This place is cool to visit, but if you're expecting an actual, real tour, you will be sadly disappointed.
You get to watch a really, for lack of better term, cheesy video made for children. The girl working was extremely apologetic and explained that it was for kids. Then there is the upstairs area. The same girl gave us an over view of the dairy farm, and then left us to look at the displays. She was super friendly and sweet. Very helpful.
But the upstairs thing was also pretty boring. The only good part is getting to see into the plant and see the boxes of cheese being loaded up.
I really wish they had a better more observational tour.
Another bummer was that the refrigerator case was out of commission, so basically they had none of the blocks of cheese out. That's completely not their fault, but it was sad after driving 4 hours.
We thought it was really weird that they sold the same jams,jellies/etc that all the other gift shops sell. Why?
Also, why sell cheeses that you don't make yourselves? It just was kind of weird and we witnessed other visitors getting confused and thinking it was all from them.
That said, the people working were all extremely nice. The samples of cheese were good, but they were missing the "squeekers" so I never got to try them. There were not any out for sale either.
The cafe was okay, get the cheese chowder, but skip the first grilled cheese sandwich. The bread was way way too thick and stale tasting, you could barely taste the cheese.
I would go back for the cheese chowder though.
I know they have good food because the plant workers themselves ate here on their lunch breaks. So that was nice to see.
This is a nice place and if you're in the area, definitely stop by.
We ended up purchasing cheeses and the girl working was extremely nice and filled a ziploc with ice, and put the cheese in there so that it could stay cold for the drive home.
They have really great customer service here!
Along this road there isn't much to it till you reach the amazingness of this place. Â It was pretty badass. Â I sampled hella stuff. The dark chocolate covered almonds were really good. Â Ooooh an the Cabernet soaked cheese was sooo good and I loved the ice Cream. Â The coffee here is really good too. Â They even have cheese with espresso in it. Â I even got to see how they make the cheese an there's alot of cool exhibits upstairs.
Review Source:So we decided to go to this place after hearing that Colin Kaepernick's dad is a VP here. Go niners!
Checked out the website before we hit the road and low and behold there's actually some cool stuff for the kids.
Like others have said, it's in the middle of nowhere. Once you arrive, the visitor center looks like a MTV Cribs house. Very nice with an outdoor grotto/waterfall.
The gift shop is pretty much the entire downstairs. There's a presentation area where you can see how cheese is made. The cafe/ice cream stand and deli are on one end. There are free samples of cheese made on-site. If you're a cheesehead (not a Packers fan) then you'll be in heaven. There's just about every kind of cheese available.
We went on a Sunday so luckily there wasn't that many people there. There was ample seating upstairs. Tables were laid out banquet style upstairs so it was nice sitting there with the kids running around. There are a lot of hands on activities for kids to check out upstairs. From the upstairs, you can check out the workers below packaging the 640 crate of cheese. Pretty cool. The workers were waving at the kids from down below.
We ordered a Club sandwich, Turkey Pesto and 4-cheese grilled cheese sandwich for the kids. The sandwiches were all excellent! Good value for the money and the cheese is awesome. Next time we'll try some of the artisan pizza.
When you order at the counter, there's a signed Kaepernick plaque hanging on the wall. That's just about the only 49er memorabilia I found. I'm sure there will be more in the future.
The only bummer was that we missed the kid's ice cream making session. We got there too  late and there was only one session available on Sunday. Oh well. The kids had fun and we grubbed good. We even learned something about cheese making!
Oh yeah...Go niners!
This place that looks like it belongs in wine country isn't exactly what I expected to find in the middle of Hilmar (which has it's own unique qualities!), but i'm glad it's here!
The cafe/restaurant offers unique sandwich combos that you don't find at your average deli, a nice eating area inside and out, _and_ a Peet's. Â My Bay Area friends have personally requested we eat here when they pass through town. Â
My current fave is the fig and goat cheese pizza with balsamic dressing. Â Two words: Â Like whoa.
