Images: Behind the scenes at Matt’s Cookies in Wheeling
Matts Cookies was founded in 1972 in Wheeling and makes 25,000 pounds of cookies each day including cookies under different brand names shown in foreground.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Celedonia Velásquez packages peanut butter cookies by hand at Matts Cookies in Wheeling.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts Cookies in Wheeling has about 22 employees making the cookies and 25 delivering them to local stores.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts Cookies owner Matt Pierce said all of the cookies have to be hand packaged because they are made just like people make them at home and therefore are different sizes and shapes.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Aurelia Arellano adds a cookie to each package, where an alarm goes off if it weights less than one pound.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Fans cool chocolate chip cookies before they are hand packed by Irma Martinez at Matts Cookies.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Leticia Udave packages cookies at Matts Cookies in Wheeling.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts employees 22 people to make their cookies and 25 more to distribute them to stores throughout the Chicago Area.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts Cookies are distributed throughout the Chicagoland area and even into Wisconsin.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Chocolate chip cookies are cooled with fans before being packaged. Matt Pierce said no two cookies are the same shape and therefor have to be hand packaged.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
A machine wraps some of the 25,000-pounds of cookies packaged each day including cookies under different brand names shown on labels here.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts Cookies was founded in Wheeling in 1980 and makes 25,000 pounds of cookies each day.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matts Cookies in Wheeling has 22 employees make their cookies and 25 to distribute them to area stores. Matt Pierce said all of the cookies have to be hand packaged because they are made just like people make them at home and therefor are different sizes and shapes.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Celedonia Velásquez packages peanut butter cookies by hand at Matts Cookies in Wheeling.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Gerardo Ramirez mixes cookie dough in one of two giant mixers.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matt Pierce adjusts a raw chocolate chip cookie dough dropper as cookies travel to the oven.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
Matt Pierce, co-owner of Matts Cookies walks past one of two cookie ovens at right.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
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