As California's drought persists, local food manufacturers are feeling the pressure to cut water use in their factories without changing the taste and quality of the products they sell.
The food processing and manufacturing sector produces everything from salsa, to baked goods, to bottled beverages. It's a water-intensive industry, since factories need countless gallons for sanitation and their production process.
At La Amapola, Inc., the Santa Fe Springs-based business makes masa and tortillas. The process of making the masa starts with filling tanks with 400 pounds of dried corn kernels and 500 pounds of water.
"We have our own way of doing it which makes our product taste a certain way," says Vice President and CFO Carlos Galvan, Jr. "We can’t compromise on that. It would destroy our business."