Resident Course in Confectionery Technology (Candy School)
Next course will be held July 21 through August 1, 2025
What is the Resident Course in Confectionery Technology?
This two-week Resident Course in Confectionery Technology, also known as Candy School, is designed to instruct technical, production, and research personnel in candy science. The course begins with the chemical and functional interactions of ingredients and advances to more complex subject materials including processing, troubleshooting, reworking, and sensory analysis. Learning from industry experts, participants will gain hands-on laboratory experience with all types of candies.
At its heart, Candy School is about science. The chemical and functional interactions of ingredients don’t change. Students learn the science of candies and then make them , varying ingredients to see what happens.
Who Should Attend?
While Candy School is intended primarily for technical personnel, it is also of value to individuals in production, management and sales who wish to increase their knowledge of confectionery technology.
International students are welcome to attend! Since the course is taught entirely in English, it is recommended that all attendees have a strong command of the language in order to get the most out of Candy School.
Enrollment Fees, Cost, and Registration
Enrollment fees cover tuition, laboratory materials, reference workbooks, daily lunches, welcome picnic and banquet dinner.
The cost of the course for one individual is $3,995.
Accommodations
*Lodging is not included in the registration fee. Local area hotels include:
DoubleTree by Hilton Madison Downtown, 252 West Johnson St, Madison, WI 53703
Wisconsin Union Hotel, 1308 West Dayton St, Madison, WI 53715
Best Western Plus InnTowner Madison, 2424 University Ave, Madison, WI 53726
The Edgewater Hotel, 1001 Wisconsin Place, Madison, WI 53703
The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club, 1 West Dayton St, Madison, WI 53703
Donors Supporting UW-Madison Confectionery Courses
Thank you for your continued support!
| ADM A.M. Todd | ADM Corn Processing | ADM Specialty Food Ingredients | Barry Callebaut |
| Bell Flavors & Fragrances | Beneo | Blommer Chocolate Company | Burke Candy |
| Callisons | Capol LLC | Cargill Confectionery Division | CEAMSA |
| Clasen Quality Chocolate | Devon’s Chocolates LLC | Ferrara USA | Food Ingredients Inc. |
| Ford Gum Company | Galloway Company | Georgia Nut Company | Givaudan |
| Glanbia Nutritionals | GNT | Guittard Chocolate Company | The Hershey Company |
| IFC Solutions | Ingredion, Inc. | The Jelly Belly Company | John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. |
| Kerry Group | Land O’Lakes, Inc. | Mane, Inc. | Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc. |
| Mc Flavor Solutions | OSF Flavors | Primient | Roquette America |
| Sensient Flavors | Sensient Food Colors | Universal Ingredients Shank’s | Synergy Flavors, Inc. |
| Tate & Lyle | Watson, Inc. | Weber Flavors | Wild Flavors |
Interested in donating?
Contact Mack Hansen at mmhansen3@wisc.edu for more information.
History of Candy School
In the summer of 1963, J.H. von Elbe, a new professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, drove down to Herb Knechtel’s research and development laboratory in Skokie, Illinois to pick up the equipment needed for the first Resident Course in Confectionery Technology. Decades later, the course, hosted by the UW–Madison Department of Food Science, has become an important training ground for the candy industry.
Over a thousand students — from line workers and company owners to technical staff and suppliers — have learned the science of candy from the world’s confectionery experts. “The word to describe it is probably impossible,” says consultant Walt Vink, who spent 26 years with LifeSavers and attended, sent employees to, and taught in the course that is affectionately called “Candy School.” Students are often competitors, Vink says, but when they get to campus, they share information. As the confectionery school continues through its second half-century, private support is key to improving students’ candy-making experience.