Pretzels at Last

Our last adventure in January was a fourth attempt to patronize the factory store at the Snyder’s of Hanover factory. We are happy to report that this time we meet with success! We had cash to pay with, it wasn’t the weekend or a holiday. So we bought pretzels! We got some soy crisps, two different kinds of flavored pretzel bits, and Matt wanted a bag of pumpernickel and onion rods. All this for eight-something! Look at that sweet smile of victory!

Since were out in Goodyear (yes! it is named after the tire company) we stopped in Glendale at the Cerreta Candy Company. Unlike the pretzel factory, this candy company does offer a factory tour. As occasional watchers of that Discovery Channel show How It’s Made, we were expecting something good, we were expecting at least to see candy being made. The tour is mentioned on our AAA travel guide so it has to be good, right?

No. Despite the fact that the tour is popular enough to attract an entire tour bus full of senior citizens it is not a good tour. First off, it’s not a tour. You stand to one side of the factory floor. Secondly, you don’t see anything on the “tour” that you don’t see in the fifteen minutes you stand around waiting for it to start. At least we didn’t. The small staff of the factory was working on other machines than the ones close to the tourist-retaining wall. Lastly, the lady leading our “tour” told us which machine does what, but only that. There was no demonstration or explanation of how the machines work, only statements that they do, in fact, work. “And this one puts the bottoms on the creams” is not much of an inside look. Our guide seemed weirdly proud of the fact that Cerreta makes foot-shaped chocolate blocks. She took every opportunity to point out the fact and hold up the sample chocolate foot. Worst tour ever.
To be a little fairer to Cerreta, it is a small-scale, family-run-for-going-on-three-generations, been-in-the-Valley-for-50-years type place. All that alone is commendable in light of the über-mass-production that rules the food industry. The tour can only be an after-thought at best. Their chocolates are… okay – they give out a sample on the “tour.” We can’t really recommend them for anything. If you are in the area and think, “Hey a tour of a candy company would be neat!” think again.

After this, we picked up rolls, hummus and cheese at a grocery and had an impromptu picnic at a park. Sandwiches and pretzels in the park. Very nice.