Watch candy canes pulled by hand on hundred-year-old machines
Ten million candy canes, all by hand
Hammond's has made confectionery in north Denver since 1920, in a single plant that runs free public tours on a viewing gallery above the factory floor.
Why it's unique
It is one of the last large candy factories in America still making everything by hand. The plant turns out roughly ten million candy canes and two million lollipops a year, and every one of them is hand-pulled, hand-shaped and hand-cut using the same method the company used in 1920.
Some of the equipment is older than that. The machines on the floor date from the late 1800s and early 1900s and are still the ones in use. What you are watching is not a heritage demonstration staged for visitors alongside a modern line — it is the actual production, at the actual scale, done the slow way because that is how the company still does it.
Before you go
Tours are free, last about thirty minutes and leave every half hour Monday to Saturday. No booking is needed for small groups, but the factory does not run production every day, so ring ahead if watching the hand-pulling is the point rather than seeing the room.
September to December is candy cane season and by far the best time to see volume being made. Everyone gets a free candy cane at the end, and the factory store sells seconds cheaply.