A coffee with Catalina Cortizo, Quality Packaging Supervisor at Bolton Food

Empack: Catalina, tell us a bit about your experience at Bolton Food and what your day-to-day work looks like within the company.

My experience at Bolton Food O Grove has been very enriching from day one. I joined a year ago as a Quality Packaging Supervisor and, since then, I’ve had the opportunity to be directly involved in key processes that ensure the quality of our products.

My daily work combines technical tasks, coordination with different departments across the company, and a significant analytical component. What I find particularly appealing about this role is the interaction with suppliers and the production team to validate materials and introduce improvements in packaging, and therefore in the overall process. In addition, as part of the packaging quality area, I also take part in the review and approval of new designs.

It’s a dynamic role where you learn something new every day, no two days are the same, which allows me to grow professionally.

Empack: After years of experience in this field, which projects have been the most challenging for you, or which ones do you particularly remember and why?

Although I haven’t been in the sector for that long, one of the most challenging aspects has been adapting to the modernization that factories have undergone in recent years. It has been a major transformation in many ways: processes, working methodologies, technologies, production speeds, and coordination between departments. From a Quality Packaging perspective, this has meant rethinking many procedures, understanding new production dynamics, and adapting to a constantly evolving environment.

This process has required continuous learning, both technical and operational. We’ve had to review materials, reformulate tests, and validate packaging under conditions that differ from those in the past, which has forced us to be more flexible and anticipate issues that didn’t previously exist. For me, one of the biggest challenges has been learning to work within this new context, understanding how every adjustment in the factory can affect packaging performance.

From a professional standpoint, this transformation has strengthened my adaptability and strategic thinking, and shown me the importance of continuous learning in such a fast-evolving sector.

Empack: What do you think are the main advantages of having trade shows like Empack for the food industry and for the visibility of research in this field?

Trade shows like Empack act as a meeting point between industry, innovation, and research—especially in such a demanding sector as food. One of their main advantages is the opportunity to discover new technologies, materials, and packaging solutions firsthand.

These events encourage exchange between professionals from different areas, creating a dialogue where trends, regulatory changes, and shared challenges across the industry are discussed. Personally, it has allowed me to discover suppliers and machinery that were not on my radar and are highly relevant to the industry I work in.