Eat your heart out, Willy Wonka!

[MoonCat]

So today is my youngest sister's birthday, and we found out that a local chocolate company was doing a tour of their facility today. They charged a nominal admission fee which goes to charity. And, best part, it's five minutes by bus from where we live.

Tour of chocolate factory, free samples, what's not to like?

We got to see the machines that they use to melt the chocolate, a machine that wraps chocolate bars, a guy who was using a big saw to cut blocks of candy sponge into little squares, the conveyor that sends the sponge squares through the "chocolate enrober" and then through the cooling chamber, and watched people packing boxes full of sponge candy and chocolate bars. Free samples of fresh sponge candy right off the production line! If you've never had sponge candy, it's this

Saw the molds used to make chocolate bunnies and other things, including a Thanksgiving turkey almost as big as a real one; a vibrating table that eliminates bubbles from the filled molds and a spinner that rotates the molds so that the liquid chocolate completely fills the molds.

We also saw the kitchen where they boil up the sugar and other ingredients to make sponge candy, caramel filling, brickle candy, etc. Oh, and a worker who was making chocolate peanut clusters by hand.

Everybody was really cool and friendly, answered questions, handed out samples of different types of chocolate candy (and pieces of not-yet-covered plain sponge candy). Of course, there's a gift shop where we got 10% off the regular prices so we bought a few things.

I would love to have taken pictures but it wasn't allowed in the factory itself.

Oh, and chocolate pistons are totally a thing

[Ironclad Alibi]

I have toured three candy factories: Kidd Marshmallows and Ethel M Chocolates in Las Vegas and Hammonds Candies in Denver. I enjoyed those tours very much.

[Kogarashi]

I got a tour of the Hershey factory when I was a kid. I don't remember a lot, but I do recall that it was fun.

And it's not chocolate, but my family did go on a tour of Ben & Jerry's in Vermont as part of our New England road trip about four years ago. That was pretty cool too.

[wolfie]

my family did go on a tour of Ben & Jerry's in Vermont as part of our New England road trip about four years ago. That was pretty cool too.

Of course it was - they make ICE CREAM, so if it weren't really cool the product would melt.

[PastryGal]

I got to tour the Hershey's factory in Ontario as a kid. I make my own sponge candy at home, tho only good to make in the cooler months as sponge candy + humidity = a sticky mess.

[taxguykarl]

I got a tour of the Hershey factory when I was a kid.

On our honeymoon, we stayed at the Hershey Hotel and toured that factory as well.
On our last trip to Wisconsin, we visited the Jelly Belly plant in Kenosha.

[XCashier]

And it's not chocolate, but my family did go on a tour of Ben & Jerry's in Vermont as part of our New England road trip about four years ago.

The Tillamook dairy offers tours, too. They give free samples of their cheeses and have an ice cream parlor with all the flavors. It's excellent.

[dawnfire]

That why I love walking down one of my favorite arcades (the block arcade in Melbourne). If you time it right you get watch the chocolatiers make chocolates in Koko black (http://www.kokoblack.com/) and then wander down a few doors to suga (http://www.suga.com.au/) and watch the rock candy being made.

[BookstoreEscapee]

We did the Hershey tour when I was in college. That's when I discovered Hershey Hugs.