See What's Poppin' at Lehi Valley Trading Co.

MESA, Ariz. -- It's unmistakable. The enticing aroma of popcorn permeates the air. One step inside, visitors see huge vats about 10 feet high being manually loaded with salt, popcorn and caramel.

It is caramel corn production day at the Lehi Valley Trading Co. plant in Mesa, Ariz., and a small team will make and pack hundreds of cartons.

Salty or sweet, good for you or indulgent, Lehi Valley workers crank out snacks and candies for every palette and nearly every retail channel. Some are private-label products (stacks of products for some popular retailers were evident), and some are proprietary under the company's Snackworthy brand.

Here's a look inside the plant and the products it produces ...

Production workers weigh and hand pack dried pineapple, mango and other fruits into plastic tubs. A variety of snacks, including trail mixes and fruits, are merchandised in the clear tubs in several sizes. "The demand for healthy snacks keeps growing, and I don't see any slowdown in traditional snacks either," said Kylie Sherwood, marketing manager, pictured below. "Changes in the way people are shopping is definitely affecting how (snacks) are being packaged and sold."

The Arizona company has been in business for more than 30 years, starting in 1985 with a packaging facility on the Freeman family's citrus farm. The company began with a focus on a few regional grocery companies and their private labels.

"Extruding" or forcing out ingredients through a precut die into a specific shape is used for a variety of snacks at Lehi Valley. Flavors are added, which also adds color.

The company is installing new equipment this year to speed the production of its extruded snacks. The dictionary defines food extrusion as a process by which a set of mixed ingredients are forced through an opening in a perforated plate or die with a design specific to the food, and is then cut to a specified size by blades. The machine, which forces the mix through the die is an extruder, and the mix is known as the extrudate. Pastas such as macaroni are extruded.

Lehi Valley says food safety is its No. 1 priority. Hand-washing and hair-covering stations are a worker's first stop. Sherwood said the company expects to achieve Level 2 certification this year in the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program.

Under ownership of the founder's son and his wife, Lewis and Trecia Freeman, Lehi Valley has a national reach and continues to develop new brands and products. The owners' six children all have worked for the company, and two have made it their full-time careers. Sherwood is marketing manager. Her brother, Brady Freeman, is director of plant operations, overseeing the company's six buildings that encompass more than 50,000 square feet. In all, there are nearly 200 associates at the manufacturing, packaging and warehousing facilities.

Finished products are packaged in proprietary brands including High Valley Orchard, Arizona Snack Co. and SnackWorthy. The company's The Amazingly Wondrous Nuggets, butter toffee corn puffs, are moving under the Snackworthy brand and adding new flavors this year.