall remembers when dinner meant Fray Bentos Tourists scan the menu of a restaurant in Colonia del Sacramento. Photo: AP/Natacha Pisarenko Sunday 21 September 2003 14.01 EDT First published on Sunday 21 September 2003 14.01 EDT Share on Messenger Close Visitors to South America often neglect the industrial history of the continent in favour of its many ancient and natural wonders. Few tourists linger around the rusting transporter bridge while strolling around the colourful Buenos Aires suburb of La Boca.

Travellers in Patagonia tend to focus on the glaciers and national parks rather than the large-scale sheep farming that bought such wealth to the area. Among the names that jump at you off the map, Fray Bentos conjures up images of meat pies rather than cultural delights. Undaunted, however, we decided to round off three weeks in the southern cone with a detour through western Uruguay. Who could resist finding out how a backwater town in an obscure country came to provide the backdrop to hundreds of child- hood dinner times? Apparently most of the backpackers in South America, if the empty hotel and deserted streets in Fray Bentos were anything to go by. Their loss, I insisted to Imogen and Isobel, my only mildly sceptical travelling companions who had cheerfully endured a long day's bus travel across Argentina. We'd arrived from the beautiful colonial city of Cordoba too late to cross the border by bus so we hired a taxi for the final few miles and to negotiate the Uruguayan customs. The customs office was shared by both countries, and the smart, efficient Argentine officials dealt with us quickly.

Their Uruguayan counterparts, six feet across the same room, were watching football with their feet up and were astonished to see anyone at that time of night, least of all three British travellers and their wildly grinning Syrian taxi driver. The big draw of the town was the disused meat factory on the shore of the broad Rio Uruguay. Fray Bentos (named after a Jesuit priest) rose and fell with the fortunes of the meat company, Frigorífico Anglo del Uruguay. At its peak in the first half of the twentieth century, the factory employed 4,000 people a day to slaughter 6,000 animals from all over the continent. The meat was exported all over the world, but mostly - as colourful labels bearing names like 'Donald Cook' and 'Hereford Corned Beef' in the tiny ticket office attested - to Britain. The factory was the toast of Uruguay - presidents and other dignitaries were regular visitors. Its fame and success did not last, however. In 1979, a few years after it was nationalised, the factory closed. Changing trade patterns - notably Britain's entry into the then Common Market - saw the company's fortunes decline.

While Fray Bentos pies are still around - they had also been made in Britain from 1958 and in 1993 the name was bought by Campbell's of soup fame - the original site is a slowly rotting National Historic Monument which is being turned into a museum, complete with its huge generators, turbines and dockside cranes exported in the nineteenth century from Loughborough, Stoke, Derby and Leeds. The peaceful atmosphere and, bizarrely, the large number of cows aimlessly wandering around, seemed at odds with the gruesome past of the site. It was all very pleasant strolling round the giant red-brick buildings and mothballed offices. That was until Diana, the local historian who turns up twice a day to see if anyone wants a tour, decided to take us to the main slaughterhouse 'as a special treat for coming all this way'. The factory is Diana's passion. She proudly shows hundreds of visitors around it every year, and was delighted we had come. Her other unique tweak to the conventional tour experience was to make loud animal noises during lulls in the conversation.

As gripping as exploring the corrals and pens was, when Diana showed us a two-headed calf in formaldehyde we decided it was time to go, though we agreed with her that it must have caused a stir the day it arrived. We departed with corned beef label key rings as souvenirs, feeling intrepid and mildly inclined to turn vegetarian. The town's languor was now more understandable. Its population had been swelled by workers from all over the world and big business had bought rich rewards - including the building of one of the continent's most splendid theatres. What was once the industrial heart of Uruguay is now a quiet riverside backwater where nothing much happens - the shops don't bother to open until midday and not at all if it's raining. There are few people around the once-bustling plaza, lined with impressive civic buildings. Fray Bentos is notable today for its status as a regional capital and the museum. Visitors can still find plenty to fascinate, most of all the slow rhythms of everyday life. Sunsets here are some of the best in South America. That night the sun sank behind the Argentine bank of the river, glazing the wide water with rich reds, golds and oranges.

