Last summer, Process Engineer Andrew Kallay and Process Engineering Lead Shahnaz Savul attended Penn State University’s Chocolate Short Course. The week-long program is recognized across the food and beverage industry for its technical rigor and hands-on approach to chocolate and confectionery manufacturing.

To put it another way, they went to Chocolate School.

For both Haskell team members, the experience reinforced a key reality of the market: successful facilities are designed around the nuances of ingredients, processing methods and end-product goals, not assumptions based on what consumers see on store shelves.

Chocolate as a Process, Not a Product

The course began with the supply chain, examining cacao sourcing and how beans differ by region, climate and handling. Those differences influence moisture content, roasting requirements and flavor development long before production begins.

“There are endless variables in making chocolate,” Savul said. “Understanding where beans come from and how that affects roasting and downstream processing is critical for us to ask better questions when we sit down with clients.”

From sourcing, the curriculum moved through roasting, grinding, conching, tempering and molding. Classroom instruction was paired with sensory evaluation, allowing participants to taste and compare chocolate at different stages of production and better understand how processing decisions affect the final product.

Learning by Doing

A defining element of Chocolate School was its hands-on component. Working in small teams, participants processed cacao from raw beans through molding using pilot-scale equipment.

Kallay, who previously worked in the chocolate industry, said the experience directly connects to how Haskell approaches facility design.

“Walking through each unit operation, step by step, mirrors how we think about laying out a process,” Kallay said. “It reinforces how equipment selection, utilities and footprints all tie back to how chocolate is actually made.”

Participants also toured food science laboratories and a greenhouse where cacao trees are grown, a rare opportunity in North America that further grounded the technical lessons in real-world context.

Exposure to Industry Variety

The course brought together professionals from across the chocolate and confectionery spectrum, including craft manufacturers, consultants and researchers. Several speakers highlighted nontraditional production methods, like formulations with minimal ingredients and no emulsifiers.

Those choices can significantly affect equipment needs and material flow.

“Hearing how different producers approach formulation underscores why there’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” Kallay said. “Design decisions have to reflect how the product is processed, not just what it looks like in the package.”

Applying Insight for Clients

The value of Chocolate School really began when class was dismissed. Kallay and Savul returned with enhanced expertise that informs client conversations and project execution.

Savul noted that the experience sharpened her ability to evaluate sourcing strategies, anticipate variability and design flexibility into facilities.

“We can now have more informed discussions about where ingredients come from, how much variation a process needs to handle and what that means for roasting, grinding and packaging,” she said. “That directly supports better outcomes for clients.”

Programs like Chocolate School reflect Haskell’s commitment to developing market-specific expertise. By investing in hands-on technical education, the firm strengthens its ability to support clients in candy, confection and broader food and beverage markets, where precision and product knowledge are critical.

That depth of understanding helps Haskell teams design facilities that align with how clients operate today while allowing room for growth, innovation and change.

Contact Haskell’s subject matter experts to discuss how process-driven insight can support your next confectionery or food manufacturing project.