Cargill and Morton Salt: Newark's Impressive Salt Empire?

Whenever the San Francisco Bay Area’s south-side is mentioned, most people will think of the multitude of massive technology corporations, aerospace engineering operations, and astronomically high real-estate prices. What few will immediately think of are the relatively low-profile salt harvesting operations that are such a distinctive part of the region: Cargill Salt and their operational compatriots, Morton Salt.

What They’re About

Ever since the end of the Gold Rush in the United States, the potential for salt mining in the Bay Area has been well known. This is influenced mainly by the area’s ideal topography, clay soil composition and amenable weather conditions. It is a climate characterized by just enough rain in the fall, winter, and spring seasons, followed up with dry summers and their accompanying sunny days and constant breezes.

Cargill’s operation here constitutes one of only two large-scale sea salt operations across the entire breadth of the United States. The Cargill industrial conglomerate, with a staff of approximately 143,000 employees spread out across the globe, is the sole operator of the salt ponds in the Bay Area. An interesting fact is that all the eggs that McDonald’s sells are passed through Cargill’s plants because of the salt they add that is processed in a certain way to make fast food taste better.

Cargill bought the Leslie Salt company in Newark in 1978, and owns other companies as well. Even though they own the ponds and carry out the harvesting of the raw salt itself, the Morton Corporation buys up a quantity of this raw material for processing and packaging in their neighboring refinery. Morton also mines salt and their headquarters are in Chicago. They own the largest salt plant in the world, which is located in Michigan.

How They Work

The salt harvesting process is an interesting one, involving a five-year process of evaporation, condensation, and crystallization across numerous inter-connected ponds and evaporation pools. The briny salt water is let into the first of a series of ponds, and as it slowly makes it’s way down the line, the ponds become more and more concentrated. The crystallization pools at the end of the chain are where the highly concentrated solution facilitates the formation of salt crystals on its bottom. It’s these crystals that are the harvested from the bottom that are then delivered to the refinery for crushing, cleaning, packaging, and ultimately, ready for consumption.

There are a considerable 8,000 acres of land spread out across the South San Francisco Bay Area that are devoted to salt evaporation ponds. These ponds are a unique sight to behold in and of themselves. As a result of a certain algae that grows in the crystallization ponds, in their various stages of concentration, you will be able to observe an incredible palette of vivid coloration in the ponds. These colors range from ochre, acid green, deep magenta, and surreal shades of red in an unbelievable patchwork, best observed from the air.

Environmental Responsibility

The corporations harvesting the salt in this region are very conscious of their responsibility to the environment, and they go to great lengths to support the local ecosystems. Aside from the donation of 40,000 acres of land over the years to public land agencies like the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, the employees of the companies themselves make it a tradition to contribute from their personal salaries to local environmental causes of their choice.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, the operations of Cargill and Morton Salt can be considered to be an unequivocal net-gain to the communities in which they operate among, including Newark. The low-environmental impact of their operations, coupled with the economic value they create in Newark, CA, make them a great example of corporate activity is done right.