Later, in the only bar in town, we stocked up on Patricia - the country's favourite beer and another great reason to visit - as Uruguay played Peru in an exceptionally violent friendly football match. The big game tempted at least eight locals out of their homes, which was easily the most people we saw in one place the entire time we were there. If Fray Bentos isn't enough to get you to Uruguay, the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento offers more conventional attractions. It's a few hours' bus ride away via towns such as Carmelo, from where launches zip day-trippers from Buenos Aires across the River Plate to marvel at rusting fishing boats and overgrown cobblestone streets. The bus idles through bucolic landscapes, stopping at farms ringed by gum trees that wouldn't look out of place in rural New South Wales. National highways are largely empty single-track roads, a welcome change after the busier motorways of central Argentina. Another small town with a gentle, relaxed feel, Colonia is distinguished by its Unesco world heritage-rated old quarter.

Originally built in the seventeenth century by the Portuguese as a smuggling settlement to undermine Spanish trading monopolies, all that remains is a crumbling old town with rutted cobbled streets, a fort and several museums. The town is a weekend retreat for residents of Buenos Aires, an hour away by an extremely swish catamaran. The crossing is quick and easy, so that even if you don't have much time you can pop over the water for a taste of Uruguay. Colonia has some great bars and restaurants and is the perfect way to prepare you for the noise of the Argentine capital. Charles Darwin passed through here on the Beagle expedition in 1820, trying to avoid revolutionary turmoil across the river in Buenos Aires. A modern town has built up around the old settlement and there is plenty to see, making it an essential stopover on the way back to Argentina or Montevideo, Uruguay's picturesque capital. Like Darwin, we passed our time in Colonia climbing the half-destroyed fortifications and, unlike him, sitting on the pier watching another great sunset with a few more Patricia beers.

This quiet corner of South America may not feature on many itineraries, but as long as you're not a cow you'll find much to enjoy here. What's the beef? The Fray Bentos brand was launched in 1899. £16m of Fray Bentos pies were sold last year. Pies, along with corned beef and puddings, account for 91 per cent of the UK canned meats market. 18 per cent of the Fray Bentos pies sold are made with chicken, the rest with beef. Prince Charles said: 'I remember eating Fray Bentos beef until it came out of my ears.' Factfile Aerolineas Argentinas (020 7494 1001) flies to Montevideo via Buenos Aires for £643. Ferrylineas sails several times daily from Buenos Aires to Colonia and Montevideo. Ninety-day tourist visas are available on entry to Uruguay. See Uruguay Tourism for more information. The Log Blog: Fray Bentos Pies Fray Bentos Pies Chez Manley, Friday is Fray-day as we celebrate the joy that is the Fray Bentos pie.

It is only as relatively recently as recently that I discovered that Fray Bentos was not named after a brace of culinary geniuses who I had presumed were named Messrs Bentos and Fray. No, gentle reader, it is in fact a small town of 25000 in South West Uruguay, close to the Argentine border. The town appears to have pretty much always produced processed meat in one way or another and the site of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company (which was responsible for such meaty goodness as Oxo) now boasts a rather smashing museum, presumably dedicated to the mighty Fray Bentos Pie . Personally I have always favoured the Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pudding , but the family Manley grows and, with it, the menu must adapt to meat [sic] every palette. Now Fray-days can stretch beyond steak and kidney, through to such delights as the Fray Bentos Mince Beef and Onion Pie (as recalled in late 2008 for containing shards of metal ) or even the god-awful mushroom one.

So, I knew that Fray Bentos was owned by Premier Foods (The UK's largest manufacturer of foodstuffs), and I was not overly surprised to learn that, thanks largely to the UK market, last year the Fray Bentos brand was worth around £30million, but I am shocked to learn that, despite the huge success of the little pies from South America's cattle country (Fray Bentos Pies command a 94.6% market share), Premier Foods intend to change the Fray Bentos brand. One of the positives from this is a Tender 'Just Steak' Fray Bentos Pie offering, which I welcome, but there is a massive downside. "all recipes across the entire range have been improved, with a 20% reduction of salt per pie and no artificial colours and flavourings" Why ruin my Fray Bentos Pie? I love it just the way it is. Oh, and there is more. . . Why, PF, why? Why destroy the Fray Bentos Pie brand? You know it is successful, why ruin it?

