One of the key reasons the Cerreta’s wanted to expand their factory and moved to Glendale was to create a fun atmosphere, where the public could tour their operation. Since moving to this new location, the Cerretas’ have hosted an average of two tours a day. The tours are extremely popular, especially with school children, who show their appreciation in very dramatic ways.

We begin our virtual tour in the...

There is probably no one who loves the gooey treat known as caramel more than Jim Cerreta, Jr. One of the key ingredients of caramel is corn syrup, piped in from an outside storage tank and placed in copper kettles, to be baked one batch at a time like Jim’s grandfather did it. The caramel cooks at 225 degrees for about an hour. For the popular pecan, chocolate almond, or walnut version of the caramel, Jim pours in only the finest nut meats.

Just like the old days, the molten caramel is poured by hand onto tables to cool. In days gone by it would have taken a day to cool on a marble table. However, today’s modern tables have refrigerated lines running beneath that cool the table and in-turn cool the caramel in less then an hour.

The candy is worked into shape as it cools. This beautiful sea of caramel is then cut by hand into long ribbons, to be sold just as caramels or to be used as centers and enrobed in chocolate.

Those that are sold just as caramels are sent to the caramel-wrapping machine, which wraps them in cellophane at a rate of 125 per minute. This type of machine was original used for hard candy. Jim, Jr.’s grandfather was the first candy maker in the country to use this machine to wrap soft candy and also the first to wrap candy in cellophane, rather then waxed paper.

A natural line extension for the caramel business are Camelbacks. The Cerretas’ versions of the ever-popular caramel and pecan Turtles. Another natural was popcorn, covered with caramel and sprayed with our secret flavoring.

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