Inside the New Sarris Candies Factory in Washington County

While the tours officially begin July 6, the factory’s new storefront is already open to the public. We were greeted at the entrance by a gigantic inflatable of Sarris’ most iconic product: a box of chocolate covered pretzels. As anyone driving along I-79N may have seen in the last year or so, this building is huge. The warehouse-turned-chocolate-factory used to be home to Fort Pitt Bridge Works and was built all the way back in the early 1900s, so it’s been some work to convert the building into the expansive chocolate factory it is today.

Entering the new storefront is literally like walking into a scene from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The place explodes with color all around you as you take displays stacked high with your favorite Sarris products, plus displays for other candy store staples like old-fashioned candy, stuffed animals, Sarris-branded merchandise and more. We especially enjoyed admiring the 10 foot tall chocolate pretzel display and a chocolate bar inspired-sculpture at the back we were later informed is made of real chocolate – because why not?

 It’s colorful, whimsical, and we could absolutely spend a whole day in this real-life Candyland, but after picking our jaws up off the floor, we got moving with the start of the tour.

We headed upstairs for the first official part of the tour, which involves a birds-eye view of the factory. As we watched workers prepare, dip, inspect, and package some of your favorite Sarris goodies, our tour guide explained that the tour will be separated into 3 parts. If you’re wondering when and if you’ll receive a sample on the tour, we hope it pleases you to know that you’ll actually receive 3 – one for each part of the tour.

While Sarris is still putting finishing touches on some parts of the factory seen on the tour, we were informed that the second part is all about the history of the company. Visitors will walk down a long hallway and explore the history of the company from the 1960s all the way to today before checking out some real-life pieces of Sarris history, such as Bill Sarris’ first copper candy kettle, antique candy presses and other artifacts that display just how far the company has come in its 60+ years of history.

On to the third part of the tour, where we actually got to step out onto the factory floor for a close-up view of production. We first went over to an area lined with huge copper kettles and were lucky enough to catch team members in the middle of heating and mixing a huge batch of caramel. They were all too happy to explain the process to us and also let us know that Sarris makes so many more products in-house than one might think - everything from caramel to marshmallow filling, chocolate hard cap, and even sundae ingredients like strawberry topping are all made in-house by the company.

Next, we headed over to the production area we had seen from above earlier, and this is where things get really impressive. Our tour guide explained to us that Sarris’ chocolate covered pretzels (and their subsequent varieties, such as the slims, rods and more) are so popular that the factory now has a dedicated line to making them all day, every day. We watched in fascination as staff sorted and lined up pretzel rods before sending them through a machine that drenched them in a waterfall of chocolate before shaking the excess off and piping those signature, decorative lines of even more chocolate on top of them. We followed them down the line and watched as they were cooled, counted, boxed and shrink wrapped, just like that.

Our tour guide let us know that part of the reason the tours are so exciting is that visitors could see any number of Sarris products being made on their tour. While some elements of production are still happening at the original facility, a great majority of production has been moved to the factory, so there’s plenty to see on your tour.

While we just got a sneak peek of what's to come when factory tours officially begin in early July, we're already eager to go back with our own family and friends to further explore the candy legacy that's become ingrained in the very fabric of our county. You can book your very own tour here on Sarris Candies' website. The tours are 45 minutes long, guided and offered 5 days a week. Visitors can either choose to join a public tour or book their very own private group tour for up to 40 people. 

Tours cost $10 for adults and just $8 for children aged 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free. 

When you do ultimately book your tour, be sure to take lots of pictures with your friends and family and be sure to share them with us! Use our hashtag #GoWashCo or tag us @visitwashingtoncounty for a chance to be featured by us!