We had a nice tour of the Wilbur Curtis Company in Los Angeles, CA. Curtis manufactures a complete line of quick service to restaurant to large scale hospitality hot water, coffee and tea brewers. I was surprised to learn they produce so many different models from the same facility. Particularly impressive was the manufacturing process engineering and quality control. Modular, efficient, clean, well organized, synchronized. This would make an informative tour for any university or post graduate program studying lean, six sigma, kaisen, scorecard methodologies.
Of course, we were there to view the iced tea and hot tea brewers. There are many models to choose from, depending upon throughput and desired quality/price of the end product. Most consumers would be amazed by degree of engineering, chemistry, and overall product development required to design and produce each product. I would almost consider these brewers more of "a fine tuned instrument" that a generic "brewer".
The large scale coffee brewer (and variations not shown) was designed more than 50 years ago. I love the rounded corners on this design - really classic! The fact that Curtis kept this stainless steel design is a testament to not muck with a good thing. I get tired of looking at the latest, bright colored, vibrant kitchen appliances coming out for the home market today. In a commercial kitchen, rounded stainless, functional is the way to go.
We wish the team at Wilbur Curtis all the best and thanked them graciously for their hospitality.
