Sweet? Salty? Quenching? Just take a tour
Whether you’re craving something sweet or salty, or something to quench your thirst, Lodi, the Delta and the Mother Lode offer taste-bud pleasing plants to tour.
During the plant tours you’ll get to see and hear the machines at work, creating the products you see on store shelves at home. Additionally, you can smell the work in progress, as well as the finished product. And, of course, you can taste samples and take home what’s available in the gift shops.
When you’re craving something sweet, the Spaans Cookie Company in Galt is the place to go.
The baking tradition began in the Spaans family in 1896, according to the company’s Web site. The cookie company came to Galt in the middle of the 20th century. Now, more than 25 varieties of cookies are available including coconut krispies, chocolate chip, fruit ‘n’ honey and several kinds of fat-free, low-fat and sugar-free cookies in flavors such as lemon and chocolate.
The firm’s 100-foot oven can produce 64,000 cookies an hour and can be seen in action at the company. Sugar-free candies also are available in the store.
Spaans Cookie Co. is located at 465 C St., Galt. For more information, call 745-1974 or visit www.spaanscookie.com.
For an even sweeter time, visit the Jelly Belly Candy Company in Fairfield.
The eyes will be dazzled with colorful display of the little jelly beans and the machinery that produces them. Visitors may smell cinnamon and bubblegum, as well as other flavors. It takes more than a week to make one jelly bean, and visitors can see each part of the process during the tour, according to the Web site.
Also during the tour, see the incredible making of taffy, which goes from 100-pound blocks to small, round swirl candies in a variety of chewy flavors. The visitor center includes a sampling bar, a cafe open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a gift and candy shop.
The company is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s day and Easter. No reservations are required, and tours start about every 15 minutes. On weekends, the machines don’t operate, but video monitors show the normal process.
The Jelly Belly Candy Company is located at One Jelly Belly Lane in Fairfield. For more information, call (800) 9-JellyBean or visit www.jellybelly.com.
When it’s time to switch to something salty, head to the Lodi Nut Company.
It began as Stone Nut Company in 1919, according to the Web site. Theodore Hochhalter bought the company in 1949, and his family remains in charge of the operation. There are eight production departments that include retail packaging, macadamia processing, custom dicing and sizing, shell grinding and roasting.
The gift shop offers an array of flavored and candy-covered nuts that can make great gifts, party favors and refreshments. Gift baskets are also available. The gift shop is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday during holiday seasons; during the rest of the months, it is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lodi Nut Company is located at 1230 S. Fairmont Ave., Lodi. For more information, call (800) WAL-NUTS or 334-4888, or visit www.lodinut.com.
After all those sweets and salt, quench your thirst at the Anheuser-Busch Company plant in Fairfield.
Visitors will see and learn about the brewing process and visit the beechwood aging cellar. You also can see thousands of cans and bottles filled each minute on the production floor.
Complimentary beer tasting is also available. The gift shop has themed merchandise such as hats, T-shirts and sporting goods, and of course beer-holding items such as steins, mugs and glassware.
Tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday during the months of September through May; tours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday during the months of June through August. The store is open until 5 p.m. The plant is closed on most holidays.
Anheuser-Busch is located at 3101 Busch Drive, Fairfield. For more information, call (707) 429-7595 or visit www.budweisertours.com.
For a snack, visit Oakdale Cheese and Specialties in Oakdale and see how cheese is made the old-fashioned way.
The factory — known for its gouda cheese — opened in 1995, and tours of the cheese-making process are available. The store is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The process for making its gouda cheese begins before dawn with the pasteurization of 800 gallons of milk. Ingredients are added, and the mixture is stirred and curds are pressed together. The wheels of cheese are aged for about 10 weeks.
The store offers deli foods with 30 varieties of cheeses, meats, spreads, curd and more. A bakery offers cheesecakes, brownies, cheese truffles, etc.
Oakdale Cheese and Specialties is located at 10040 Highway 120, Oakdale. For more information, call (209) 848-3139 or visit www.oakdalecheese.com.
For a sweet finish, visit the Hershey Visitor’s Center and Gift Shoppe in Oakdale. Tours are no longer available, but the gift shop includes a variety of Hershey products including T-shirts, accessories and lots of candy.
The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The chocolate-making process can be seen through pictures.
The Hershey Visitor’s Center and Gift Shoppe is located at 120 S. Sierra Ave., Oakdale. For more information, call (209) 848-8126 or visit www.hersheys.com/visit.