TILLAMOOK, ORE – The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) has announced that it will undertake a significant project over the next two years that will completely redesign and rebuild the Visitors Center at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the most popular tourist destination on the Oregon Coast.
Designed by the award-winning Seattle-based architecture firm Olson Kundig, TCCA leadership says the new Visitors Center at the company’s headquarters in Tillamook, Ore., will offer a significantly enhanced experience for visitors.
“This new facility will provide us with an opportunity to bring to life TCCA’s story in a much more compelling way, from our vital history as a farmer-owned co-op, to our modern day commitment to Dairy Done Right,” said TCCA President and CEO Patrick Criteser. “This project represents a significant investment in our local presence here in Tillamook County and one that we anticipate will attract even more visitors to our area.”
Through this project, the existing Visitors Center facility at the Tillamook Cheese Factory will be torn down, and built in its place will be a brand new 38,500 square-foot facility that reflects Tillamook as a world-class dairy brand. The number of visitors who make the trek to the Tillamook Cheese Factory has grown significantly over the years, and currently more than 1.3 million people visit each year; as many as 10,000 per day. The new Visitors Center will be a larger space that will enable TCCA to better accommodate this growing number of guests and welcome even more visitors, providing the most comfortable, enjoyable experience possible.
Some of the more significant features of the new Visitors Center will include:
- A larger café with more indoor seating and a spacious outdoor covered patio for visitors to enjoy year-round.
- A new café menu, showcasing Tillamook products and other high quality, wholesome real food ingredients, including wood fire pizzas, Tillamook’s favorite grilled cheese sandwiches and more. The new café menu will also feature wine and beer from the Pacific Northwest.
- An enhanced Tillamook ice cream counter, available for indoor and seasonal outdoor service.
- A new coffee counter where visitors can purchase a variety of coffee and espresso drinks.
- An enhanced retail area that showcases the many quality products and gifts available for purchase all in one, easy-to-shop area.
- An enhanced visitor viewing experience of Tillamook’s cheese make and packaging operations with better acoustics and exhibit signage, as well as a small theater space where visitors can view short videos about TCCA and how Tillamook products are made.
- An interactive Research & Development (R&D) and Sensory work space where the Tillamook team will be able to facilitate focus groups to seek visitor feedback on new products and flavors.
- A small private event room (20-30 person capacity) that can be rented by the public for small business or celebratory functions. There will also be opportunities for the public to rent part or all of the facility after business hours for special events like weddings, reunions, etc.
- Improved parking which will make it easier for visitors to get in and out of the Visitors Center.
“The new facility will also provide much-needed upgrades to several ‘back of house’ areas that are not necessarily visible to visitors, but are critical to the operation running smoothly and efficiently and to providing a quality work experience for our employees as well,” said TCCA’s Director of Guest Experience Peter Papp. “We expect that having increased space for our operations and staff at the new facility will dramatically increase the speed of service for our guests.”
Given the extensive nature of the rebuild project, the existing Visitors Center at the Tillamook Cheese Factory will close completely starting in the spring of 2017 and until the new Visitors Center is complete in the summer of 2018. However, during this time, TCCA plans to open a temporary Visitors Center experience on an adjacent section their property to provide visiting guests a great Tillamook experience during the interim.
The temporary Visitors Center will include dining options, a Tillamook ice cream counter and retail area, as well as a unique experience that will allow TCCA to share with visitors a more in-depth look at dairy farming in Tillamook County. TCCA plans to share more information about programming at the temporary Visitors Center as well as updates about the overall project throughout the coming months. Visitors are encouraged to check the company’s website at Tillamook.com for updates on the project.
About Tillamook County Creamery Association
Founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) prides itself on its commitment to bringing to market the most consistent, best tasting, highest quality dairy products made in the most natural way possible. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, they have earned top awards for their cheese, ice cream, sour cream, butter and yogurt products made the Tillamook Way. More than a million visitors flock to the Tillamook Cheese Factory Visitors Center each year to experience the brand up-close and sample award-winning Tillamook products. For more information on Tillamook, visit Tillamook.com.
Source: Tillamook County Creamery Association