Technologist Andra Kople came to earn some pocket money and stayed

Published November 2024

As Agu Sihvka began his legendary book with the words, “To tell the whole story honestly…”, we should first mention that in September 2024, Andra celebrated 20 years of employment with us!
Andra first came to Tallegg’s production facility in 2000 to earn some pocket money during her school holidays — and she stayed. “In 2000, Tallegg’s production was still located in Loo, and I worked there as a seasonal production worker. My duties included seasoning, packaging and labelling the products. I then officially joined the company as an intern, as I was studying meat technology,” says Andra, who in her early days at Tallegg also worked as a meat cutter and as a raw material weigher.

The Professions and Skills of Wolf Kriimsilm

After completing her internship, Andra worked as a warehouse keeper in the finished products warehouse, where her responsibilities included checking labels and transferring products to the logistics department. Later, her duties also included checking the remaining labels in the materials warehouse and ordering certain additives.
Andra then took on the position of supervisor (today referred to as a team leader) in the meat products production and packaging department, where her main responsibilities were organising the department’s work and managing the employees. Around 20 people worked under her supervision.
In 2009, Andra officially became a technologist, and when Tallegg’s production moved to Tabasalu in 2013, she continued her career there as a technologist.
“My day-to-day responsibilities covered the packaging departments for meat products and meat preparations. From time to time, I also had to fill in for the production manager, for example during holidays. From 2019 to 2021, in addition to my work as a technologist, I was also responsible for food safety at the Tabasalu laboratory — I coordinated the laboratory’s work and, in accordance with the sampling plan, collected hygiene and product samples,” she explains, describing her wide range of responsibilities.

Interestingly, working in the food industry was not at all Andra’s childhood dream, but rather a matter of chance. During high school, she was offered the opportunity to earn some extra money at the meat processing plant, either during school holidays or on Sundays.
“By working there and seeing the processes firsthand, I became increasingly interested in the field and thought, why not study food technology after graduating from high school?”
Andra is therefore a genuine example of how involving young people can help us train the specialists of the future.
“Before starting work, I had only heard a little about Tallegg from my mother, who had also worked for the company at one point and had nothing but praise for it. Since I had both seen and consumed the products, I already knew back then that Tallegg was the only domestic poultry meat producer.”

Tootmisjuhi kutsel tagasi

Peale Õisu Toiduainetööstuse kooli lõpetamist ei olnud Andral plaanid päris paigas, aga elu tegi omad korrektuurid „Tolleaegne tootmisjuht helistas mulle peale praktika läbimist ja pakkus võimalust laohoidja ametikohal jätkata. Kuna olin eelnevalt olnud Talleggis nii tööl kui praktikal, tundus tööandja juba tuttava ja turvalisena. Loomulikult oli mul soov ja huvi samas valdkonnas jätkata, seega tundus igati mõistlik naasta tuttavasse ettevõttesse, kuid uuele ja huvitavale ametikohale. Sisseelamine töösse oli kerge, sest kolleegid olid väga abivalmid, kuid küllaltki kiiresti tuli ametioskused selgeks õppida ja koheselt ka iseseisvalt tööle hakata. Tagantjärgi mõeldes oli see väga hea, sest omandasin seetõttu vajalikud oskused kiirelt,“ meenutab ta.

As a food technologist, Andra has a wide range of responsibilities, some of which are part of her daily routine, while others arise as needed. Her work includes monitoring and checking technological processes, guiding and advising employees, conducting product tastings, and dealing with all kinds of day-to-day issues.
The range of interesting tasks is vast, from developing production technologies and conducting production trials to improving product quality and working with data. Although the list of responsibilities may seem long, she finds her work highly interesting and diverse.
“I would say that dealing with complex quality issues that I cannot influence very much myself is probably the most challenging part. On the other hand, I find communicating with different people very interesting. I really like the fact that every working day is different and that I constantly get to work on something new, learning something new for myself along the way.”

Back at the invitation of the Production Manager

According to Andra, a food technologist needs to be tolerant and have good communication skills.
“Since a technologist’s work covers a broad range of areas, it is important not only to have a good understanding of food technology but also to be comfortable using computers (Excel, office software, specialised programmes such as Navimeat, etc.), to be able to make independent decisions when problems arise, and at the same time take other people into consideration.
Our working environment at Tallegg is modern, and everything is in place to ensure that the work runs smoothly and without disruptions. In addition to the paperwork I do in the office and on the computer, I also need to work in the production facilities and auxiliary areas. I like this arrangement because doing only computer-based work would become boring and monotonous for me.
Over the years, my job has also made me more confident when making decisions, and I have gained a great deal of additional knowledge about food technology,” she says with satisfaction.

Andra describes the Tallegg team as close-knit and friendly.
“My colleagues are friendly and helpful, and, naturally, a little bit of dark humour is also part of our everyday work. It is extremely important to me that I can learn and develop through my work. You often become more knowledgeable simply by doing your everyday job.
Of course, I think there could be more field-specific training opportunities in Estonia, and whenever possible, I always try to take part in them. I am also an internal auditor, and in that role I am constantly gaining new knowledge as well.”

Over the years, Tallegg’s product range has included some very interesting products.
“Fortunately, the best of them continue to be produced over the long term. Personally, I eat a lot of chicken breast fillet because it is light, healthy and rich in protein. In general, I prefer clean, simple flavours, so I don’t eat a lot of seasoned products. However, at the moment, my absolute favourite is chicken breast fillet in Caesar marinade, which is perfect in a salad, served with rice or added to whole-grain pasta.”

In her free time, Andra enjoys staying active — she goes to the gym and attends group fitness classes, takes walks in nature or goes cycling. She also takes part in various adventure hikes.
“I’m a big fan of travelling, as it is a great opportunity to enjoy the food of different countries and discover different cultures. I also go to the cinema, theatre and art-related events where you can get hands-on and, for example, paint and complete a picture yourself.”
In both her work and personal life, she follows the principle: “Do all things with love.” And because the working hours and activities in a technologist’s role are quite flexible, she can always arrange her responsibilities in a way that allows her work and personal life to coexist without getting in each other’s way.
“But sometimes you have to make compromises too, just like with everything else in life!”