VISIT TO HARRY AND DAVID’S FACILITY IN MEDFORD OR

 

One of the major suppliers of gift boxes of goodies often given at holidays is Harry and David’s. The corporation has over 100 retail stores in the US, but the majority of annual sales comes during the holidays from products prepared at its sprawling Medford facility. Their pears and peaches also are grown there. Visitors gather at the Harry and David’s Country Store in Medford and then are bussed to the buildings where the products are made and assembled. The store sells wine, cooking accessories, candy, nuts, fresh fruit and bakery items. The factory was just beginning to ramp up production when we visited in early August with the peach crop beginning to come in.

On this line baskets are being filled by hand with non-perishable items to be boxed and then kept in storage for seasonal sales.

 

Liquid ingredients, including butter, are added to this large pot, heated, and pop corn is mixed in to make caramel corn they call Moose Munch. We enjoyed a bag bought in the retail store!

The line at the right is carrying peaches just harvested for sizing according to weight before being packed in the boxes  The foam carriers go in the boxes, and their hole patterns are different for the various sized peaches. We saw two workers manning each of the horizontal lines in use here. What a labor intensive process!

 

 

  

Here truffles are receiving their chocolate covering.

 

Candy is being hand packed into boxes. Workers cannot sample products on the line. Rejects are taken to the lunch rooms for consumption. Unfortunately, visitors touring the plant are not invited into the lunchrooms!

 

The bulk chocolate tanker is being unloaded at the candy plant.

In the bakery the line in the foreground is assembling baklava, and fruit cakes are being prepared for the oven in the line in for background. No fruit cakes were available for sale in the retail store when we were there.

 

Members of the tour group receive goodie boxes at the end of the tour.