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Students Get Close-Up View Of Vigo

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2008

TAMPA - Walking into the spice room at the Vigo Importing Co., the Gorrie Elementary fifth-graders pinched their noses, covered their faces with their sweatshirts and almost simultaneously said, "Ewwwwww."

Explaining the tedious work of harvesting saffron, office manager and tour guide Karla Turner held up a tin box the size of a small phone book. When filled with 1 pound of raw saffron, it becomes a guarded treasure.

"Can any of you guess how much this costs?" Turner asked.

After a few tries, the children got it right - $2,000. They also knew the location of Morocco, the country from which Vigo imports capers and anchovies, and the location of China, source of Vigo's pine nuts and garlic.

But the youngsters were stumped on the yellow rice, which is where the saffron discussion came in. The spice gives white rice a yellow tint.

The Gorrie students were on one of the regular school tours at Vigo, 4701 W. Comanche Ave. Teacher Darlene Baker said they had just finished examining the circular flow of the economy.

"This is great because they are seeing how a business produces its products," Baker said during the field trip Feb. 1.

After returning to Gorrie, 705 W. De Leon St., the students write an essay about what they learned and enter it in Vigo's essay contest. At the end of the school year, the school with the winning essay receives $500.

"They learn a lot," Baker said. "You can tell in the facts they put in their essays."

Or in the expressions on their faces as a forklift raised flats of rice to the ceiling or as the students measured themselves against the 5,000-gallon olive oil tanks.

"I haven't seen a container that big," said Brian Nazareth, 10. "It's pretty amazing how all of this can be made."

Laura Alessi DeLucia, Vigo marketing director and granddaughter of founder Tony Alessi Sr., said thousands of fifth-graders have come through their doors since the tours began in 1993. She said the goal is to inspire students to achieve the American dream, as her Italian grandparents did when they started Vigo in 1947.

"Set very high goals for yourself, work hard and with a little bit of luck, anything can happen," DeLucia said. "It's a big world of opportunity out there."

IF YOU GO

WHO: Vigo Importing Co.

WHAT: Vigo World Class Tours for fifth-graders

WHERE: 4701 W. Comanche Ave.

CONTACT: Laura Alessi DeLucia at (813) 884-3491 or www.vigoalessi.com

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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