Name of business: Hickory Farms

Type of business: Food gift retailer

Location: 2727 Countryside Dr., Turlock

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Black Friday

Contact information: 209-279-5643 

Specialty: Meat and cheese build-a-box

History of business:

Turlockers are in for a savory treat this holiday season as Hickory Farms has forgone its annual Modesto mall location for a seasonal storefront in Monte Vista Crossings. 

Hickory Farms, famous for its handcrafted cheese and summer sausage, is a longtime gift choice for many food lovers and will operate its seasonal location in Turlock until the end of December. According to Brooke Cardoza of Hickory Farms, who manages an additional location in Riverbank, the shop offers customers a taste of nostalgia. 

“When people buy our products, it brings them the love and comfort from when they were a child,” she said. “It brings back memories of sitting around with their families on Christmas and eating the traditional items that we’re all used to.”

From gift boxes and platters to cheese balls and spreads, Hickory Farms has a variety of products synonymous with Christmas celebration. Through Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, the store is also offering a special price on their build-a-box promotion, which allows customers to pick and choose four full-sized products for $21.99.

Hickory Farms also has other treats to choose from aside from meats and cheeses, like wine gifts, chocolates, appetizers and more. 

“These are things that a lot of older people had for their generation and continue to buy. We also see people who had our products as kids but are now adults come in excited to purchase our items,” Cardoza said.

Local Christmas shoppers are used to finding Hickory Farms gifts inside of Vintage Faire Mall, but Cardoza said that with COVID risks, the business wanted to open their seasonal shops in storefronts which would allow for easy online or call-in ordering and curbside pickup to keep customers safe. 

During such an uncertain and different holiday season, Cardoza added it has been nice to spread some holiday cheer through food.

“It brings happiness to my life because at least we can bring a smile to someone’s face during these hard times,” she said. “You don't see many smiles nowadays, but I see lots of them in the store. They’re happy to get exactly what they came for.”