This place is awesome not only do they have the best cheese, they have a cafe that serve these wonderful creations that we call sandwiches. Â There is a little area upstairs to educate the youngsters about how cheese is made and the staff is great!!!! Â I'll definitely be stopping by anytime I'm in the area and even when I'm not.
Review Source:Hilmar is located, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. During wet months it can be a beautiful drive. Green pastures and meandering livestock makes for a great backdrop.
Hilmar has done a great job with their facility and visitor's center. I came here 20 some odd years ago with my parents and remember it as a small store front witha  few refrigerator cases of block cheese and gift baskets. They have since done quite the upgrade. It reminded me of some beautiful Napa estate wineries.
Inside you'll find a fantastic selection of their own cheeses, plus a wide variety of other local (and not so local) specialty cheeses. There is also a nice selection of California wines. It's a nice stop if you're traveling the 99. A little east of the 99, it's not too far off the beaten path, but still a nice side excursion.
Check their website for tours and classes.
I love Hilmar Cheese Company! Â Awesome Deli, and beautiful facility. Â For those who have commented previously on the "disappointment" about no factory tours... 9/11 changed so many things! Â Including FOOD FACILITIES! Hilmar Cheese abides by strict government laws/ restrictions. Â :)
Personally, I would not want hundreds of people "visiting" my cheese... :)
Made a stop here on the way back to the Bay Area from Yosemite. There is really not much to do in the Central Valley and this was the one place that seemed remotely interesting.
They had an ice cream class that sounded fun but we just missed it. We ended up taking a small self service tour upstairs where they had some info on the dairy business. There is an area where you can peek into the cheese factory which seemed pretty dull to be honest.
The ice cream was pretty good and I thought must be super fresh. Turns out the ice cream was from San Diego! Nice assortment of cheeses and wine to buy at the store. They have a deli as well.
Stopped in here on the way back down from Seattle and was pleasantly surprised.  I expected an old farm-like building with cows in the back.  This is huge property complete with waterfall/pond, outdoor park-like picnic area, benches plus the inside is not only a store with a variety of items (not only cheese) but a sandwich bar and they have a good variety of wine to choose from.  You know it's the place when all the locals come here to eat lunch.  The sandwiches are excellent.  Don't forget to grab a tub of  squeekers (cheese curds) on the way out for noshing on the way home.  The fresher they are the better - if they aren't squeeking for you, let them warm up a bit.  Have fun!
Review Source:I'm from Merced and I will come here just for the cheese. It's better than the cheese from Atwater that the stores have. They also do coffee. The prices (for everything) aren't too bad. Though they're high sometimes, it's worth it for the quality you get. In fact, the cheese factory is right where the shop is. No wonder it's so good.
Review Source:My husband and I took the back roads on our way to Angel's Camp.  We spotted this place, and decided to pop in for a look-see. We planned to eat lunch in Oakdale, but when I saw the Chicken, Apple, Fontina Pannini sandwich, I had to order one.  It was delicious, for under $7.00.  The staff is super friendly, too.  We took a self-guided tour upstairs, that has some great exhibits about dairies, and it was fun to peek into a portion of the cheese factory.  We learned some interesting new facts about making cheese.  Downstairs, we bought a couple of their cheese, to bring with us on our vacation. They were excellent!  If you're ever passing by here, it's a nice place to eat, shop and take  pit stop, before heading on wherever you are going.
Review Source:VERY DISAPPOINTED.
My now-husband and contacted  Hilmar Cheese Co. for our wedding catering.  Our date was confirmed was I emailed their prices and selections.  I informed them that our wedding was for 70 people, confirmed, and was given choices for that number of people and our price range.
My husband and I drove to Hilmar for our appointment to confirm everything, and were surprised to find that the coordinator (who scheduled our appointment and was supposed to meet us) was on vacation and that their catering policies had changed 2 weeks prior. Â The employee who met with us informed us that they could no longer cater our wedding at the price we asked for. Â I was informed also that the coordinator had discussed all of this with the person who did meet with us, but they also figured my 70 person count was not a final one.
