Three must see guided tours in Colorado

We are always looking for something to do, a place to explore. It’s always nice to be out in nature, but sometimes nature doesn’t cooperate and you have to make your own path, and sometimes that path is indoors. Well we just happened to find three iconic companies that are in close proximity to each other that have great guided tours to enjoy.

Hammond’s Candies in Denver, Coors Brewery in Golden, and Celestial Seasonings in Boulder all have back scene tours that give you an inside view of how things are done with candy, beer, and teas.

Amazingly, when delving into the backgrounds of all three of these one-time family-owned small businesses, there were some issues that arose not uncommon once a company grows beyond its initial offerings. Each has been subjected to lawsuits regarding allegations of their respective business practices. You wouldn’t think that your favorite candy company, beer company, or tea company would have anything out there of any concern. And why can’t anything ever just run smoothly?

Well…Hammond’s Candies factory, Coors Brewery, and Celestial Seasonings…their processes all run smoothly. We saw it for ourselves and you should too.

Hammond’s Candies is located at 5735 Washington Street in Denver

9:15 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Free of charge but must be booked 24 hours in advance.

“Unleash your sweet tooth and embrace your inner child as you witness the mesmerizing world of confectionery come to life. Marvel at the creation of lollipops, candy canes, and other irresistible Hammond’s treats (5,000 lbs per day!). Learn about our rich Mile High City history and fascinating tidbits about nostalgic candies. As a special treat, we invite you to take home a complimentary delight from the factory, a sweet memory of your visit.”

Candy canes are a specialty here. And that’s what we came for. There a lot specialty items and you actually feel like a little kid in a candy store.

They even have an “OOPS” room…a place you can get the items that are not exactly “perfect” coming off the line. You can see the difference and you can actually taste the difference in a lot of the Oops products. It’s all a mystery.

But the mystery of how they make the goodies is all for a great view on the tour.

Hammond’s Candies was a family-owned business for many years.

Carl T. Hammond, Sr. started the company in 1920 after returning from WWI. He had learned the candy business working as an apprentice while a teenager. He brought his son Carl, Jr. (known as Tom) into the business when he returned from WWII in 1945, continuing the family legacy. Tom took over as owner in 1966 his daughter Robin would be a big part of the business. Eventually her husband Emery Dorsey IV would become owner in 1985 following Tom’s death.

The business continued to expand but really exploded when Williams-Sonoma placed an order for hand-pulled lollipops, chocolate-covered toffee, and peppermint pillows. This order is what would make Hammond’s the famous company they are today.

But in 1999, the Hammond family was finally out of the picture. The company was sold to Ralph Nafziger of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Nafziger led the company to significant growth and the company expanded from 10 employees to over 60, while keeping to its traditional candy-making methods.

In 2007, Andrew Schumann decided to buy Hammond’s Candies and move his family to Denver from the Washington, D.C. area where he had built a business into 62 franchise camera stores in the Virginia and Maryland area. Under his direction, Hammond’s grew from a seasonal producer to a year-round entity and expanded to 150 employees.

After 18 years, Schumann decided it was time to transition again, and sold the business in 2024 to Lolli & Pops Holdings Inc. while agreeing to stay on as CEO. However, everything hasn’t been so sweet in the back office as Schumann sued Lolli & Pops Holdings Inc. in Delaware Court of Chancery in September of 2025, alleging the company altered its ownership structure and diluted shares without proper notice.

Coors Brewery is located at 502 14^th Street in Golden

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. 90 minutes at a cost of $20 per person. Visitors must be 21 years of age.

“See and taste traditional brewing at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the largest single-site brewery in the world! Since 1873 the Coors Brewery has thrived on a legacy of quality, innovation and customer service. The Coors Brewery Tour showcases our history and passion for brewing in a 90-minute look at our malting, brewing and packaging processes. We also share old photos, neon signs, historical beer cans, bottles and memorabilia from our archives.”

The tour gives great insight into how beer is created from its beginnings and how it makes its way to the tap. Of course there is the packaging as well. But not before you are able to taste the samples of fresh beer straight from the tap before it can even leave the brewery.

The Coors Brewing Company was founded in 1873 by German immigrant Adolph Coors in Golden, Colorado. It grew from a local brewery into a global beer icon, famous for its Rocky Mountain spring water usage and the 1873-launched Coors Banquet. The company survived Prohibition by producing malted milk, near-beer, and industrial porcelain from 1916-1933, later revolutionizing packaging with the aluminum can in 1959, and then really took off when launching Coors Light in 1978.

