candy maker

Albanese Confectionery Group

Oh, where to start...

I was looking for work back in the summer of 2012 and had submitted my resume online to various job boards, when I received a call back from the HR manager at Albanese Confectionery, offering me an interview for a position with the company. I scheduled the interview and met with 3 company representatives. The interview went smoothly, and the next day, I received a phone call from the HR manager, offering me a position, and asking me what my salary requirements were. I stated that I would like to make at least $13/hr, since that was what my last job had paid me, and that is where I felt most comfortable at the time. The HR manager stated that she was not sure about being able to offer $13, but might be able to offer $12. I agreed. 

On my first paycheck, I noticed that my rate of pay was only $11. When I inquired as to the reason for the discrepancy, I was told that they could not even do $12 an hour, but that I could "work up to" my promised starting wage.

I should have taken that as a sign of a bad working relationship, full of lies, deception and broken promises, but I needed the job, so I endured.

All workers start out as temp employees at first, and must work a certain amount of hours before being eligible to be hired into the company (around 520 hours, I believe). After completing this, I was told that I would be hired in. When I asked again about the salary, I was told by my supervisor that I would "probably start at $13" once I was officially employed.

A few weeks passed, I got my uniform, my paperwork, everything. When I asked what my new salary would be, I was told - after much redirection and stalling - that it was $11.50. A mere 50 cent raise. I almost walked out right there.

Hours were not bad, at first, with a typical 40 hour work week, however product demand and a very high employee turnover rate quickly meant that employees were required to work 12 hour shifts, sometimes for weeks at a time, with no days off. I think I once worked 5 weeks straight at 12 hours a day, every day, with no day off. We were promised a 30 minute lunch, and two 15-minute breaks per shift, but we were often not allowed to actually take them, due to the constant shortage of manpower resulting in a lack of people to break us out when our time was due. Some employees would often end up working their entire shift without a break, but the company would still dock them for a half-hour lunch break, even though the employee was unable to actually take their lunch.
I worked in production, gummi kitchen operator. The kitchen area was on a raised platform, and it was very hot, since we were (of course) cooking candy. There was steam and hot water and the average temperature usually hovered between 95-105 degrees. We were required to wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, steel toe shoes, eye protection and hairnet at all times. The air conditioning did not reach our area, and fans were not allowed, to prevent possible contamination to the product.

Equipment breakdowns were common, since they run a continuous operation, to try to keep up with product demand. The machines were not designed for such heavy constant usage, and this lead to frequent breakages. 

Employee call-off and misbehavior are managed by a point system, but there is no union representation, and no functional arbitration process - the company says you're guilty, you're guilty and you basically have no recourse. They could - and very often DID - fire people at will, while others (often with serious substance problems and other issues) were allowed to continue working, their problems even covered up by management. 

Entry to the building is controlled by a numeric keypad at the employee entrance, and the number that allowed entry would change after each person was let go. The running joke was that we were all "just walking door codes," waiting our turn to get fired.

The basic company health insurance was a perk, though family plans could be pricey. Most of my co-workers were good people who deserve better treatment than they received. Many working at minimum wage., or just above. Promotions are promised, but seldom realized and even then, the promised pay raise is rarely ever seen. 

You can, however, nibble the occasional bit of candy off of the production line, That is allowed, even encouraged, under guise of "quality control."

I recall one day, I was walking behind one of the packaging lines and I noticed a sign, mounted to the wall behind the supervisor's desk, that read, "If you have minimum skills, and minimum education, and you put in minimum effort, why should we pay you more than minimum wage?" 

That sign tells you everything you need to know about the management strategy at Albanese Confectionery.

A typical day at work was hot, tense, frustrating and unsatisfying. I learned more about gummi bears (and what they're made of) than I ever needed or wanted to, and caught just a small glimpse of what working in a sweat shop might be like. Lower-level management, shift managers, were good people, but nearly everyone above that level was seriously lacking in any form of effective leadership quality whatsoever. My co-workers, as I stated, were by and large good people. The hardest part of the job was going in each day, wondering if that would be the day when I would be the door code. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was the day that I WAS the door code, and I was able to turn in my uniform and walk away, knowing that I would never have to stop foot in that company again, and being able to hold my head high, knowing that I had done my best and that they had lost a darned good employee.

This place operates like a revolving door, with over 20 new hires brought in every week. It’s clear they’re not focused on finding the right people—they’re just filling spots. At this point, it feels like they’re hiring anyone and everyone simply to keep the lines running. They don’t need talent—they just need bodies.

Training is a significant weakness across all departments. There’s a consistent lack of proper structure and accountability, which directly contributes to employee turnover. In many cases, operators are signed off on basic training checklists without any form of competency testing. Once they've completed these checklists—often just by signing a piece of paper—they're allowed to operate machinery or take on tasks with minimal oversight, primarily motivated by the promise of a higher pay rate. As a result, performance is often subpar, leading to frequent rework and inefficiencies. This not only impacts quality but also stunts departmental growth, leaving leadership questioning the lack of progress without addressing the root cause.