We were very surprised to find this out 2 months before our wedding. Â A simple email could have conveyed their catering policy changes and saved us an hour + drive. Â
NOT impressed.
We found a fantastic caterer in Modesto (The Lunch Pail/Pure Joy Bakery).
A CHEESE FACTORY!!!??? Â Whoa Hoss! Â Pull on over and let's see what they got!
Inside, they got a gift shop,a deli and a variety of cheeses for sale. Â One thing in their favor, they got the biggest sample tray I've seen. Â Most cheese factory outlets chop their cheese up in tiny cubes and unless you spear about a half a dozen with a toothpick, you're never sure if you have any in your mouth. Â Samples on this day were monterry jack, co jack and something called "squeakers" which is supposed to be southern California's idea of cheese curds. Â They also have wine, candy, hats and shirts.
Bought some "squeakers" and Peets coffee.  Coffee was pretty decent as far as coffee's go.  Hot and strong.  Squeakers didn't taste too bad, definitely fresh, but  they are cut in cubes so they didn't seem all that authentic.  I didn't have any sandwiches but they looked like they might be pretty good.
This place is about 4 miles off of hiway 99 on hiway 165. Â Not a bad stop if you got the time. Â They also have some cheesy taped "cheese factory tour" designed to entertain the retirement home people on their way to one of the local casino's.
They just opened up a new learning center with some fun/interactive displays for kids. Â granted its a bit small but its free so I can't complain.
We arrived just in time for the tour, which featured this cheesy moovie (haha get it CHEESY MOO-VIE!), that had tons of corney lines, but it was informative and educational. Then we went upstairs where they had the about 4-5 learning stations with interactive displays. They even had a dress up area where you could dress up as a vet, dairy technician or a cattle that came free with a hair net! Â You could also check out the factory below where they were packaging cheese.
In the gift center you could try a bunch of different cheese samples, purchase cheese, eat at their deli, get some peets coffee or pick up some ice cream.
another fun thing to note is that their visitor center is NICE, its got this really upscale feel (except for the elevator which is old and slow), and it looks like it would be nice for a small event (wedding of 50 or a small company party)
Great deli with very friendly employees and always helpful when picking out gifts. Very informative about the cheese making process. More aimed for children so might be a little boring for the adults. Free samples, great selection & cute place for a picnic! Perfect for a Sunday afternoon trip.
Review Source:I really got a kick out of the plethora of products for sale (jams, jellies, sauces, etc...) in addition to the wonderful cheese. I loved all the free samples (five or six types) and the really nice selection in the deli. the space is very nice (open, airy, clean) and not at all cramped. I just wished there was more of an actual "tour". Still, I enjoyed the drive out there and was happy with the purchases I made. I don't really think this is a place for the kids, though. What made the farm enjoyable for me would probably bore anyone under 25.
Review Source:Ok, it's basically a Peets coffee with a great deli, a gift shop and some looky through the glass stuff on cheese making. ( one star only)
No factory tours, nothing really beyond the deli etc. Food is great but don't go out of your way, as we did, to get here.
Oh, I did learn cows are made to swallow a magnet that attracts any metal objects they may eat and prevent damage to their internal organs. (this gets the second star)
Just Beautiful !! Free Samples of there cheeses , many products sold over the counter , lots of lunch choices, Starbucks coffee served , I love there Christmas Tri Tip Chili - served almost year round with mash potatoes on the bottom mixed with fresh white onion , then there spicy tri tip chilli on top with more onions and cheese :) ohh yummie !!
Review Source:OMG I can't believe I wasted 2 hours for this CRAP! I'll give it 2 stars just for the cheese and the visitors center being so pretty and nice. Thk goodness for the free cheese samples (3 or 4 types) Â or I would have knocked you down another star!
I was pretty disappointed. I seriously thought we would be getting some kind of factory tour, but Noooooooo. We started off by a little video and then really nothing else, i mean there was a very short little display of how cheese is made (meant for kiddies), but so what.
This place is very popular for school field trips. I seriously do not understand why. Â If it was a factory factory tour I would be totally cool, but I feel kinda cheated.
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