Night Licorice Cook Operator

KLN Family Brands; Perham (MN); On-site; USD 29,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Wellness discounts

PTO: 104 hours first year

7 paid holidays

KLN Clinic - free doctor visits

401k match

Home grant program

Tuition assistance

Job summary

KLN Family Brands is hiring a Licorice Cook for the night shift to support the licorice and mogul gummy production lines. The role includes mixing, cooking, extruding, quality checks, and sanitation across both lines.

You will rotate between licorice and mogul gummy duties as production needs dictate, while maintaining safety, precision, and paperwork compliance under supervision.

Qualifications

• General mathematical ability and the capacity to learn, memorize, and execute a sequence of procedures.
• Good hand–eye coordination and the ability to work well with others.
• Strong judgment, reasoning and communication skills.
• Able to operate forklift and obtain certification.

Responsibilities

• Operate mixing, cooking and extruding equipment for licorice and starch gummy lines.
• Inspect equipment for sanitation and food safety; complete pre-start paperwork.
• Prepare product to specifications by weighing ingredients per the formula.
• Report problems to Production Supervisor or QC; coordinate with Bagger and Mogul Operators.
• Perform quality checks and record all ingredients used; clean and maintain equipment.

Skills

Math skills

Procedural learning

Hand-eye coordination

Team player

Judgment

Communication

Forklift certification

Job description

Licorice Cook Night Shift – Kenny's Candy & Confections

Hours: 10:40pm - 7:00am (Monday - Friday)

Compensation:

• All in hourly compensation: $23.91/hr
  • Base Pay: $20.63/hr
  • Sign on Bonus: $1.22/hr worked
  • 10% Shift Differential for Night Shift: $2.06/hr
• Profit Sharing Eligibility: Begins after completing 1 year of employment ($7.7 Million in Profits Paid to Profit Sharing Pool in 2025)

Our Coolest Benefit - Profit Sharing!

In our most recent fiscal year, KLN Family Brands paid out over $7.7 million in profit-sharing to our employees!!!

Our Story

KLN Family Brands is a 3rd generation family-owned business that started in 1964 with its corporate headquarters located in Perham, MN, in the heart of MN lakes country. Together, our companies manufacture a diverse and expanding range of high-quality human and pet food products.

At KLN Family Brands, our vision is that “We are a proud people-first company. We are successful because of trust-based relationships and first-rate products for our families and friends. We better the world by caring for others. We challenge. We grow. We inspire.”

Some companies have to “fudge the story” a little. Some need the extra “spin” to shine a positive light on themselves. That’s not who we are at KLN Family Brands, and that’s not what we do. We tell the story of our brand – our people, the quality of our products, our spirit & moxie, our tradition, and the way we treat our community & beyond. We do it in a genuine way because we genuinely believe we’re a pretty amazing company.

What We Are Looking For

We’re now hiring a Licorice Cook to support production of all licorice and mogul gummy flavors produced, including the physical mixing of ingredients, accurate quality control tests and sanitation of the work areas and equipment. Cook operator may rotate between licorice and mogul gummy responsibilities depending on production needs

Essential Duties:

• Operate mixing, cooking and extruding equipment for both licorice and starch gummy lines
• Inspect all equipment for sanitation and food safety purposes and complete pre-start up paperwork as needed
• Process product to required specifications making sure to measure out all ingredients according to the formula
• Report any problems with materials or equipment to the Production Supervisor or QC
• Communicate with Bagger Operator on downtime and remaining finished goods
• Communicate with Mogul Operator to ensure proper supply of product
• Perform quality checks as assigned
• Inspect and record all ingredients used
• Clean and perform maintenance on equipment as needed
• Weigh out and record waste at the end of each shift
• Turn all required paperwork in to Production Supervisor after ensuring it is complete

Qualifications:

• General mathematical ability
• Learning, memorizing and executing a sequence of procedures
• Good hand – eye coordination
• Willing and able to get along with others
• Good judgment and reasoning abilities
• Good communication skills
• Ability to drive forklift and pass certification exam

Benefits

• Health, Dental, & Vision
  • Wellness program discounts - up to $150 discounted towards health insurance monthly
• 104 Hours of PTO Accrued in First Year of Employment
• 7 Paid Holidays
• KLN Clinic - Free doctor visits & more than 300 free prescriptions
• 401k Match Opportunity
  • Opportunity to meet with our onsite financial advisors
• $10,000 Forgivable Home Grant Program
• Tuition Assistance

*All hires are contingent on a clean background check and a successful drug test (UA), this means that a job offer is not final until both the background check and drug test results are satisfactory to the employer*