Good Manufacturing Practices and the best ingredients make the best tasting fudge

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. - June 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Recently, many major food manufacturers have had pathogen contamination outbreaks and more specifically Listeria contamination.   When you select a manufacturer of your food ingredients, you trust them with the health and safety of your customers, and in some cases the financial future of your business.

At Calico, our behind-the-scenes operations are as top notch as our fudge and customer service. Calico’s state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, as well as rigorous food quality and safety standards, ensure that the ingredients for every pound of fudge you sell are made with the same high production standards.

Perhaps most important, Calico has created a culture that teaches everyone, from factory workers to top management, to make food safety and quality a way of life.

The Finest Fudge Mix

The best products begin with the best ingredients.

Sounds simple enough, but what's in each carton of our fudge mix took years of research, development and testing to create the perfect formula that has long been considered the gold standard for fudge. Calico consistently produces fudge mixes that provide a delicious and well-rounded flavor, have 0.0 grams of trans fat per serving and are all Kosher (KOF-K) (http://www.calicocottage.com/getmedia/3f2dca18-3410-4f2b-...).

We manufacture our fudge mix in four basic flavors: plain, chocolate, milk chocolate and penuchi. To us, what goes into the mix is just as important as the fudge that comes out. For example, there are three types of chocolate in our Chocolate Fudge mix. Chocolate and cocoa are very complex products, and we tested many possible options to come up with just the right combination that would yield the best flavor.

In our Penuchi Fudge mix, we source special brown sugar that has just the right taste and will not lump. As for the sugar in our other fudge mixes, it affects more than just sweetness. It is milled specifically for Calico and produces a creamy texture, along with a pitch-perfect flavor and a long shelf life.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

In 1999, Calico built our current facility from the ground up for the sole purpose of making the industry’s best fudge mix and ingredients. Our manufacturing plant includes computer-controlled processes that guarantee all products are of the identical quality level. And employees work with exacting process flow charts that guide them through every step of the way.

A dry blend operation carefully scales every mix to meet the requirements of Calico’s proprietary recipe. The mix also is packaged and weighed by leading-edge packing equipment to ensure uniformity. Then, it passes through a metal detector to ensure compliance with generally accepted food safety guidelines and is packed in a master carton. The upshot: consistent high quality, batch after batch.

For customers who would prefer for Calico to make their fudge, we also manufacture finished fudge flavors. Fudge slabs are scored for easy measuring and cutting, shrink-wrapped and labeled according to FDA regulations, and then shipped directly to retail locations.

In addition, employees undergo regular training to make sure they have a fresh understanding of Calico’s production processes--not just how they work, but the reasons why.

Rigorous Standards for Food Quality and Safety

According to the Food Safety and Modernization Act, all food manufacturers soon will be required to have a food safety plan in place. But, since 2009, Calico has implemented its own plan, using the internationally recognized food safety management system Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). It ensures that Calico’s processes eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level possible safety hazards before products leave our facilities. In addition, Calico’s Quality Assurance department manages and scrutinizes all suppliers and raw materials.

Calico’s facilities also are audited every year by an independent third party, always receiving top scores. An internal quality assurance expert conducts in-house equipment and product audits regularly. What’s more, all suppliers go through a rigorous approval process to ensure ingredients meet Calico’s high standards.

The bottom line: from compliance with rigorous international standards to regular audits by third parties, Calico ensures that the fudge you sell is perfect—and a guaranteed hit with your customers.