Cerreta's Candy Co

Last week was the last week of summer vacation.  It went by so quickly! All of a sudden we had no time left and a list of so many activities we didn't do.

On Monday we decided we'd drive to Glendale and take the Cerreta Candy Company tour.  

Why?  Because it is free.  And it's candy.

The tour started at 1:00.  We got there at 12:50 so we walked around the store for a bit seeing what we wanted to buy before we left. 

From the Cerreta website:

Cerreta Candy Company is a family-owned business founded over 40 years ago by Jim Cerreta, Sr.

Jim learned the art of candy production in his father-in-law’s factory in Canton, Ohio. He then passed the skill on to his children and grandchildren. Four generations of the candy business now oversee production & operations of our delightful chocolates and candy products.

I know this looks like something out of an old fashioned movie or in a museum, but this is the real factory.  It's open for viewing from the store.  That machinery really works and it's really what they use to still make candy. 

There is a large viewing gallery on one side of the building where you can see the whole factory.  

We spent most of the "tour" in that gallery, but we did walk into the factory and around some of the equipment for about five minutes. 

Our guide.  She was kind of out of an old fashioned movie too. 

This machine was cutting and wrapping banana taffy.  I think they said it does like 60 pieces a minute. 

We all got to sample a rice krispy square. 

Hot toffee cooling. 

Sprinkles

Can you see the popcorn popping in the industrial popper?

Some kind of candy.  It looked like the stuff lollipops are made out of. 

Lots and lots of sugar. 

And evaporated milk. 

They were making white chocolate covered marshmallow pops. 

Very professional drizzle. 

We all got to take one. 

I'm pretty sure the guide said the guy operating the taffy machine is one of the Cerreta "kids". 

Industrial size Santa chocolate mold. 

She was showing us the molds for their famous French mints. 

picture compliments of google

This one too

They got a huge, huge, huge order for these mints from some company on the east coast and they are making something like 600 pounds every single day from June until October.  The whole factory smelled like delicious chocolate mint. 

10 pound chocolate bar

Taffy

The 10 pound bar.

We paid to make a chocolate "pizza" at the end of the tour.  It was a mold full of hot liquid milk chocolate.  Then the kids got to squeeze on white chocolate "cheese" and add toppings. 

It was all fine and dandy until we were driving home and the pizza slid of the seat and the box flipped over as it fell to the floor.  It didn't open, but it still did a number on that melted chocolate. 

After we left the tour we drove by Michael's office and delivered some chocolate to him.  We stayed for a snack. 

Spencer tried to hide so he wouldn't have to leave. 

We bought 4 rice krispy treats.  Left to right: Spencer's, a gift for Maryellen, Elliott's, Michael and me to share. 

And that was our tour of Cerreta's.  Everybody in Arizona and even those that are not should totally go here.