208 Ledesma The Ledesma Sugar Mill, located in Argentina, was established in the 1800s. The company is committed to the country’s development and it employs 8,000 people. Due to its superior quality, Azúcar Ledesma is chosen by the largest and most important companies in the food sector (dairy products, soft drinks, cookies, chocolates and other sweets). The story below is from Bill Duersch (a retired Western States Service Engineer and Sales Manager), recounting his visit to Ledesma. “The owner’s home (now a guest house) was constructed in the Spanish hacienda-style. During my stay in the 1970s, the house had a full staff of servants and fireplaces in every room where a fire laid every night. All meals for guest house residents and factory visitors were served in the main dining room, plated individually, on fine china with sterling silver utensils. While there, I met a British couple, a Mexican representative from Massey-Ferguson Company, a medical doctor setting up a clinic at the CHAPTER 14 factory, and two Lear jet pilots from the company’s private plane as well as other transient guests. Meal-time conversation varied greatly but there was always an interest in American politics and economic issues. I was surprised by the guests’ depth of knowledge about America. One memorable experience: at dinner the doctor commented, ‘I’ve never met an American before meeting you. My opinion of Americans has changed for the better as a result of meeting you.’ Keep in mind this was before satellite TV and the Internet, after which the world became much smaller.”