Factory Visit Insights: Why Team-Building at the Dairy Matters
by Iulian Donici
There’s something unusual about walking through our Artesana facility during a team-building event. The usual hum of production is still there—the clinking of glass bottles, the low churn of pasteurizers, the soft footsteps on polished floors. But on these days, there’s also laughter. Curiosity. People peeking into corners they usually pass without notice.
And somehow, the whole place feels more alive.
Team-building at a dairy factory might sound a little odd at first. It’s not a ropes course or a resort with a motivational speaker. But in our world, where craftsmanship and care are everything, this is exactly where team-building should happen.
Let me explain.
We started organizing regular team-building activities at our Tecuci facility not just to boost morale (though that’s important), but to remind people of the bigger picture. In a small, artisanal operation like ours, it's easy to get caught in routine. You test the culture. You pour the milk. You label the jars. You clock out. But when you pause and take people behind the scenes—even if it’s their own scene—something shifts.
I remember one session when a few of our sales and logistics staff joined the production team for a hands-on workshop. They donned white coats, sanitized their hands, and tried their best to ladle curds into forms. Slowly, awkwardly, and with lots of laughter.
One of them—Cristina, who manages our key accounts—looked up from her station and said, “I had no idea it was this delicate.”
That’s the point.
These moments build empathy. They connect the dots between departments. The people who drive numbers start to understand texture. The ones who mix cultures meet the ones who tell our story to retailers.
That kind of mutual respect doesn’t just improve communication. It improves the product.
Why it matters—beyond the workplace
For us at Artesana, the factory isn’t just a production site. It’s a living representation of our values: transparency, patience, and pride in small details.
By inviting our team to engage with this space differently, we reinforce those values. We make space for questions, for dialogue, and for curiosity. Some of our most thoughtful suggestions have come not from formal strategy sessions, but from someone seeing the process from a new angle.
And yes, there’s bonding too. You see people relax in a way that’s hard to replicate in conference rooms. They joke over slightly imperfect cheese wheels. They invent new names for our glass bottles. They ask, “What if we tried this?” And suddenly, innovation feels less like pressure and more like play.
A reflection of who we are
We’re not a corporate monolith. We’re a small team in Romania making dairy products by hand. Every person matters. Every decision ripples outward. And that’s why our team-building isn’t about games—it’s about presence.
And perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Artesana has been nominated for the 2025 Go Global Awards, hosted by the International Trade Council, happening this November in London. These awards aren’t just a celebration of business metrics. They’re a gathering of businesses who believe in culture, connection, and integrity—not just profit.
For us, that means showing up to the global stage with our whole team behind us. A team that knows the process, the story, and the texture of our yogurt by heart.
This event is more than an honor. It’s an opportunity to collaborate with businesses that care about the people behind the product. About doing things right, even if that takes more time. And about growth that’s sustainable because it’s grounded in trust.
What we’ve learned
Not all team-building needs a big budget. Some of the best moments come from just… walking through your own doors together. Seeing the factory with fresh eyes. Asking, “What happens if we do this differently?”
I believe deeply that a cheese made by a connected team just tastes better. You may not know why when you eat it. But you’ll feel it.
And if our team leaves a workshop with slightly sore arms from ladling curds, but a stronger sense of belonging—then we’ve done something right.
After all, it’s the people that make Artesana what it is.
