Free Field Trip: Yakult Factory Tour in Fountain Valley, CA
Quick Facts
- Cost: Free
- Length: About 60 minutes
- When: Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), at 10 AM, 2 PM, or 4 PM
- Reservations: Required, no walk-ins
- Location: Fountain Valley, California
- Photos: Not allowed in the production area
- Book here: Yakult USA Factory Tours
What We Did
Yakult is a drink many of us know from the grocery store, but have you ever wondered how it's made? On this free guided tour, we learned about the history of the company and then got to watch the production machines up close. It's a great way to show kids (and adults!) how an everyday product goes from start to finish.
What Kids Can Learn
- How things are made: Seeing real machines running is a lot more memorable than reading about it in a book.
- A little science and history: Yakult was created in Japan in 1935 by a microbiologist, Dr. Minoru Shirota, and is now sold in about 40 countries and regions.
- Growing businesses: We heard on our tour that Yakult is building a second U.S. factory in Cartersville, Georgia. That's a nice conversation starter about why companies expand.
For Schools and Colleges
The Yakult office is open to presenting its history to the public, schools, and colleges, which makes this a nice fit for classroom learning and student groups. If you're a teacher or group leader, reach out through the Yakult USA contact page to ask about options for your group.
Educational Materials
Science Behind the Bottle
- Probiotics are live microorganisms (tiny living things, like bacteria) that can benefit your body when you consume enough of them.
- Fermentation is a process where microorganisms change food or drink. People have used it for thousands of years to make foods like yogurt.
- Dr. Minoru Shirota was a microbiologist at Kyoto University in Japan. He worked with a particular bacteria strain, and it carries his name: Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota.
- The gut microbiome is the community of trillions of microbes living in our digestive system. Scientists are still learning how they affect our health.
- Surviving the journey: For a probiotic to work, it has to make it through the stomach's strong acid alive. Researchers have studied how well this strain survives that trip.
Vocabulary Words
Microbiologist, probiotic, bacteria, fermentation, microorganism, production line, bottling, packaging, strain
Questions to Ask on the Tour
- What steps happen before the drink goes into the bottle?
- Why do you think the bottle is so small?
- How do machines help make sure every bottle is the same?
- Why would a company build a second factory in a different state?
Activities to Try at Home or in Class
- Production line game: Set up an assembly line with your kids (fill, cap, label) and see how much faster it goes when each person has one job.
- Map it: Find Japan, Fountain Valley, and Cartersville, Georgia on a map and talk about how far the product travels.
- Read the label: Compare the nutrition labels on a few drinks. What do you notice about ingredients and sugar?
- Draw the journey: Have kids sketch what they remember from the tour, from machines to bottles.
Learn More (Free Resources from Yakult USA)
- Virtual Factory Tour: a great prep activity before your visit, or a substitute if you can't make it
- Factory Tour Brochure (PDF)
- Yakult History
- Yakult Worldwide
Our Tips for Families
- Book ahead. Reservations are required, so sign up before you go.
- Plan around the schedule. Tours only run on weekdays, which makes this a good option for homeschool groups or a day off school.
- Dress for the warmth. Because it's a production area, it's warm inside. Wear light, comfortable layers you can take off.
- Tell kids about the no-photo rule first. Photos aren't allowed in production, so it helps to set expectations before you walk in. Plan to take pictures before or after.
- Check the age guidelines. I'd confirm age requirements and group-size rules on the tours page before booking, especially if you're bringing little ones or a large group.
The Souvenir
We left with a cute Yakult bottle hand squishy. 😄 A nice little surprise to end the visit!
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely. It's free, it's about an hour, and it's easy to fit into a morning or afternoon. A great low-cost outing for curious kids and adults.
Have you taken your family on a factory tour? Share your favorites in the comments!
