Recently a friend organized a field trip to Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookie Factory. How could we pass that up?
I had never had a Moravian cookie before, so we were all excited to find out. The factory is a few hours away, so we set out early in the morning, and we really had no idea what to expect.
We soon found out that Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies is a family operation going back decades. They use Mrs. Hanes’ original recipes and continue to make every single cookie by hand. The cookies are mixed in giant mixers, then chilled and rolled, cut, and baked individually.
These cookies come in six different flavors (the original ginger, sugar, black walnut, lemon, chocolate, and butterscotch) and ship all over the world. In the back of the lobby is this special area where international orders are shipped out, and they mark each new country on the map above.
Quincy Jones places an order of cookies every year for Christmas. A few years ago he gifted some to Oprah Winfrey, who then named them as one of her famous favorite things. Ever since, cookie sales have exploded, and while you can order these yummy cookies any time, they spend the majority of the year baking to fill Christmas orders.
Our tour guide was wonderful. She took us to six different stations throughout the factory, teaching us about the process, the schedule it takes to prepare for Christmas and daily orders, and the history of the company. She answered many questions from our little ones, too.
The best part? She gave us a whole cookie at each station, and we got to try all six flavors. They’re all good, but the lemon and the chocolate are my personal favorites.
In one part of the building, many pieces of Mrs. Hanes’ house exist to show visitors how the company began. It was very interesting to see the original stove and materials that she used to bake these cookies. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to bake these paper-thin cookies in a wood-burning oven. It must have taken serious skill!
Want to know more? You can take a pictorial tour online here. Don’t forget to order your cookies, too – they’re well worth it.
Check out these other Moravian resources:
I had no idea we were so close to this tour. And we MISSED it!!! 🙁 Looks like a great time! (We’re actually putting up our trip to Old Salem tomorrow over at GypsyRoadSchool.blogspot.com — next time, we visit this one!)
I’ll definitely be checking out your post about Old Salem – we haven’t been there in years, and it’s such a neat place! The cookie factory was a wonderful place to visit, though, and the guides do a fabulous job of sharing not only the actual cookie making process, but the history of the family and the hard work and determination necessary to run a successful company. They planning visits easy, too, with all the information you need on their website: http://www.hanescookies.com/hanes_cs/onsitetour.asp.
I hope you make it there, and thanks for stopping by!
~ Amy
What a neat and unique trip! I love seeing how things are made..
Thanks! It’s a great place to visit. 🙂