Visiting a factory is a fun way to get a behind-the-scenes look at items like chocolate, cheese and beer. And, factory stores offer a variety of items and specialty products that can't be found in general grocery stores.

Area factories within a 45-minute drive of Lodi include Chocoholics, the Jelly Belly Factory, Spaans Cookie Co., the Anheuser-Busch Co., Oakdale Cheese and Specialties and the Hershey Visitor's Center and Gift Shoppe.

Chocoholics

At the Chocoholics retail store in Clements, the smell of chocolate fills the air. But it's not the candy; it's a chocolate-scented candle. This is just one of the many items with a chocolate theme that can be purchased at the store.

Truffles, sauces, games, mood chocolates, pasta, lip gloss and more — they are all made with chocolate.

Owners Mary and Ernie Schenone, of Linden, started Chocoholics in 1995 and started with dessert sauces in espresso, chocolate macadamia, chocolate raspberry and more. These sauces became a best-seller; another top seller is their chocolate body frosting.

The factory in Clements has been open for about three years. People can take tours, learning where chocolate comes from, how it is made, and its history. They can see different stages of production through large windows or view the process on TV screens down the hallway.

Chocoholics is located at 18819 E. Highway 88, Clements. It is open seven days a week. For more information, call (209) 759-3320 or visit the Chocoholics Web site.

Jelly Belly

A tour at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield is a delight for the senses. You can see the colorful candies being made, and at certain points, smell them, and then get a chance to taste jelly beans.

Visitors can look down through large windows and see the candies in various stages of development on racks, in containers and in machines below. It takes a week to make a single Jelly Belly bean. The artwork on the walls is all portraits made from different shades of Jelly Belly beans.

The visitor center includes a sampling bar, a gift and candy shop — with plenty of misshapen Jelly Belly beans for sale — and a cafe open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The factory is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for certain holidays.

Tours leave every 15 minutes and last about 40 minutes. The machines don't operate on weekends, but visitors can view the process on video monitors.

The Jelly Belly Candy Co. is located at One Jelly Belly Lane in Fairfield. For more information, call (800) 9-JELLYBEAN, or visit the Jelly Belly Web site.

Anheuser-Busch Co.

Beer brewers and beer lovers can see the beer-making process and taste the finished products during a trip to the Anheuser-Busch Co. plant in Fairfield.

Tours are free and take about one hour. They are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday during the months of September through May; tours are Monday through Saturday during the months of June through August. The store is open until 5 p.m.

Anheuser-Busch is located at 3101 Busch Drive, Fairfield. For more information, call (707) 429-7595, or visit the Anheuser-Busch Web site.

Oakdale Cheese and Specialties

If you love cheese, then Oakdale Cheese and Specialties is the place to go. There, you can see and learn how cheese is made and enjoy lunch in the deli, as well as take home some gouda cheeses and other cheese-based goodies.

After viewing the factory, visit the store, which is filled with more than 30 varieties of cheese, cheese curds, sliced meats, olives and peppers and more. The bakery includes German cheesecakes of various flavors, cheesecake brownies and more.

The factory is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (209) 848-3139 or visit the Oakdale Cheese Web site.

Hershey Visitor's Center and Gift Shoppe

The Hershey Visitor's Center and Gift Shoppe in Oakdale is a tribute to chocolate. Tours of the factory are no longer available, but the chocolate-making process can be seen in pictures. The gift shop includes an array of Hershey products such as T-shirts, accessories, candy and fresh-baked cookies.

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Hershey Visitor's Center and Gift Shoppe is located at 120 S. Sierra Ave., Oakdale. For more information, call (209) 848-8126, or visit the Hershey Web site.