Melisa Chavez
Found a sweet opportunity at Agropur ice cream plant
For Melisa Chavez, enjoying a spoonful of ice cream goes beyond the cold sensation, delicious flavor and smooth, silky texture.
It tastes like a job well done.
Melisa is a mix room operator at Agropur’s Truro ice cream plant in Nova Scotia, and she said there’s real satisfaction in creating products that provide so much joy to so many people. Melisa has been with Agropur for more than four years and makes the bases that become our favorite frozen treats. It’s been a positive experience for reasons well beyond the fun and tasty products that the Truro plant produces for sale all across Canada.
“It’s a good place to work,” she said. “My co-workers make me feel welcome and the supervisors care about us. They recognize all of the work that we’re doing.”
It’s a job and a life she couldn’t have imagined a decade ago.
From Mexico to Canada
Melisa moved to Nova Scotia from her native Mexico in 2016, and at the time, she didn’t expect a permanent stay. Instead, she hoped to earn some money while enjoying the experience and adventure of a new location. But as time passed, that new environment started to feel more like home.
“I feel safe here and I have greater opportunity,” Melisa said. “I feel secure and the people are really nice.”
The people in her new surroundings helped her acclimate. Melisa arrived in Canada with basic English language skills.
“My co-workers make me feel welcome and the supervisors care about us. They recognize all of the work that we’re doing.”
She’s since taken courses, and today is quite comfortable with reading and writing the language. She admits her pronunciation still needs some work from time to time, but it continues to improve and her co-workers play an important role.
“They all help me,” Melisa said. “I’ve told them that if I say something that isn’t correct, let me know and also tell me how to fix it.”
A place to belong at Agropur
Agropur’s Truro plant produces a variety of packaged ice creams, mochi and extruded novelties for Agropur brands as well as for private label. Agropur recently invested $34 million into the plant, which included the addition of a new extrusion line for value-added innovation in the premium novelties segment.
Melisa has been part of the food industry throughout her time in Canada, having worked at a fish plant for her first few years. She came across Agropur when scouring the market for a position offering better benefits.
Her compensation wasn’t the only advantage to come with the new job. She truly enjoys her duties and camaraderie with her co-workers. Melisa is part of the afternoon shift team and she relishes the significant responsibilities of her role.
“If we’re broken down – if one of our systems isn’t working – it affects the entire plant,” Melisa said.
Outside of work, she enjoys hiking the beautiful terrain of Nova Scotia when the weather is right. Melisa and her wife, Maricella, were married in 2021. She, too, is a native of Mexico and both work at the Truro ice cream plant.
It’s an adventure that has turned out sweeter than the frozen treats they make each day. Melisa said Truro has become a wonderful home.
“It’s a beautiful place,” she said.
