Hammonds Hard Candy Cook

Ampersand Brands, LLC; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Ampersand Brands, LLC, the maker of Hammond’s Candies, is hiring a Production Cook for its Denver-area facility. You will work on high‑volume candy production, follow recipes, and support safety and quality standards.

Join a small, collaborative team at Hammond’s Candies, where you’ll handle ingredient prep, assist with equipment, and lift heavy loads while upholding sanitation and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• One year or more of food manufacturing or industrial production facility experience.
• One year or more of confectionery production or sugar cooking processes.
• Clean criminal history, valid SSN, valid ID.
• Maintain a work environment free of drugs and alcohol.
• Demonstrate responsibility and longevity in previous employment: punctuality, reliability and dependability.

Responsibilities

• Achieves production operational objectives by planning and completing action plans; maintaining quality, safety, and health standards.
• Controls costs by consulting with production team leaders; overseeing portion size; evaluating productivity; monitoring finished product.
• Improves quality and consistency by following production records and recipes; redesigning processes as needed.
• Implements recipes and specifications by reviewing product specifications and applying procedures.
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by complying with sanitation and regulations.
• Maintains food ingredients, preparation, and supplies; manages storage and cost-controls.
• Maintains equipment by assisting with use and maintenance; calling for repairs.
• Contributes to kitchen and organization by handling diverse requests and helping others.
• Performs physical duties, including lifting 80-100 lbs.

Skills

Motivate and lead

Active listening

Clear communication

Time management

Decision making

Help others

Teaching others

Performance monitoring

Adaptability

Cost-benefit thinking

Job description

About this position

About Us

Ampersand Brands is a growing portfolio of beloved confectionery brands, including Hammond’s Candies, the iconic hand-crafted candy maker, and Lolli & Pops, a premium retail and gifting brand with a national presence. The company is backed by strong growth ambitions, combining innovation, brand storytelling, and operational excellence to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading player in the U.S. confections industry.

Production Cook

Hammond's Candies

Key Responsibilities

• Achieves production operational objectives by contributing information and preparing and completing action plans; production, productivity, quality, customer-service, safety, security, and health standards.
• Controls costs by consulting with production team leaders; overseeing product portion size; evaluating and improving productivity; providing candy preparation personal expertise; evaluating time-saving production techniques; monitoring finished product.
• Improves quality and consistency following production records, following standardized production recipes; quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re-designing processes; offering ideas to implement changes.
• Implements recipes and specifications by reviewing product specifications; applying established procedures and techniques.
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; following food preparation, safety, and security plans.
• Maintains food ingredients, food preparation, and general supplies by evaluating the quality of ingredients; maintaining general supplies; storage requirements, and cost-controls.
• Maintains food preparation equipment by helping other staff in equipment use; following operating instructions; calling for repairs
• Contributes to kitchen and organization success by welcoming related, different, and new requests; helping others accomplish job results.
• Performs physical production duties, including regularly lifting, carrying, and handling heavy materials and ingredients weighing approximately 80-100 lbs.

Qualifications

• One year or more of food manufacturing or industrial production facility (candy, snack, bakery, dairy, or similar).
• One year or more of experience in confectionery production or sugar cooking processes.
• Clean criminal history, valid SSN, valid ID.
• Maintain a work environment free of drugs and alcohol.
• Demonstrate responsibility and longevity in previous employment: punctuality, reliability and dependability.

Skills

• Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Teaching others how to do something.
• Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• The chance to lead not one, but two iconic brands — with very different but equally lovable personalities.
• A small, scrappy team that punches above its weight.
• A culture rooted in thoughtfulness, creativity, and joy.

About Us

Ampersand Brands is a growing portfolio of beloved confectionery brands, including Hammond’s Candies, the iconic hand-crafted candy maker, and Lolli & Pops, a premium retail and gifting brand with a national presence. The company is backed by strong growth ambitions, combining innovation, brand storytelling, and operational excellence to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading player in the U.S. confections industry.

Production Cook

Kitchen

Hammond's Candies

Key Responsibilities

• Achieves production operational objectives by contributing information and preparing and completing action plans; production, productivity, quality, customer-service, safety, security, and health standards.
• Controls costs by consulting with production team leaders; overseeing product portion size; evaluating and improving productivity; providing candy preparation personal expertise; evaluating time-saving production techniques; monitoring finished product.
• Improves quality and consistency following production records, following standardized production recipes; quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re-designing processes; offering ideas to implement changes.
• Implements recipes and specifications by reviewing product specifications; applying established procedures and techniques.
• Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; following food preparation, safety, and security plans.
• Maintains food ingredients, food preparation, and general supplies by evaluating the quality of ingredients; maintaining general supplies; storage requirements, and cost-controls.
• Maintains food preparation equipment by helping other staff in equipment use; following operating instructions; calling for repairs
• Contributes to kitchen and organization success by welcoming related, different, and new requests; helping others accomplish job results.
• Performs physical production duties, including regularly lifting, carrying, and handling heavy materials and ingredients weighing approximately 80-100 lbs.

Qualifications

• One year or more of food manufacturing or industrial production facility (candy, snack, bakery, dairy, or similar).
• One year or more of experience in confectionery production or sugar cooking processes.
• Clean criminal history, valid SSN, valid ID.
• Maintain a work environment free of drugs and alcohol.
• Demonstrate responsibility and longevity in previous employment: punctuality, reliability and dependability.

Skills

• Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Teaching others how to do something.
• Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• The chance to lead not one, but two iconic brands — with very different but equally lovable personalities.
• A small, scrappy team that punches above its weight.
• A culture rooted in thoughtfulness, creativity, and joy.

The pay range for this role is: 20 - 20 USD per hour(Production)