Rob Stacey, who is something to do with Marketing at Fray Bentos pies, apparantly has been saying that: “The evolution of the Fray Bentos pie has led to the perfect recipes being created. These new modern recipes will attract sales from a wider consumer base without losing our original following of “Great British Blokes”. Premier Foods and Fray Bentos are making it our priority to create the ultimate pie and hot canned meal which can be eaten by any family, couple, or student.” Well Rob Stacey, I say that you are a tit. Fray Bentos Pies were perfect, you are just going to wreck them and the “Great British Blokes” really are not a real persona to target, After all, the “Great British Blokes” are generally not going to be doing the shopping anyway, so you need to be targeting the “Beaten British Wife”, you bell-end. I mean, really. Fray Bentos Pies are and almost saturation brand, utterly in control of their market, and they go and pull a stunt like this. I suppose that every Marketing Manager wants to put their stamp on a brand, but let's not stamp on the brand, eh?

I'll leave you with the complaints of Tricia , who feels that the new Fray Bentos Pie tine are too thick and even goes as far as questioning whether the new recipe is worth the extra effort needed to get to it. Fridays may become fry-days at this rate, Fray Bentos. Don't forget your user base. I seriously believe that, in an economic climate which should benefit the Fray Bentos Pie, you may just have made a blunder which simply removes your product from the eyes of the consumer and opens the floor to a new pretender. Then where will Uraguay be, eh? Apart, obviously, from in South America. Posted by Lord Manley at 05:55 Map of Fray Bentos - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki Map showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article: Fray Bentos is a town in Uruguay . It is located in western Uruguay , close to the border with Argentina , and about 160 km (100 mi) due north of Buenos Aires . It has a population of 23,122 (2004).

Economic life and history It is a port on the Uruguay River and is the capital of the Río Negro Department . Historically, its main industry has been meat processing. The Liebig Extract of Meat Company closed there in 1979 after 117 years in operation. A local history museum opened on the site in March 2005 .The town was originally founded in 1859 as 'Independencia'. Its current name, meaning "Friar Benedict", is derived from a reclusive priest. Fray Bentos was the place of the tragic accident of Austral Flight 2553 , were 74 people were killed (69 passengers and 5 crew) on October 10 1997. Botnia S.A., a subsidiary of Finnish corporation Metsä-Botnia , has built a large cellulose factory in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus pulp; production started in November 2007, first shipments in December 2007 from oversea port of Nueva Palmira. The investment in the project was about 1 billion USD and the factory directly or indirectly employs about 8,000 people.

The project, however, is not without opponents. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentines from Entre Ríos , along with environmental groups from both countries, demonstrated in the bridge linking both countries; and since then, around ten to fifteen argentinians are blocking the international bridge to put pressure on the Uruguayan government to stop the factory claiming it will gravely pollute the Uruguay River. On 20 December 2005 a World Bank study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country. The paper mill started operating in November 2007 (see Pulp mill conflict between Argentina and Uruguay ). In 1899 a company called "Anglo" began making corned beef there, which was sold as "Fray Bentos Corned Beef" in the UK. Fifty years later the Fray Bentos company diversified into soups, meatballs and tinned fruit.

During the 1990s the focus shifted to pies and puddings and Fray Bentos were taken over by the Campbell Soup Company , however, in 2006, 'Campbells UK' was acquired by Premier Foods .In 2008, Brazilian-owned Marfrig Group announced the reopening of the Liebig factory and the export of meat products, though at a lower capacity than the original factory. Museums Fray Bentos has a museum its former meat processing factory. This was a factory of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company . It also has a museum for the artist Luis Alberto Solari who was born in the city. Place in literature: Bordaberry on Ireneo Funes by J.L.Borges The imaginary character Ireneo Funes, created by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges was from Fray Bentos. Recent literary criticism by Pedro Bordaberry has explored the character's significance; Bordaberry has particularly discussed the fraybentino character in relation to the theme of the complexity of memory .

See also How a pie factory in South America is taking on the world - Telegraph Uruguay How a pie factory in South America is taking on the world Fray Bentos - the town in Uruguay famous for its pies - could be named a World Heritage Site alongside the Forth Bridge, Sicilian churches and Genghis Khan's birthplace at the end of this year's Unesco meeting The town of Fray Bentos, in Uruguay, could be declared a Unesco World Heritage Site Photo: Hector Gomez Learn and talk about Fray Bentos, 1858 establishments in Uruguay, Fray Bentos, Populated places established in 1858, Populated places in the Río Negro Department Location[ edit ] The city is close to the border with Argentina and about 160 kilometres (99 mi) due north of Buenos Aires , and 309 kilometres (192 mi) north-west from Montevideo, Uruguay's capital. History[ edit ] The town was originally founded as 'Villa Independencia' by Decree of 16 April 1859.

