Liberty Orchards Candy Store

There are 2 listings for Liberty Orchards in Cashmere, WA, over on the drier side of the Cascades from the Seattle-​Bellevue-​Everett metro area. I’m thinking (this) one is for the candy store and one is for the company and their tour.
I remember the good old days. You could walk into a Payless Drug Store, currently Rite Aid, in the Pac NW and, near the candy bars, could opt for these inexpensive sleeves containing two of these delicious, decadent, powdered sugar coated, squishy, nutty, fruit filled treats. Most likely, we were introduced to Aplets and Cotlets (with apples and apricots, respectively). Then, Fruit Delights were also available, with flavors such as orange, raspberry, and strawberry. The problem was that, like Oreos and cashews, you had to watch yourself, especially if in box candy form with all the little squares containing different flavors. You might find yourself eating many of them before even gift wrapping the box. Heck, I’ve even taken them overseas to relatives and friends who really liked these concoctions.
I still see them seasonally and, now, the box containing them is larger, has more of these treats, and, accordingly, is more expensive. Now, those small packages previously in the candy bar area appear to be a thing of the past. But go ahead and indulge in this vice every now and then and buy that big box!
Liberty Orchards in Cashmere, WA, probably about halfway between the Bavarian inspired town of Leavenworth and Wenatchee, along the Columbia River in Central Washington, is where these treats are made. This location has a tour, a store, and offers samples. Be sure to check this place out if you remember these treats, like sweets, and are in the boonies east of Seattle. You can also buy them in small quantities at this store, just like you did in the past, so you can snack on a stash of these placed on your car’s console.

very good candy, free factory tours!

Beware if you order a shipped item from this manufacturer. Their shipping rates are high and do not reflect the actual shipping charges. A handling charge is included in the stated shipping rates. I paid $ 10.00 to ship an order of $ 30.00.

Not my favorite candy. I think their candies are overly sweet but it’s awesome how it’s a factory store! Definitely check this place out if you are on your way to Leavenworth.

If you like Aplets & Cotlets, I highly recommend visiting the source! Incredibly fresh compared to the ones from local drug stores, and a huge variety of candies that aren’t widely available elsewhere – including licorice, and chocolate, caramel, and espresso varieties!
I haven’t done the Factory Tour, but I plan to the next time I visit. Which will hopefully be fairly soon – we’re almost out of the candies we bought already!

This was a case of overbuild-​up. We asked what to do in the area and a couple of people said the «Cotlets» tour was «must-​see.
It lasted about 15 minutes. We saw a guy pour some goop in a tray, while another guy hosed a floor. In another room, we watched women chat and stuff powdered chunks in a box. Another put a piece of paper on top. This wasn’t like the Lucy and Ethel manic assembly line. The most riveting part of the tour was getting a hairnet.
That said, the candies were great.
Drop in the store, get some cotlets, look through the windows, and don’t fret about hanging around wAiting for a tour.

Very friendly staff, went in on a whim and were immediately greeted with smiles «how is your day?». The prices are great, and there are a lot of other fun local foods like jams, honeys, and fudge (for those not interested in their candy). We didn’t take the tour, but the factory workers were friendly, as we observed through the glass door they smiled and nodded. Pleased we went in after our ruined experience at another local business, we needed a positive experience f some kind in Cashmere.

This is a good place to stop by for a free, brief, overview tour of turkish delight production if you happen to be around this area (e.g. after a trip to Leavenworth). This candy store offers free tours (lasting just 30 – 45 min) of its history/​production facility and has different turkish delight samples to try in store.
The store/​production facility is rather small, so don’t plan on spending more than 1 hour here. but otherwise.a good, decent place to add on to your iternary is you will be around the area!

A fun little stop to see how they make their candy. The tour is only 15 minutes and pretty scripted, but not everything in life can be fabulous.
I appreciate the factory keeping people working instead of robots and for that they get 4 stars :)
The country store has lots to choose from!

Such a cute little factory and country store! Just a 15 minute drive from Leavenworth we found Aplets and Cotlets. I saw an ad in one of the maps of Leavenworth and I had to go and see it for myself.
Surprisingly when we got there at 10am on a Tuesday morning, there was a decent sized group of people waiting to go on the factory tour. Within a few minutes we all gathered in front of the factory doors and put on hair nets. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the operations of how the candies are made and gave us a good mini history about the factory. The candy factory was definitely WAY smaller than I thought it would be, we walked in and out of 2 rooms and that was basically it! Watching the workers pack all the candies reminded me of the episode of Lucy in the chocolate factory :). The tour only lasted about 10 min.
Best part about the country store is the FREE samples… yes, I said FREE!!! Just don’t go crazy now. I had a few just to taste and of course it suckered me into buying candies, jams and chocolates that I didn’t need.
Definitely a fun experience. Not a destination place, I’d only recommend going if your visiting around the area. We were in and out (including the tour) in less than 30 min.

