21 Fascinating Industries Around The World | Big Business | Insider Business Marathon
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The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC has a vast collection of over 147 million specimens, obtained through field collection, donations, and purchases, with efforts to safeguard from climate change and flooding. Various industries, such as the sardine, Mezcal, saffron, cheesecake, and kombucha industries, face unique challenges and trends that impact production, sustainability, and market growth.
Insights
- The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC houses over 147 million specimens, with only 1% accessible to the public, including dinosaur bones, butterflies, and pickled animals like the stonefish.
- The museum, funded primarily by taxpayer dollars, spends over $100 million annually to maintain its collection, which is actively utilized for research purposes.
- Specimens acquired through field collection, donations, or purchases undergo a meticulous process called accessioning to inspect and claim ownership of them.
- The museum is implementing measures to protect its collections from climate change and flooding, relocating specimens to higher floors and digitizing objects.
- Scientists access the museum's collections for various research studies, from monitoring volcanic activity to analyzing bird strikes for aeronautical companies.
- The museum faces challenges in acquiring dinosaur bones due to a competitive market of private collectors, impacting its ability to secure specimens at auctions.
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147 million specimens
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Summary
00:00
"Smithsonian Museum: Hidden Treasures and Research Hub"
- The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC hides 99% of its collection behind security, with over 147 million specimens, including dinosaur bones, butterflies, and pickled animals like the stonefish.
- The museum is mostly funded by taxpayer dollars, with a cost of over $100 million to run, and the specimens are actively used for research purposes.
- Specimens are acquired through field collection, donations, or purchases with endowments, like a giant Arkansas Crystal donated to Mineral Sciences in 2021.
- Entomology scientists collect insects in the field and from donations, with half of new insects collected in the field and the other half donated.
- Paleontologist Hans Soos faces challenges in acquiring dinosaur bones due to a growing market of private collectors, making it harder for museums to compete at million-dollar auctions.
- Specimens collected or purchased are transported to the museum and go through a process called accessioning to inspect and take ownership of them.
- Cleaning and preparing specimens for storage involves using beetles for recently living creatures and air scraping for dinosaur bones, with custom storage cradles built for bones to prevent degradation.
- Animals like polar bear embryos and bats are pickled for study, while insects are dried and pinned for temperature stability in entomology.
- The museum is taking measures to safeguard its collections from climate change and flooding, moving specimens to higher floors and creating digital scans of objects.
- The museum's collections serve as a living library for research, with scientists accessing specimens for various studies, from volcanic activity monitoring to bird strike analysis for aeronautical companies.
17:24
Ramirez Sardine Factory: Evolution and Expansion
- In 1940, the Founder's grandson opened a new Factory in montaginous, where the Sardine had become a cultural icon.
- After World War II, the sardine industry started declining due to various factors like climate change and overfishing.
- Ramirez stayed afloat due to loyal staff and switching to aluminum cans in the 70s.
- Ramirez developed an easy-open way of opening cans and added fish cutting and seaming machines to increase production speed.
- Ramirez added new products like tuna salad, mackerel, salmon, and cod fish to stay competitive.
- The company now sells 70 different products and has introduced an online shopping platform, exporting to nearly 50 countries.
- Mezcal, a liquor-like tequila, has seen a 50% increase in value in 2021, becoming the fastest-growing spirit in America.
- Mezcal predates tequila and has a distinct smoky flavor, with its name originating from the Aztec word Mexicali.
- The Mexican Government established regulations for Mezcal production, leading to increased interest from international companies.
- Traditional Mezcal producers face challenges with certification costs and changing name standards, impacting their traditions and market share.
44:08
Reviving Kashmir's Saffron Industry Amid Challenges
- Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, requires around 150,000 flowers to produce just one kilo, priced at $3,000 in Kashmir.
- Kashmir's saffron industry faces challenges like drought, rising temperatures, and imitation saffron being sold as the real spice.
- Climate change has impacted saffron production in Kashmir, with rising temperatures affecting the growth of the crocus flowers needed for saffron.
- Political issues in Kashmir, a disputed region between India and Pakistan, have also affected saffron farmers, with internet blackouts and lockdowns causing disruptions.
- The Indian government launched the National Saffron Mission to revive saffron production, but farmers claim the initiatives have not been as effective as promised.
- A trading center called the Saffron Park was established to authenticate and sell genuine saffron, ensuring traceability back to the farmers and their land.
- The Saffron Park conducts tests to verify the authenticity of saffron, including a water test and analysis of saffron's characteristic compounds.
- Genuine saffron is packaged with a Geographic Indication certificate, distinguishing it as authentic Kashmiri saffron.
- The Saffron Park's e-auction site has helped increase the value of saffron, with prices rising from $1,300 to $3,000 per bottle.