It became capital of the Department of Río Negro on 7 July 1860 by the Act of Ley Nº 1.475 and its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 16 July 1900 by the Act of Ley Nº 2.656. [3] Its current name, meaning "Friar Benedict", is derived from a reclusive priest. [4] Historically, Fray Bentos' main industry has been meat processing. An industrial plant owned by the Societe de Fray Bentos Giebert & Cie., the Liebig Extract of Meat Company , was founded there in 1863. It was closed in 1979, after 117 years in operation. A local history museum opened on the site in March 2005. Fray Bentos was the location of the crash of Austral Flight 2553 , in which 74 people were killed (69 passengers and 5 crew) on October 10, 1997. [5] [6] In 2011 Fray Bentos had a population of 24,406.

[7] [8] Year See also: Fray Bentos (food brand) In 1899 a company called " Anglo ", which originated from Lemco , began making corned beef there, which was sold as "Fray Bentos Corned Beef" in the UK. Fifty years later, the Fray Bentos company diversified into soups, meatballs and tinned fruit. [9] During the 1990s the focus shifted to pies and puddings and Fray Bentos was taken over by the Campbell Soup Company . However, in 2006, 'Campbells UK' was acquired by Premier Foods . [10] The brand is now owned in the UK by Baxters, which manufactures the product range in Scotland. Additionally, the Campbell Soup Company manufactures and sells Fray Bentos branded steak and kidney pies in Australia. In 2008, the Brazilian-owned Marfrig Group announced the re-opening of the Liebig factory and the resumption of export of meat products, though at a lower capacity than at the original factory.

[11] Botnia S.A., a subsidiary of Finnish corporation Metsä-Botnia , has built a large cellulose factory in Fray Bentos to produce bleached eucalyptus pulp; production started in November 2007, and the first shipments were made in December 2007 from the overseas port of Nueva Palmira. Investment in the project was about 1 billion USD and the factory directly or indirectly employs about 8,000 people. The project, however, is not without its opponents. On 30 April 2005 about 40,000 Argentines from Entre Ríos , along with environmental groups from both countries, demonstrated at the bridge linking both countries; since then, around ten to fifteen Argentinians have been blocking the international bridge to put pressure on the Uruguayan government to stop production at the factory, claiming it will gravely pollute the Uruguay River. [12] On 20 December 2005 a World Bank study concluded that the factory would not have a negative impact on the environment or tourism in either country.

The paper mill started operating in November 2007 (see Pulp mill conflict between Argentina and Uruguay ). [13] Museums and culture[ edit ] Fray Bentos has an Industrial Revolution Museum in the former meat processing factory of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company where thousands of people worked. When it was shut down, the opportunity was taken to create a unique museum, where the original machinery and social and cultural artefacts of the technological revolution in Fray Bentos could be shown to the world. The museum exhibits, for tourism and educational purposes, the machinery used in the meat and extract of meat process, the buildings, an 1893 Merryweather water pumping machine, a complete canning plant, a plant where the meat was cooked, a laboratory, etc. It also has a museum for the artist Luis Alberto Solari , who was born in the city. Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Fray Bentos" right now.

Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2017 Digparty. All rights reserved. Delia Smith's cheat recipes (and the slump) put Fray Bentos back on our tables | Daily Mail Online Delia Smith's cheat recipes (and the slump) put Fray Bentos back on our tables comments Tinned mince and canned pies have enjoyed a surge in popularity since the recession began - thanks to a little help from Delia Smith. Sales of the canned mince, meatballs, curries, chilli, stews and even pies, the sort made famous by Fray Bentos, are up 12 per cent in the last two years. Baked beans are also seeing a revival, with sales up by almost half in five years.