Coors actually now includes a lot of beers that you may or may not even realize are now a part of the Coors family. Now known as Molson Coors after having merged with Molson of Canada in 2005, the company is owners of the Miller brands including the famous Lite Beer from Miller…everything you always wanted in a beer…and less. The family also includes Blue Moon, Coors Banquet, Coors Light, George Killian’s Irish Red, Granville Island Brewing, Hamm’s, Hop Valley, Leinenkugel’s, Miller High Life, Milwaukee’s Best, Molson Canadian, Molson Export, Steel Reserve, and Terrapin.

What makes Coors beer unique is because of the Rocky Mountains waters. But that MAY be a little deceptive. It is noted that Coors beer, particularly Coors Banquet, has been brewed in Golden, Colorado, using water from the Rocky Mountains since 1873. However, while the brand emphasizes its heritage with “100% Rocky Mountain water” marketing, this specifically applies to Coors Banquet, with other products like Coors Light sometimes using water from different sources.

I have to say, though, the Coors Banquet I got from the tap on the tour was the best beer I have ever tasted.

There have been three different lawsuits against Coors in the last 10 years.

Stone Brewing vs. Molson Coors (Trademark Infringement): In 2022, a jury awarded Stone Brewing $56 million, finding that Molson Coors’ rebranding of Keystone Light, which emphasized the word “Stone,” infringed on the craft brewer’s trademark. Molson Coors appealed, but in December 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict, rejecting arguments that no confusion occurred.

MillerCoors vs. Anheuser-Busch (False Advertising): In 2019, MillerCoors sued Anheuser-Busch over Super Bowl commercials that falsely implied Miller Light and Coors Light contained high fructose corn syrup, which they do

Coors Light “Rockies” Class Action (2016): A lawsuit alleged that Coors Light’s marketing, “Born in the Rockies,” misled consumers into believing the beer was exclusively brewed there.

Celestial Seasonings is located at 4600 Sleepytime Way in Boulder

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. 45 minutes at a cost of $6 per person. Children must be at least 5 years of age. Online reservations are required and waivers must be signed.

“You can see how the creations of tea from raw ingredients to finished products and learn how over 100 blends are created. It’s all made at the one and only location in the world in the picturesque foothills of Boulder, CO.”

After the opportunity to sample over 80 flavors of Celestial Seasonings offerings, the tour starts with a short movie about the history of the company.

Unlike the other tours, pictures are not permitted on this tour. I am not exactly sure why, unless there is some secret that they don’t want you to know about, or some little detail that will be caught in a picture that they don’t want caught. Hmmmm.

In 1969, Mo Siegel, handpicked wild herbs from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and used them to make the first “tea.” He began selling Mo’s 36 and 24 Herb Teas to local health food stores, eventually selling them in hand-sewn muslin bags. It was in those early years that led to creating and defining the herbal tea category.

By 1972, two of the flagship blends were introduced: Red Zinger and Sleepytime. These innovative blends and their popularity helped turn the cottage industry into a near-overnight success. Sleepytime is actually the bestselling specialty tea of all time

Purchased by Kraft, Inc. in 1984, but then bought back by the company in 1989 with some investment partners.

Today, Celestial Seasonings serves more than 1.6 billion cups of tea a year. The product base vastly expanded and the ingredients, over 100 of them, are sourced from over 35 countries.

Did you know that Celestial Seasonings teas are not actually teas? Well, a very select few are. But in reality, they are only referred to as “teas” in the United States. In other countries, they are labeled as “infusions.” Why? Because to be “tea” it must contain the Camellia sinensis plant, which is used to make green, black, white and oolong TEAS.

Celestial Seasonings offerings are different blends of herbs, spices, fruits, and tree bark. And since they contain no Camellia sinensis leaves at all, unlike green, black, white and oolong teas, they are not technically teas, and they are naturally caffeine free.

The artwork of the packaging is something very special, as each flavor has its own unique design.

I am still left to wonder why no pictures but perhaps that will someday be revealed.

A 2026 class action lawsuit, filed in Colorado federal court, alleges that Celestial Seasonings falsely advertises several of its herbal teas as “all-natural” despite containing synthetic citric acid.