Confection

Comprehensive Solutions for Confectionery Production

Ingredient Handling and Delivery

We design systems for receiving, storing, and delivering bulk ingredients to your kitchen, incorporating food safety safeguards like QC checkpoints, metal and foreign material detection, and hygienic design. Our solutions accommodate truckload and railcar deliveries, integrate weighing systems for precise dosing, and offer flexibility for ingredients supplied in super-sacks or smaller bags. Redundant systems ensure operational reliability and scalability.

Cooking and Processing Systems

From cornstarch moguls to starchless depositors, we support a wide range of confectionery cooking processes. Our expertise includes direct steam injection and indirect steam systems for cooking gels and syrups, as well as integrated dosing systems for color, flavor, and additives. With top-to-bottom consistency in cure room designs, we ensure even curing and optimal product quality.

Infrastructure Solutions

Efficient infrastructure is the backbone of any confectionery operation. Sharpe Engineering designs and integrates:

Steam Systems: Culinary and sanitary steam for cooking, curing, and candy coating.
Cooling Rooms: Consistent airflow and temperature control for even curing.
Wastewater Systems: Reducing BOD and suspended solids to meet municipal discharge requirements.
Air Compressors: Filtered, food-safe air systems to maintain quality.
Explosion-Prevention Systems: Safety measures for filtering and reconditioning cornstarch systems.
Electrical Systems: Robust stations to support equipment and maintain uptime.

Specialized Chocolate Solutions

For chocolate processing, we engineer systems to manage raw chocolate in various forms, such as 10 lb bars, drops, chunks, or liquid deliveries. Our designs ensure contamination-free receiving and storage, with QC checks, metal detection, and specialized melters for precise temperature control. Additional items for consideration include tempering systems to reduce bloom, jacketed tanks for recirculation, and sweep or scrape surface agitators.

Panned Confections

We support engrossing, polishing, and varnishing processes for panned confections like chocolate-covered almonds and jelly beans. Our solutions ensure uniform coatings, smooth finishes, and precise application of varnishes via spray systems, balancing quality and production time.

Packaging Systems

Sharpe works with industry-leading OEMs to integrate advanced packaging systems into our client’s facilities for various formats:

Individually wrapped products (pouches or twist wraps).
VFFS systems for peg bags, hole punch, and tear notches.
Doy bags, bulk bags, and carton/retail-ready packs.
Rigid tubs, trays, and jars with a range of labeling formats.

System Manufacturer Support

At Sharpe Engineering, we understand that system manufacturers are experts in their equipment, but every facility has unique requirements that may demand additional services to ensure smooth operation. We specialize in bridging that gap, providing the expertise needed to integrate your systems seamlessly into diverse production environments.

Full Confection Handling and Packaging Solutions

Turnkey solutions improve efficiency throughout the production process, including specialized packaging for products like sanded gummies, polished chocolates, and extruded candy. We manage complex projects with single-source responsibility, ensuring all stages align with our customer’s requests and needs.

Projects are created and managed in-house, from initial design to installation of integrated systems that coincide with existing production. Solutions are customized to accommodate requirements such as sanitary steam use, cooling for consistent curing, and tailored wrapping techniques.