- Despite efforts to revive the saffron industry, challenges like fake saffron, declining production, and farmers leaving the business persist, prompting a shift to other crops like apples and almonds.
01:01:40
Cheesecake Demand Surges, Kombucha Alcohol Regulations Reviewed
- Demand for cheesecake surged during the pandemic, but a cream cheese shortage in 2021 due to a cyber attack on a Wisconsin factory impacted production.
- Kraft faced supply chain issues and struggled to obtain starch thickeners and packaging materials, leading to a shutdown of the factory and missed orders.
- Cream cheese prices more than doubled for Juniors, from $1.50 to over $3 per pound, affecting profit margins significantly.
- Despite rising costs, Juniors maintained its traditional cheesecake recipe and refused to alter it, emphasizing consistency over price adjustments.
- To cope with financial challenges, Juniors diversified its offerings with new products like Cheesecake shakes and updated cake flavors.
- The company's sales rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with profits declining due to escalating costs, prompting a decision to raise prices.
- Kombucha production involves natural fermentation, which can lead to alcohol content up to 3%, requiring compliance with a legal limit of 0.5% for soft drink classification.
- Producers must remove excess alcohol through expensive processes like distillation to meet legal requirements, impacting the drink's health benefits.
- The kombucha industry faced a crisis in 2010 when alcohol levels exceeded legal limits, leading to temporary production halts and compliance efforts.
- Efforts are underway to revise the legal limit for kombucha alcohol content to 1.25%, aiming to align regulations with the drink's natural fermentation process and historical origins.
01:16:48
Plant Care Techniques for Healthy Indoor Plants
- Mike's goal is to maintain plant health by balancing light, water, temperature, and food ratios.
- Costa minimizes plant loss by using coconut core instead of peat moss in potting mix.
- Workers rehydrate and mix coconut core with wood fibers for optimal plant survival.
- Young plants are grown from cuttings and inspected for pests like spider mites and mealybugs.
- Costa uses predatory mites to control pests instead of pesticides.
- Plants are watered by a sprinkler and hardened off to toughen them up.
- Costa inspects plants for quality, removing any dead leaves or wilted plants.
- Costa trucks plants to retailers, but 10% of plants may not survive in big box stores.
- Consumers often struggle to care for plants, leading to high plant mortality rates.
- Having plants indoors can improve health by reducing anxiety and elevating moods.
01:34:08
Global Cocoa Industry Faces Challenges and Growth
- Finnish Taco bars historically imported from Europe, creating high costs.
- Lloyd aims to introduce a chocolate drink in Ghana, sourcing ingredients locally.
- Farah Freak initiated a lab in Ghana, hiring locals to develop new flavors.
- Advocates push for a cocoa price floor increase to $3,100 per metric ton.
- Majority of Ghana and Ivory Coast cocoa farmers still below living income standards.
- Big chocolate companies urged to take a closer look at the industry's growth.
- Ukrainian bakers produce 700 pounds of Passover matzas daily amidst conflict.
- Ukrainian Bakery specializes in handmade matzah, following strict Jewish laws.
- Ukrainian Bakery exports handmade matzah, facing challenges due to war.
- American matzah industry sees growth, with handmade matzah making up a third of sales.
01:50:59
Challenges and Strategies in Citrus Greening Battle
- Trees in the ipcs grow for two years to prepare them for the environment, despite some pest issues.
- Soil nutrients are crucial for fighting infection in citrus trees affected by disease.
- Smaller doses of fertilizer and frequent watering help sick roots absorb nutrients efficiently.
- Custom-designed fertilizer is used for trees, and planting more young trees at higher densities is a strategy to combat Greening disease.
- Short-term solutions like releasing predator wasps and using insecticides have somewhat worked against Citrus Greening.
- Production costs for growers have increased by $600 per acre due to battling Citrus Greening for 15 years.
- Half of Florida's orange growers left the industry by early 2022 due to financial losses.
- Oranges are picked, sorted, cleaned, waxed, and packed at Larry's grove, with a focus on maintaining quality despite lower production.
- Oranges are juiced at a local plant, with efforts to blend infected fruit with sweeter ones to maintain taste.
- Long-term solutions for Citrus Greening involve breeding resistant orange varieties, a challenging and lengthy process.
02:12:11
Brazil Nut Industry: Sustainability and Challenges
- Indigenous villagers in the Brazilian Amazon, 95% of whom work in the Brazil nut industry during the season, commute 10 miles by dinghies and then hike into the rainforest.
- Agoutis, rodents in the rainforest, bury fallen Brazil nut pods, aiding in the growth of new trees, crucial for the sustainability of the industry.
- Brazil nut trees can live up to 500 years, reaching 165 feet tall with trunks over six feet wide, dropping about 300 pods per season.