Helping hand: Delia Smith, who has praised tinned meat, and a Fray Bentos pie The surge has undoubtedly been helped by Delia’s 2008 book and TV series How to Cheat at Cooking, in which she used tinned lamb and minced beef from Marks and Spencer. Tinned meat has something of a down-market reputation, with questions over its taste and quality. But Delia insisted it is just as nutritious as fresh meat, despite being cheaper, quick and easy to use. The low price of tinned meat has undoubtedly helped sales in the economic downturn. Fray Bentos pies may not have made it onto Delia's list of favourites, however they have an iconic status in the homes of those who are culinary challenged and students. Many of today's parents will fondly remember tucking into a Fray Bentos pie when growing up and will be passing that on to today's young. The brand can be traced back to 1899 when a company called 'Anglo' began making corned beef in a place called Fray Bentos in Uruguay. Today it offers a wide range of favourite British pies from the traditional steak and kidney through to the more upmarket steak and ale and chicken and mushroom.

Tinned meat's golden age: Fray Bentos' pie mix among 1970s canned competitors A large 475g 'Boozy' Steak & Ale Fray Bentos pie costs just £1.87, while Tesco Finest British Steak & Ale Pie which is slightly larger at 540g comes in at £2.99. PIE CHART: URUGUAY AND THE RISE OF FRAY BENTOS Fray Bentos pies are named after a town in Uruguay that started producing canned mince in 1899. Factories in the town, at the centre of a huge cattle-breeding region bordering Argentina, later made other tinned meat products and the Anglo company began importing pies to Britain. Fifty years later its fares had become a staple of the British diet. The firm, which was later bought by Campbell’s and is now Brazilian-owned, also produced corned beef, soups, meatballs and even tinned fruit. However, it's pies are what made its name and the product has long been a favourite of students. But for many years, although well-remembered by parents, the canned meal has been off the menu for most middle-class households.

However, its recent resurgence has seen it once again take its place on the family tables and last year Fray Bentos sales were worth £30million. Fray Bentos offers a mouth-watering description of its product, boasting of 'Tender pieces of steak drenched in a delicious real ale gravy, topped by our signature puff pastry.' The boom in sales has been picked up by retail analysts Mintel, which said: 'Today, hot canned meats account for as much as 56per cent of the canned meat market, with as many as one in five Brits now buying canned meatballs and minced beef.' It said: 'Canned pies have been the star performer in the sector, benefiting from demand for value for money food. 'Indeed, the positive growth in the pie market as a whole has had a halo effect on the canned pie market, which has benefited from sales growth as consumers look for no fuss comfort food that can be eaten as a whole meal.' Mintel senior analyst, Vivianne Ihekweazu, said: 'Canned meats have continued to battle their perception as a lower quality substitute to fresh meat ranges.

'In 2008 when Delia Smith launched her book How to Cheat at Cooking, some consumers were enraged at the suggestion that tinned mince could be substituted for fresh mince in the recipes. 'However, it showed consumers the versatility of canned meats and the fact that it could serve as a substitute for fresh meat in recipes - something which appears to have resonated.' A Visit To The Kitchen of the World: Fray Bentos ‹ The Argentina Independent A Visit To The Kitchen of the World: Fray Bentos 5th February 2010 Shantra Hannibal 5 Photo by James Dittrick In the imagination of writer Jules Verne, Fray Bentos was responsible for serving breakfast to the first travellers on the moon. For Jorge Luis Borges, it was the Uruguayan home town for the fictional Ireneo Funes, a teenager with impeccable memory. To the troops and Europeans of the World War I and II eras the name conjured up the image of food – tinned corned beef, OXO bouillon cubes and more than 200 other products which would emerge from “the kitchen of the world” until 1979.

Today, the once booming industrial park which ran for nearly 130 years is slowly being restored as a museum. Fray Bentos The capital of Uruguay’s Río Negro province is home to just under 22,000 mate-drinking citizens who wave at strangers, smile and say “buenos días” with a kind of friendly enthusiasm severely lacking just across the river in Argentina. The small city celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009 and offers visitors a range of activities as wide as any more urban locale. The Young Theatre, Luis Alberto Solari Art Museum, outdoor play and dance venue The Summer Theatre, numerous plazas and parks, a museum and gallery for local artists called The Proa, beaches and fishing at the Uruguayan river resort Las Cañas, as well as the stunning cathedral Iglesia Nuestra Senora del Pilar are definite attributes. But despite Fray Bentos being a quiet and rural town, it boasts an extremely industrial and international past alongside an uncertain future. A Proud Past In 19th century Europe, poor people were having trouble buying meat. Fortunately for them and millions to come after, Justus von Liebig, a German chemist, had a solution.

