Gear

See How a Single Factory Can Make 210,000 Apple Pies a Day

Food giant ConAgra produces the Marie Callender's brand apple pies you'll find in the freezer case, and it makes a lot of them — some 210,000 per day. How? Huge cubes of shortening, for starters.
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John Loomis
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John Loomis When Thanksgiving afternoon rolls around and you need extra pies fast (hello, uninvited in-laws), your grocery store is probably your best bet. Food giant ConAgra produces the Marie Callender's brand you'll find in the freezer case, and it makes a lot of them—some 210,000 single-serve (perfect for sending a passive-aggressive message to gate-crashers) apple pies a day at its Council Bluffs, Iowa, facility. How? Huge cubes of shortening, for starters.

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