On Wednesday the 12th of March, the Year 11/12 Certificate I in Workplace Skills class toured Gourlays Famous Sweets Factory.

We started the tour hearing about the history of the Coats Paton’s building where Gourlay’s Factory is now located. Did you know that the building originally didn’t have as many levels? The roof was manually raised bit by bit, and an extra floor built while the mill workers continued with their jobs below. It was a large employer for Launceston, there were over 2000 people who worked there at any time.

Mike, the owner of Gourlay’s, told us that the business was established in 1896. His family took over when he was ten years old and several of his family members still work with him. They showed us how all the equipment works, including how the hand painted Easter chocolates are made. We sampled many of their amazing products.

Thank you to Mike and the team for having us. We highly recommend you take one of their tours that are offered to the public.