Advancement here often depends more on who you know than what you do. Favoritism runs deep, and hard work rarely gets the recognition it deserves. For those who do take the risk to climb the ladder, it often comes at a cost—they’re overworked, under-supported, and taken advantage of. Many stay in these roles not out of ambition, but because they feel they have no other option. In today’s world, survival requires a paycheck, and while the pay might seem decent, it comes at the price of your well-being.

Leads and supervisors often function more like glorified babysitters than true leaders. (Worlds Best babysitters) And this is all under the banner of a company aiming to be number one in the confectionery industry within the next decade. But you can’t become number one if you treat the very people who generate your success as if they’re disposable.

If you're a motivated, driven individual, this is not the place for you. Any spark of ambition you bring will quickly be drained. You're not seen as a person here—you're treated like a machine, expected to perform without question or consideration.

This workplace is a morale killer. Loyalty means nothing. Years of dedication are ignored. Many of those who’ve spent  10+ years here dont stay out of love for the company—they stay because they’re sold the illusion of a “family-oriented” culture and feel trapped after investing so much time.

Over the past 3–4 years, they've conducted three “anonymous”employee surveys, and every single time, communication is flagged as a major issue. Yet nothing changes. How can you aim to be the number one company when you consistently fail at something as fundamental as communication? You can't expect growth or success when you’re heavily lacking in communication. 

As for management—it’s a revolving door. They struggle to keep competent leaders because no one feels respected, supported, or appreciated. And those aren’t assumptions—they’re the actual words of former managers and directors.

Albanese Core Values 

"Own it" – Take accountability for your actions, but don’t expect the same in return from leadership.

"Love people" – That only applies if you're in the front office or part of HR. Everyone else is an afterthought.

"Act for the greater good" – Go above and beyond, but don’t count on any recognition or appreciation.

"Find a way" – Because if you don’t, your performance review—and your raise—will reflect it.

"Hustle and refuse to settle" – Keep bending over backwards while leadership watches from the sidelines, all while implementing programs that divide more than they unite.


And their slogan is Worlds Best….🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️


There are a lot of problems with this company. Firstly they lie to you at every turn. I was told my starting wage was one thing and then when I got my first pay check I found out it was almost $3 lower than what was agreed on. Also, in the interview they tell you that you will have health insurance for you and your family. What they leave out is that your spouse gets nothing. You can add your spouse to your insurance for about $400 a month.

 They promise promotions, you get them, but then they somehow forget that promotions equal raises. If they do agree to give you a raise expect them to drag their feet on the paperwork. Just a warning, asking about your raise will put your job in danger. All positions are temp to hire and I've seen people well past their hire date get fired for asking about being made a full employee. I've also witness them fire a veteran only 5 months back from Iraq who had a very minor PTSD anxiety attack.

The work week is intense, you will be looking at a minimum of 60 hours a week. You can ask for less time, but there are consequences from the management. There are no benefits offered other than terrible insurance. This means no 401k and only 40 hours for vacation time even though a week of work is more like 60+ hours. Just as another warning, if you look for other work DO NOT POST YOUR RESUME ON CAREERBUILDER OR MONSTER THEY WILL CHECK! I've seen people get fired for looking for new jobs. Someone that had worked for this company for more than 4 years put in their 2 weeks notice and was fired on the spot and escorted of the property.

As for the cliqueness if you are not one of the family or friends of the owners then you will not go anywhere in this company. The best example of this is a person everyone refers to as the "Supervisor of the Break room". He is the childhood friend of the production manager and has received nothing but preferential treatment and raises. While so many hard working and qualified people have been either fired or passed up for promotion.

All of this may sound harsh, but I really did have high hopes for this company when I got here. I was let down and so are so many others who are hired here. I have seen the best qualified people fired for no real reasons. If job security is important to you don't work here, but if a revolving door is more your style go for it.

I can only comment on retail and stock. You can expect to work 6-8 hour shift, 3-4 days a week with a paid 30 minute break as a minor unless you request for more time. So it's a really good job for young people in High-school / college. Adult is similar but more work of course, and a shorter break typical 9/5 hours. You will deal with a lot of customers, while multi-tasking to complete task given to you by your managers but it will not be overwhelming amounts of work, and co-workers are always willing to assist you. 
You will learn to better your social skills, work well under pressure, responsibility, and more. Don't think if you are anti-social you can't handle it because you can, trust me. Managers are always willing to work with you. The most enjoyable part of the job is serving the customers, especially when families come in and you know you are making their day better, you have a clear purpose and you can go home with a smile on your face, I love offering samples to families especially when they have kids. The hardest part in my opinion would be multi-tasking. You have to multitask! if you focus solely on customers throughout the day you will fail to get your task completed in time. And vice versa, customers are always a priority so you can never just focus on task you have to work with your co-workers to ensure all task are completed, a little communication goes a long way, but customers will always come first.

