LOGAN, Utah — Milk chocolate, pretzels, Reese's Pieces and potato chips might be the next candy sensation thanks to a special experience that brought Willy Wonka's chocolate factory to life for one group of students.
The 1964 children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is one that many people grew up reading in school, dreaming about a magical world where chocolate literally grows on trees and flows in rivers.
For one group of sixth-grade students in Logan, those dreams came to life at the Aggie Chocolate Factory.
"We are the only bean-to-bar chocolate factory that is operated by an academic institution in the world," explained Silvana Martini, a Professor of Food Science and also the Director of the Aggie Chocolate Factory at Utah State University. "People come from all over the place to see what it's all about."
The factory in Logan got its start in 2018 and there's one tradition inspired by the beloved children's book that is observed every single year.
"We are very excited to have the kids here," Martini said. "We do this every February 1 at 10 a.m. because that's exactly the same day and time that the kids visited the Willy Wonka Factory."
This year, a sixth-grade class read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and hosted a competition for the best candy-bar idea.
"The American Academy of Innovation focuses on project-based learning and experiential learning," explained Mark Sanderson, who teaches the class.
Student Sienna Anderson won with her "Sunset Sweet" bar, which combines milk chocolate and potato chips before a pretzel is added in the middle and Reese's Pieces surround the edges.
"It makes it crunchy and sweet and salty at the same time," Anderson explained. "I'd say it's really good and crunchy"
It may not be a combination that would be at the top of mind, but Anderson said it was quite tasty.
"It was different than I thought but it was a good different," she explained. "It goes well with the flavor of chocolate that they have."
Everyone was a winner who participated in the annual tradition, as the squares of chocolate were hand-wrapped and gifted to students as a memento of their special day at Utah's own chocolate factory.
