Nestlé Coffee Factory, Hayes.
Visited with Speed.
We'd actually had our eye on this place for some months prior to our visit, but when it came to scoping it out it always looked just a little bit too live for our liking and so it was put off for another day when we knew what was going on. Now I'm one of those self-important bellends who's not on any social media, but I decided to create a dummy facebook profile so I could infiltrate the ex-employees group to see what was what. My plan was almost thwarted when an admin messaged me to ask what department I had worked in and when, but fortunately he believed my ludicrous story of 'Green Bean Delivery 2002-2005' and I was let in, despite the age on my fake profile being just 18! Once in I established that the plant had properly closed and we were good to go. The lesson to learn from this is that dishonesty and deceit works, to the extent that a few months later I even got invited to an admins birthday party!
Actually infiltrating the factory itself was somewhat more challenging. Razor wire had been retrofitted to the fences, a live railway and a canal rendered two sides impassable, a security guard seemed to permanently wander round the perimeter, a dog van was stationed next to the security hut and a mobile CCTV unit was parked in the grounds. We returned at night, but before we had even crossed the perimeter a the dog unit hurtled towards us at at least 90, almost taking out a member of the public who happened to be passing the entrance on the way. Whilst the night was a write-off, the fact we got to witness the utterly hilarious situation of the guard simultaneously shouting at us and getting shouted at by the member of the public more than made up for it.
Even our return visit was almost foiled by security - on the way in we immediately encountered a guard on patrol and were forced to make a retreat, and on the way out we almost ran straight into the back of him in exactly the same place! Inside it was a bit 'pipes and tanks' for my liking, but this wasn't entirely unexpected as food places tend to be a bit sterile. Unfortunately a big chunk of the 1930s factory appeared to have been disused for some time, maybe since they stopped making chocolate in the 1990s, and is totally devoid of anything. That said, with a bit more time and luck I'm sure there's a few gems to be found, and the fact we got to climb the chimney was an added bonus.
Some history before I forget:
Some photos - I really couldn't be arsed and stuck it on auto so please excuse the quality:
The stripped chocolate-side of the 1930s factory (note the vaulted ceilings):
And the coffee side, which was a bit more intact:
Product tasting room, with little sinks to spit into:
Tool rooms:
Moving into the more modern extension, a seemingly never-ending maze of pipes and tanks:
And shit control rooms:
Visited with Speed.
We'd actually had our eye on this place for some months prior to our visit, but when it came to scoping it out it always looked just a little bit too live for our liking and so it was put off for another day when we knew what was going on. Now I'm one of those self-important bellends who's not on any social media, but I decided to create a dummy facebook profile so I could infiltrate the ex-employees group to see what was what. My plan was almost thwarted when an admin messaged me to ask what department I had worked in and when, but fortunately he believed my ludicrous story of 'Green Bean Delivery 2002-2005' and I was let in, despite the age on my fake profile being just 18! Once in I established that the plant had properly closed and we were good to go. The lesson to learn from this is that dishonesty and deceit works, to the extent that a few months later I even got invited to an admins birthday party!
Actually infiltrating the factory itself was somewhat more challenging. Razor wire had been retrofitted to the fences, a live railway and a canal rendered two sides impassable, a security guard seemed to permanently wander round the perimeter, a dog van was stationed next to the security hut and a mobile CCTV unit was parked in the grounds. We returned at night, but before we had even crossed the perimeter a the dog unit hurtled towards us at at least 90, almost taking out a member of the public who happened to be passing the entrance on the way. Whilst the night was a write-off, the fact we got to witness the utterly hilarious situation of the guard simultaneously shouting at us and getting shouted at by the member of the public more than made up for it.
Even our return visit was almost foiled by security - on the way in we immediately encountered a guard on patrol and were forced to make a retreat, and on the way out we almost ran straight into the back of him in exactly the same place! Inside it was a bit 'pipes and tanks' for my liking, but this wasn't entirely unexpected as food places tend to be a bit sterile. Unfortunately a big chunk of the 1930s factory appeared to have been disused for some time, maybe since they stopped making chocolate in the 1990s, and is totally devoid of anything. That said, with a bit more time and luck I'm sure there's a few gems to be found, and the fact we got to climb the chimney was an added bonus.
Some history before I forget:
Some photos - I really couldn't be arsed and stuck it on auto so please excuse the quality:
The stripped chocolate-side of the 1930s factory (note the vaulted ceilings):
And the coffee side, which was a bit more intact:
Product tasting room, with little sinks to spit into:
Tool rooms:
Moving into the more modern extension, a seemingly never-ending maze of pipes and tanks:
And shit control rooms:
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