Freya shares her thoughts on our visit to the Successo Alfajor Factory

On Thursday morning we made a particularly delicious visit to the Successo alfajor factory, the only Kosher alfajor producer in Argentina. Alfajores are an Argentine snack that reminded most of us of something like a moon pie or a Mallomar. It’s composed of 2 thin cookies sandwiching layers of dulce de leche, and then covered in chocolate. They’re hugely popular here and are really delicious.

The reason we visited the Successo factory in particular is that Claudio, the owner of the company, was a recipient of funding from the Ariel Job Center, a JDC organization that provides all sorts of career services to the community. The aid that the center provides isn’t always in the form of money; they also help people with their CV/resumes and prepare them for job interviews. In Claudio’s case, he once worked for Havanna, debatably the most popular brand of alfajores in Buenos Aires. During the economic crisis, Claudio lost his job along with many others. Being a modern Orthodox man, Claudio felt that there was a market for Kosher alfajores and was able to secure funding from the Ariel Job Center to open his own factory, using a recipe based on the ever-popular Havanna recipe but with Kosher ingredients. He started small with local distribution, but now the factory produces 12 million alfajores every month, and they are sold in grocery stores in Buenos Aires and are also exported elsewhere. Claudio’s business achievement is amazing and while he is now financially stable with his company, the seed money he received from JDC is what jump started his success, and he is clearly thankful for that opportunity and gift.

Seeing the actual factory was a highlight of the trip for many of us. We felt as though we had stepped into Willa Wonka’s factory, with chocolate frosting whirring through giant vats and the scent of sugar wafting through the air. We got to see the entire process of alfajor production, from the mixing of the dough to the shaping and baking of the cookies and then the chocolate coating. Much of the process was automated, but he had about a dozen employees that we saw spreading frosting and sorting cookies. I wish we could post a smell to the blog, but suffice it to say that some of us were taking bites of the air. Literally. Our tour ended with a tasting, of course, and most of us bought a few boxes to bring home. Personally, I thought Claudio’s alfajores were better than Havanna’s.

Claudio is looking to expand and is in a situation where he probably can soon. We saw the new oven he recently purchased, which will help him achieve that goal. We all agreed that it was really amazing seeing the work of JDC in action, getting to put a face to a story and feeling firsthand the effect that JDC’s service has had on an individual. I think we all walked away feeling the impact of JDC and knowing that the type of work we’re doing is really changing lives here.

From August 22-29, 2010, 11 alumni of Cornell University will volunteer with the Jewish community of Argentina.