Great candy, especially the ones made entirely with fruits and nuts sans added sugar! Delicious place to find gifts for people back home and snacks for your trip and drive home. Loved it!

Not worth it. The candy is not bad. We didn’t take the tour. We left give minutes after visiting because the older cashier was so rude. She didn’t greet us when we came in and then answered all our questions rudely as if we were bothering her.

I did not find anything «fun» about visiting this place .we spent way too much money on candy we did not need!
This is good candy… but there really are no bargains at this store that I could find… aside from a few new flavors I see this candy at the same cost or less closer to home…
The only reason I say go. is Good BBQ in Cashmere and a lovely drive to a pretty town on the way from Tacoma to a concert at The Gorge… and if you want candy and happen to be there any way… other than that…

I have never been a huge aplets and cotlets fan. We stopped in with our boy scout troop because the boys thought it would be fun to see a candy factory. It was Saturday and they don’t do tours on Saturday because nobody is working. Although that wasn’t really clear. We wandered around in the small shop for a while until we asked and were told that we were not going to get a tour today. Most of the scouts did not care for the candy and were disappointed by the lack of a tour.

first off let me say I love this line of sweets and all their derivitives. this is more a review of the store for those who may want to visit the factory for themselves.
My wife and I where visiting Leavenworth and decided it would be fun to see this place as we both like the sweets. so we called ahead like good tourists and asked about tours of the factory. «yes tours are from this time to this time» says the nice lady on the phone. ok so we drive out there, in the aloted time and get there and what do they say? «there are no tours today the factory is being repaired.» Hrmm, if I call again will there be tours? this is poor customer service, maybe they misunderstood and thought we where asking when the tours are? but it would seem the logical thing to do if someone asks about a tour and they might drive out to your factory to tell them that the tours are not going on right now, regardless of what time you usually have them. ok my rant is done, but for that I rate them a 3 for customer service, and the store is decent and clean but nothing special other than they have lots of aplets and cotlets, and those are very good.
so if you go see it, call ahead and make real sure they are running tours if thats what you want.
so fresh aplets and cotlets: 5 stars
not so fresh customer service and a big let down :3 stars :(

How can touring a candy factor not be fun? We all saw Willy Wonka and saw how that turned out, right? No oompa-​loompas here, but there are a lot of people in white coats. The tour is free, just make sure you don’t hit them at lunch time, call first to see what the tour times are for the days you might be going.
We threw on the hair nets and behind the magic doors we went, the smell is super sweet, and they take you to the stations where they are adding the flavorings and pressing them into packages, so you see if from beginning to end and hear the history of how the company started. The tour took us less than five minutes, so that might give you an idea of how small this place is, but it was still fun to see them making it.
They do have a shop selling a lot of different flavors of their candies, that I don’t normally see around here, and they also have Aplets and Cotlets that are sold through the catalog and can buy right there, like the covered peppermint ones, they were really good.
One of the staff members was totally clueless about any of their products, so I am guessing/​hoping she was new, but the other girl, knew alot about their line of stuff. They sell spices, teas, jams and honey as well.

YYUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!
If you can’t make it to Aplets and Cotlets for their fresh stuff, I definitely recommend getting in the store.

Well, it’s locally made, so I like that aspect. The candy itself just doesn’t do a whole lot for me. But the store has more to offer than just aplets and cotlets. There are dipping sauces and trinkets; I think I even saw some tasty apple chips. If you’re passing through Cashmere, it’s worth a stop.

Aplets and Cotlets, I know everyone’s eaten this or at least seen someone who’s eaten this. If you’ve never partaken, you must give it a go. As soon as you hit that first bite, you’ll either one of two things: want to buy 20 pounds of it (10 for you and 10 for your mom) or you’ll want to spit it at your worst enemy’s face so they would have to lick it off!
Do try though, and you don’t have to go to Cashmere to get it. You’re wondering why it’s not the capitol for sweaters but for Aplets & Cotlets? That’s one of those riddles you’ll have to take to your grave!

Fresh from the factory!
Here the Aplets and Cotlets are fresh off the tree. Take the factory tour, learn about the actual real Washington grown fruit that is put into these delightfully WA grown treats.
My preference are the candies without the nuts, Starch-​boy luvs the sour flavors. If you have ever read or seen the movie «The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe» these treats are basically what the «Turkish» delight that is served to the younger brother when he first meets the Winter Witch. Minus the rose water…
While on the «other» side of the mountain, take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, bad pun, and pick up some local fruits or nuts. Cashmere is worth a visit. Rumor has it they have 3 faucets in every home, the third offers apple juice! ;-)