- The apiaka tribe faced challenges like massacres and enslavement, with their population dwindling to less than a thousand, but a cooperative called copama revived the industry by offering a fair price of $1.64 per kilo.
- Brazil nuts are dried, cracked, and processed in a factory in zuruena, with the nuts being sold to be used in various products like snack packs, chocolate bars, and cakes.
- Deforestation poses a threat to the Brazil nut industry, with nearly 5 million acres of the Amazon cleared in 2021, impacting the ecosystem and the apiaka tribe's ability to protect their land.
- Brazil nut trees are legally protected from being cut down, as they rely on an ecologically healthy forest for survival, with the industry facing challenges like illegal logging.
- Diversifying products like Brazil nut oil and focusing on marketing could increase profits for locals, offering a sustainable alternative to illegal activities like logging.
- In Egypt, limestone mining is a dangerous industry, with miners facing health risks from dust exposure and working under extreme conditions for low wages.
- Miners in Egypt negotiate for better pay and create funds for injured workers, highlighting the need for improved safety measures in the limestone mining industry.
02:37:03
Snail farming and silk production innovations.
- Snail farming in Italy has increased by over 300% in the past two decades, coinciding with the rise of a $4 billion snail beauty market.
- Simone Sampo leads the International Institute of Heliculture in Italy, focusing on developing methods for snail growth and harvesting.
- Snails hatch from eggs after two weeks and are then sold to farmers who raise them outdoors, feeding them vegetables and supplements.
- Snail slime, containing antioxidant properties, is extracted for beauty products without harming the snails using a machine developed by Simone.
- The machine stimulates snails to release slime as a defense mechanism, extracting about 118 ounces of slime in an hour.
- Snails go through the slime extraction process multiple times before being euthanized for various products like gourmet dishes, cosmetics, and snail caviar.
- South Korea is a significant player in the snail beauty market, with North America projected to be a fast-growing region for such products.
- Studies show snail mucin can treat skin irritations and wounds, but long-term effectiveness and clinical research are still being explored.
- In Vietnam, silk production involves a meticulous 30-step process, starting from feeding silkworms leaves to weaving silk threads and dyeing them naturally.
- Han revitalized a silk village in Vietnam by introducing new technologies, stabilizing silk prices, and increasing production, benefiting over 200 families.
03:01:50
Struggles and Resilience of Tarpon Springs Sponge Industry
- In the late 1930s, a mysterious disease nearly wiped out sponges in Tarpon Springs, followed by red tides in the 40s and 50s, but the population survived and thrived in the 1980s.
- During the industry's peak in the 1980s, around 30 sponge boats and 50 divers operated daily in Tarpon Springs, harvesting sponges locally at higher prices.
- With the recovery of Mediterranean fisheries, demand and prices for sponges decreased, leading many fishermen in Tarpon Springs to go out of business.
- Captain Tosso, a resilient fisherman, continues working despite challenges like record inflation, fuel prices, and increasing hurricanes due to the climate crisis.
- Hurricanes pose a threat to sponges as they are technically animals that attach to the ocean floor, risking being smothered by sand or hit by rocks during storms.
- Currently, only a few sponge boats and about a dozen divers operate daily in Tarpon Springs due to various challenges faced by the industry.
- Sponge buyers like Armelie purchase from independent contractors based on conditions and sizes of sponges brought in, with income not guaranteed.
- Sponge divers like Tosso work long days, handling sponges multiple times from picking to selling, earning around $46,000 annually with fluctuating work due to weather conditions.
- Due to the dangers of diving for sponges, Tosso and others are hesitant to pass down the family business to future generations, preferring them to pursue other opportunities.
- Tarpon Springs currently relies on tourism as a significant source of income, with visitors spending millions annually on Greek food, boat tours, and sponge souvenirs, but locals question the long-term sustainability of this solution.
03:21:30
Robots in Food Advertising: Precision and Success
- Lettuce wilts quickly under hot lights, necessitating quick robot movements and meticulous planning to avoid delays and budget overruns.
- A dolly Zoom technique is used for the first shot, creating the Hitchcock effect, with robots costing $150,000 executing precise moves that take varying durations to program.
- The second shot involves a robot moving through a field of burgers, showcasing the robots' ability to execute complex moves consistently, aided by a laser for accuracy.
- The final shot features ingredients tied to fishing wire, sliced by a robot for a perfect drop, which gained viral fame for Steve in 2016, leading to his successful career.
- Steve's team films 40 ads annually, generating over $5 million, using in-camera techniques to create lifelike visuals, aiming to conceal the complexity behind each shot.
- The demand for food advertising, like the Whopper pitch filmed by Steve's team, is driven by the power of visual cues on consumer behavior, with fast-food companies investing billions in advertising to influence consumer choices.