Liebig developed a meat ‘tonic’ which later became the world-renowned bullion cube. In 1865, Liebig moved to Uruguay where he went into the cattle processing business with Belgian engineer and friend Georg Giebert. A monstrous amount of beef was needed to create the “extract” – 32kg of beef to make 1kg of Liebig’s tonic, but hardly anything went to waste. Blood was used in soil fertilizer, hides made into leather and hooves into glue. Soon, other products emerged as well, and the cattle factory prodded the Río de la Plata’s industrial revolution to life. Photos courtesy of Liebig Museum The Liebig’s Extract Meat Company would eventually come to process an entire cow every five minutes, employ over 5,000 workers from more than 50 countries and revolutionize the standard of living for factory workers. Fray Bentos is also famed for the use of electricity three years before the capital city of Montevideo, and it is home to the deepest port in the northern part of the Uruguayan river. Almost all of the country’s wood production is now exported through this port.

A Factory Forms With funding from Europe and high demand for its products, the Liebig Extract Meat Company grew. In 1887 the factory had reached such a size that the mainly German and English workforce constructed their own district. Houses, cleaning and garbage services, electricity and water were soon part of daily life. Another workers’ district was added in 1890 and a hospital followed in 1895. Children were allowed to become factory workers at age 14, but only after completing their first series of studies at the company school and with their parents’ approval. Although a factory work day was around 16 hours, the life of the average Liebig employee was good. According to historian and Museum of the Industrial Revolution director Rene Boretto Ovalle, the company town called ‘La Ranchada’ built by the workers established a much higher standard of living than the surrounding areas. Golf and tennis courts, football team called ‘La Estrella’, workers band as well as a cultural centre added to the prosperous life of Liebig workers.

The Anglo Appears After processing a record 208,980 animals in 1890, the Liebig factory was replaced by Anglo of Uruguay in 1924. Throughout the next 47 years, the Anglo factory developed meat processing technology more advanced than any other country in South America. It would process 400 cows an hour, 2,000 sheep per day, and develop around 200 animal and vegetable products. Photo by James Dittrick In 1943, more than 16 million cans of corned beef were shipped from the port of Fray Bentos to war-torn Europe during World War II. The enormous five-story Anglo meat house began operating in 1920 and helped establish Uruguay’s “epoch of the fat cows”. For a time, it also made Uruguayan currency more valuable than the US dollar. During his visit to Uruguay in 1999, even heir to the British throne Prince Charles joked about being raised on Fray Bentos corned beef. “I was brought up on it, I remember eating corned beef until it came out of my ears,” Charles told local businessmen.

Sadly, the Anglo was to be the last survivor in the long history of Fray Bentos’ famous factories. In 1979 the factory closed after Europe and the United States cut back on purchases from Latin America. A Present in Repair Standing empty until restoration in 2005, the Museum of the Industrial Revolution is once again producing the famous corned beef that made its name and showing off the antiquities that once made it advanced. On display in the museum are old photos of the working factory, equipment from the factory fire fighters, and all manner of packaging incarnations. But also on display are some elements of the odder side of the business – a two-headed calf preserved in formaldehyde and a sledge hammer with a built-in gun for a more humane method of slaughtering cows. According to Rene Ovalle, the life of the town has always been tied to the factory, which had fallen into extreme disrepair, and through its restoration it will bring new life into the area. Just across the river, another factory is also providing jobs to the area which has almost twice the amount of unemployed as the capital of Montevideo.

The installation of two wood pulp production plants used for making paper just a few kilometres from Fray Bentos is causing a serious rift in relations with the neighbouring Argentine city of Gualeguaychú. Argentine critics believe the plant, owned by Finnish firm Metsa-Botnia, will pollute the river, affecting farmland and tourist sites in both countries. For Uruguay, the plant represents the largest investment in the country and a promising source of exports to European and US markets. But with no agreement reached yet, the international bridge connecting Argentina to Uruguay in Fray Bentos is closed, preventing tourism and making transportation between the countries more difficult. So whether Fray Bentos’ new factory impacts life as much as the Liebig Extract Meat Company, it is still on the map. In years to come, the town may even become a UNESCO world heritage site, although The World Union for Conservation and International Counsel of Monuments and Places have yet to finish their evaluations. So with big hopes, a wide welcome and innumerable points of interest, the people and history make any trip to “the kitchen of the world” a savoury one.

