We’re Sprinkk!
Our mission is to make candy manufacturing as sweet as the outcome.
Creating new things shouldn’t be so hard. We are here to revolutionize the candy industry by lowering the hurdles to science, innovation, and contract-manufacturing. We strive to develop and produce high-quality, sustainable confections that reach outside of the box of typical innovation and production limitations.
Our Origins
This Nebraska based start-up was founded by veteran confectionery and food scientist Tessa Porter, who is driven by her conviction that it is possible to reduce hurdles for new products and businesses through smarter process design and access to small scale manufacturing.
While leading innovation at a giant US candy company in Chicago, Tessa noticed how difficult it was to innovate outside of the parameters that have existed in candy manufacturing for decades. The candy industry was made up of very large manufacturers that do production incredibly well, but struggle to flex for new ideas. Therefore, a lot of great candy ideas would never make it to the store shelf if they couldn’t be validated on a smaller manufacturing scale first.
Luckily Tessa thrives with unique challenges and was looking for a reason to move back to Nebraska. Sprinkk was created in 2019 in a “development lab” that was a rented church kitchen in her hometown. It has since grown into a 3000 sqft dedicated candy development lab in Omaha, and a flexible contract manufacturing facility in Albion. Both facilities are equipped to handle innovative new products across gummies, fruit chews, hard candy, caramels, and taffy, as well as categories that might not exist yet!
Every Sprinkk project is approached with Tessa’s well-known ability to kindly and, most importantly, calmly sort through the chaos of innovation to create delectable magic.
Meet the Team
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Nichole Eggers
Project Manager/Executive Support
Nichole adds structure to the creative candy development process with nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare operations and project management. She blends skills as an executive assistant and project manager to develop and grow Sprinkk alongside bringing our client’s ideas to life. She’s got an MBA, a PMP Certification from the Project Management Institute, and a self proclaimed sweet tooth! She’s always been one to seek out the giant gummies in the candy store.
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Karen Talley
Quality & Food Safety Manager
Karen joined Sprinkk to build our Food Safety and Quality programs for manufacturing and develop impactful solutions for our clients. She thrives in the details of Quality Management Systems! Her food safety expertise spans the food & beverage industry, including meat, confectionery, fresh produce, bottled, frozen, and high-pressure processed foods. Karen joyfully acts as our guardian of excellence while also taking on the Quality Control taste testing role that everyone dreams of!
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Katie Teh
Candy Scientist
Katie is committed to research and bench testing formulations to bring collaborations to life. She has always been confectionately curious with a background in culinary and years as a pastry chef. Katie has a B.S. in Baking and Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University, and a B.S. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nebraska. Her trained palate and love of incredibly sour candy allows her dedication to each project to shine through while staying on top of new candy trends.
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Pat Schmitz
Factory Manager
Pat brings decades of hands-on expertise to the Sprinkk team, with over 30 years in manufacturing operations, process engineering, and machine maintenance. Known as our go-to fix-it man, he’s adept at everything from programming complex factory machinery to troubleshooting on the spot. With experience as a sales, service, and applications technician and manufacturing processing, Pat’s knowledge runs deep across various production environments. He’s a vital asset to the team, ensuring our operations run smoothly and efficiently every step of the way.
What We Do
Innovative Candy Formulations: Our team develops unique candy textures, forms, and processes using the latest food science technologies. We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of candy technology to create new things.
Customer Collaboration: We work closely with our clients to provide customized candy solutions, including detailed processing instructions and formulation documents, adding incredible value to your brand.
Flexible Manufacturing: Take your formulation to production without leaving Sprinkk. Our manufacturing facility can be set up for unique processes to fit your needs. We don’t have minimum order quantities so your product can be tested and modified as you grow..
Analytical Expertise: We utilize state-of-the-art analytical equipment to ensure the highest quality and consistency in your products, and partner with industry leading 3rd party labs if we can’t cover it in house.
Commitment to Quality: Maintaining a clean, food-safe environment is our top priority, ensuring our products are safe and delicious.
Educational Outreach: We share our knowledge through workshops, seminars, and publications, inspiring fellow and future confectionery innovators.
