Of keen noses and warm feet

Alfonso Perez, Bell

Assessing ham by its smell

Alfonso Perez is one of six «caladores» at Bell Spain.

From the outside, you can recognise a high-quality Serrano or Iberico ham by its characteristic shape, the black hoof and a layer of fat that gives way under light pressure. But it is only the smell inside the ham that ultimately reveals whether it meets all the quality requirements. Alfonso Perez is one of six so-called «caladores» at Bell Spain who use their noses every day to select really good ham.

To do this, after inspecting the outside of the ham, he pierces the meat with a sharp stick, known as a «cala», at the level of the joint bone. By analysing the aroma that clings to the tool, he can identify any abnormalities that may arise during the maturing process.

«But that rarely happens, as our error rate is very low», explains Alfonso.

He began his career 37 years ago as a ham taster, initially at our predecessor company, Sánchez Alcaraz, in Alcorcón, near Madrid. Today, he inspects around 2,500 hams a day for Bell Spain in Casarrubios del Monte, which is roughly half the total number of hams tested there every day.

He is also strongly committed to passing on his experience and knowledge to the next generation of Caladores.

«I can tell that someone is particularly well-suited to this profession if they have a keen sense of smell and touch», he explains. «I also look to see whether he or she shows an interest in the role and has a desire to keep improving.»

Even after more than three decades, Alfonso is still passionate about his job. And this is despite the fact that the checks on individual items have become increasingly stringent over the years.

Whilst innovative technologies are being used to ensure quality and improve sustainability, the industry is also committed to preserving tradition.

Alfonso also plays his part in keeping this tradition alive with his knowledge and his keen sense of smell – which, incidentally, he says hardly ever lets him down: «I love the smell of matured ham, and I can never get enough of it.»

Katharina Wiegand and Angela Hassler, Hügli

On the trail of the flavours of spices

Angela Hassler (left), Product Developer in New Product Development, and Katharina Wiegand (right), Product Developer in Health & Nutrition, are
Hügli’s spice experts.

Is that a warm, woody note, or more of an earthy, toasty one? Katharina Wiegand and Angela Hassler know the difference. The two product development staff members at Hügli in Radolfzell (Germany) successfully completed their training as spice sommeliers two years ago.

To this end, they spent half a year attending weekend seminars, exploring the subject of spices with great curiosity and patience. The idea came from Katharina, who had wanted to do this course for quite some time.

«I felt my work lacked a bit of structure. Whilst looking for a way to give the knowledge I’ve gained from my practical experience a more scientific basis, I came across the Spice Sommelier course.»

After applying several times for one of the coveted places, she was lucky in 2024 – and what’s more, she got in at the same time as her colleague Angela.

Together, they gained a broad understanding of the properties and origins of various spices, learnt about the chemical composition of flavours and honed their sensory skills.

«That was really exciting. On one occasion, we tasted about fifteen varieties of pepper in two hours. My favourite was Andaliman pepper, although it isn’t actually a pepper at all, but the seed of an Asian plant from the cruciferae family. It’s incredibly lemony and aromatic», explains Angela.

Katharina, too, was fascinated by the diversity of the world of spices. «I had a great many ‹aha› moments, particularly when it came to food pairing and food complementing. It was great to learn, step by step, how to give a dish a completely different twist by combining flavours.»

At the end of the training course, the two of them had to demonstrate what they had learnt in an unexpectedly demanding examination. Having successfully completed the course, they are now among the approximately 170 spice sommeliers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Since then, they have been putting that knowledge to good use in their jobs at Hügli. As a raw materials expert specialising in herbs and spices, Angela uses it, amongst other things, to assess product quality.

«For me, the main benefit is that I can help ensure that people remember our standard products as being particularly tasty», explains Katharina.

However, the further training has caused a minor problem in the private sphere. «My spice collection is constantly growing and now takes up two drawers in my kitchen», says Angela with a laugh, whilst Katharina nods in agreement.

Rudolf Fleisch, Hilcona

Used to working in the cold

As a frozen food logistics specialist at Hilcona, Rudolf Fleisch braves temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius

A warehouse over twelve metres high, with 4,000 storage bays and at a temperature of minus 25 degrees Celsius – that is Rudolf Fleisch’s workplace. The logistics specialist at Hilcona’s deep-freeze warehouse in Schaan (LI) doesn’t really know what it’s like to feel the cold. Of course, he wears the appropriate work clothes to keep him warm, but whilst others wear shoes with thick soles, he prefers the standard design.

«It’s easier for me to move around in these shoes», he explains, «and my feet don’t get cold.» He also does without thermal underwear; after all, he doesn’t want to pamper his body too much.

What makes working in these conditions bearable is that the air is dry and that the logistics staff usually only spend 45 minutes at a time in the cold zone. After that, they head into the warmer entrance hall for 15 minutes. «My record is three hours in the storage. But I have to admit that even I started to feel the cold after that length of time», he says with he laughs.

To work in such cold conditions, you have to be a special sort of person, he says. «You must not be too fussy and you have to work well as a team. But the cold also toughens you up. Our team has a low sickness rate.»

Rudolf has been working as a frozen food logistics specialist at Hilcona for 25 years. He has now taken on the role of team leader, which means he spends more time in the office than loading and unloading frozen goods.

But whether the temperature is above or below zero, he enjoys his job so much that he can imagine carrying on like this until he retires.