Baxters Food Group acquires Fray Bentos (From HeraldScotland) Jobs Business Directory Local Info Dating Buy Sell Book an Ad Baxters Food Group acquires Fray Bentos deal: Audrey Baxter said Fray Bentos has 'a special place in the hearts of consumers'. Picture: Colin Mearns / Ian McConnell , Group Business Editor / @ianmcconnellHT SCOTLAND'S Baxters Food Group is acquiring a fellow household name with a deal to buy the business and brand of Fray Bentos, best known through the generations for its canned steak and kidney pies and puddings. Baxters will transfer production of Fray Bentos’ products, which include tinned corned beef and meatballs as well as its range of pies and puddings, from Long Sutton in East Anglia to its headquarters at Fochabers in Moray. A spokesman for Baxters said that this would lead to the creation of a “substantial” number of jobs, with the shift of the Fray Bentos production involving the addition of a canning line at a Fochabers plant which currently employs more than 400 production staff.

Loading article content He would not put a figure on the job creation at this stage, noting the deal had only just been done. Baxters highlighted plans for “substantial capital investment” at Fochabers to accommodate the Fray Bentos production, and declared it has “many exciting ideas to revitalise the brand” with the aim of securing a strong presence in the canned meat market. Fray Bentos was set up in 1899, and named after the town in Uruguay in which it has its roots. It supplied food for soldiers during the First World War. Although it has a rich history, Fray Bentos is slightly more youthful than a Baxters business which was founded in 1868. Baxters is buying the Fray Bentos business and brand from Princes, which is owned by Mitsubishi of Japan. Princes is selling the Fray Bentos business, which came into its stable with a wider £182m acquisition of Premier Foods’ canned food business, to satisfy UK competition authorities’ concerns over this purchase earlier this year. Princes also acquired the Crosse & Blackwell brand in this purchase from Premier Foods.

The price which Baxters is paying for the Fray Bentos business was not disclosed. However, the Fray Bentos business being acquired has annual turnover of about £30 million. The deal is therefore a very significant one for Baxters, which is best known for its soups. The latest available accounts of Baxters, which has operations in Poland, Canada and Australia as well as in the UK, show that it raised its turnover from £124m to £129m during the year to May 29, 2010. The company, which employs about 900 people in total, increased its pre-tax profits from £5m to £6.7m in the year to May 2010. Baxters chairwoman Audrey Baxter said: “Like Baxters, Fray Bentos is a heritage brand and is known the length and breadth of the country, holding a special place in the hearts of British consumers both young and old. “We have many exciting ideas to revitalise the brand as we aim to secure a strong foothold in the canned meat market.

Highlighting Baxters’ expansion moves in recent years, she added: “As a business we have constantly sought out new opportunities, most recently through successful acquisitions in Canada and Australia and we also invested in a new-build Polish manufacturing operation. Fray Bentos will provide an array of opportunities to develop our position in the UK market and internationally.” “Manufacturing of the Fray Bentos products will transfer over the next 12 months to our Fochabers production facility. A substantial capital investment programme has also been approved to enable all the plant, machinery and production lines to be housed on-site.” Asked how many jobs would be created at Fochabers, the Baxters spokesman replied: “There will be a substantial number of new jobs. It won’t be tomorrow. It will take about 12 months for the plant to get moved up. It is good for the (local) economy.” Scottish rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead yesterday welcomed Baxters’ acquisition of the Fray Bentos business and the plans for job creation and investment at Fochabers. He said: “It’s great to see this iconic Scottish company going from strength to strength, growing and investing in Scotland.

“The jobs and investment in Fochabers are further proof – if it was ever needed – that Scotland is at the heart of the global food business.” Mr Lochhead added: “I want to see more companies matching Baxters’ plans for growth and I applaud them for their continued ambition. Despite a tough economic climate, Scotland’s food and drink sector has continued to perform, with latest figures showing annual turnover hit a record high of £11.9 billion, and I’m confident of a very positive future for the industry.” Baxters, which describes itself as a “manufacturer of premium ambient food”, supplies retail and foodservice customers in the UK and overseas markets. The Baxter family has been producing food for four generations. Its range also includes savoury sauces, sour pickles, sweet sauces, preserves and salad accompaniments. These are sold under a variety of brands.

Question: The town of Fray Bentos, after which the meat products brand was named, is in what country?
Answer: Uruguay