May 13, 2004
Wolfgang Candy Company to Host PMCA Chocolate School
YORK, Pa. - Wolfgang Candy Company Inc. today announced that PMCA, an international non-profit trade association of confectionery manufacturers and companies in related industries, has chosen Wolfgang�s factory as a host venue for the association�s �Chocolate School� being held June 15 -18, 2004. Industry professionals from around the world will converge in York County to experience the chocolate-making process firsthand in one of the oldest family-owned and managed confectionery manufacturers in the United States.
�The response to this event has been overwhelming, with registrants from Canada to the Philippines eager to attend,� said Yvette Thomas, administrative director, PMCA. �The course is already full, and we have a waiting list at this point of people who are requesting that we run the class again as soon as possible.�
The PMCA course is designed to offer practical, economical training for a broad range of industry professionals from manufacturing line operators and technical staff to product developers and CEOs of start-up confectionery companies.
�Wolfgang has hosted the annual chocolate school course for nearly 10 years,� said Rob Wolfgang, managing partner/operations at Wolfgang Candy. �Not only has our participation in the event provided us with an invaluable worldwide industry contact network, but it has also served to strengthen Wolfgang�s leadership role in confectionery manufacturing and technology.�
Teaching the hands-on course titled �Chocolate and Compound Manufacture and Use� are two prominent experts within the confectionery industry, Marlene Stauffer and Maurice Jeffery. Known for her expertise in uses for chocolate coatings, Stauffer is director of Quality Assurance and new product development at Blommer Chocolate Company, chairman of the Philadelphia section of the American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT), and member of the PMCA Research and Membership committees. Jeffery, former vice president of R&D/QA for Cadbury USA and recipient of the 1989 Stroud Jordan Award, is a renowned consultant for chocolate manufacturing and processing, and has served as chairman of the American Cocoa Research Institute, the Chocolate Manufacturers Scientific Committee and the PMCA Research Committee.
�I am always happy to teach this PMCA course, which is very highly regarded throughout the industry,� said Jeffery. �What makes this event unique is that it is the only course in the world - beside those at the ZDS college in Germany - that includes practical work in a full-scale manufacturing setting.�
The four-day course will include an extensive theory review of chocolate and compound technology and a visit to a major chocolate supplier, before culminating in the practical work at Wolfgang Candy�s manufacturing plant. Open to members of PMCA, Retail Confectioners International (RCI), American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT), and National Confectioners Association (NCA), the class will draw scores of international visitors to York County.
�As a signature factory tour under York County�s �Factory Tour Capital of the World� tourism brand, Wolfgang Candy regularly draws many visitors to our area,� said Anne Druck, director of the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau. �By hosting this major international event, Wolfgang is further increasing their contribution to the economic impact of tourism in York County.