Keep a positive mindset and you will enjoy the job overall though, I wish employees had longer breaks. Regardless of age, a lot of businesses have 1-hour breaks like AutoZone for example. 15-30 min breaks are not long enough especially when it's super crowded at the store and you feel overwhelmed, a break can be very beneficial. Albanese needs more employees to better balance the work load, I do not mind working hard but it's not just about me. And last but not least, managers need to have a chart of who went on who goes on break throughout the day it is VERY unlikely but there has been times where I was not sent on break and it was totally forgotten. I am confident if you asked for one you would receive it but some of us have too much of an ego to do so especially coming from families where we have a hard-work culture, we will not ask for one.

Great local company to work for. Owners are onsite and involved. They work with all levels of the company and heavily involved in the company in all aspects. There is no bureaucracy or red tape so decisions are made quickly and things get done. 
Albanese is the fastest growing candy brand in the market and demand is high for our products so as a result the growth is like a rocket ship. This means lots of changes and process improvements need to be made and are made. It's a great working environment for anyone looking to make a positive impact and contribute to a team. It would be stressful for anyone that likes a "maintenance mode" job. 
Benefits are great and rival that of any large global corporation I've worked for. Free health insurance with a low deductible and a reasonably cost buy up plan to buy down the deductible. Paid Time off, family events hosted by the company, and a luncheon for every holiday including the minor ones like Memorial day. STD, LTD, dental, vision, AFLAC, etc. 
There is a generous employee discount at the factory outlet, which you will need because your entire family and friend network will be asking you to bring candy to any party you ever attend, lol. There is candy in the break room pretty much every day to eat for free. Surprisingly, I have not gained weight from working here although it's not for lack of trying! lol
The owners are big on promoting from within. I'm technically not qualified for the position I'm in based on my lack of a degree, but they wanted to give me the opportunity to try. I've been promoted to different positions in the 10+ years that I've worked here that I would have NEVER been given the opportunity to try in the past. In one position, I ended up not liking and did not do well in and instead of firing me, which would happen at most companies, one of the owners and HR found a position that I was better suited for and I'm loving it!

The management is pretty much the worst joke I’ve heard of especially in the HR department. Roughly 3/4 of the staff are around 24 and under with no real work ethic because Albanese has a knack for cycling through workers with their insane turn over rate. There isn’t really any growth within the company unless you want to become a lead which is a terrible mistake because you will only be setting yourself up for even more misery. I’ve worked here a little over a full year and because of this place I can honestly say it has been the WORST year of my life to date. Raises are abysmal and if you ask for what you are worth they will do everything possible to discredit you and make it sound like you’re not worthy of one. I’ve lost plenty of great friends and coworkers here at Albanese because they left from being underpaid for their worth. The company doesn’t seem to grasp the idea that you can’t pay skilled operators the same base pay as new hires…. it’s flat out disrespectful and doesn’t really encourage trained employees to work hard. Getting trained to do your job feels almost impossible at least if you’re up in the kitchens like me. There are absolutely ZERO good trainers because they all either like to take charge and do everything to get things done fast or look good…. it’s either that or they just completely neglect your training all together and you just feel like your worthless because you can’t truly help. Lastly, because there are a ridiculous number of young workers at Albanese there is way too much drama involved with working here. The place is a factory meant for work not a dang high school where everything is he said/ she said. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working there was the people on the production floor. Many of the operators and QCs genuinely care about doing a good job and supporting each other through a fast-paced environment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part was the constant changes in structure and expectations without clear communication. The QC department went through several transitions that made it difficult for employees to understand what the long-term direction actually was.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture on the production floor is driven by the people working there. Operators and QC tend to support each other and work hard to keep things moving. Mid level managers are visible but often overworked and supporting multiple priorities, which limits their availability to spend time with their teams. Upper management is rarely seen on the production floor, which contributes to a disconnect between decisions and the day to day work environment.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day often felt chaotic due to constantly shifting priorities and unclear expectations. Many decisions were pushed up the chain, which sometimes slowed down progress on the floor. Standards and procedures were not always clearly communicated, so employees were often trying to figure out the right approach while keeping production moving.

I started out with orientation watching a video about harassment  and encouraged by the trainer talking about all the benefits at the company was the probation period expired especially the pair of boots I purchased to be reimbursed. None of these things were of benefit. A manager approached me about a pair of pants I had wore a few times, I let him know the material wasnt sweat pant material and the next day I was fired this man reported I was hostile- which was farther from the truth. He was harassing me about pants that generated through gossip of his peer group because they are bored and meaningless- no team work applied- I tried to report him to Albanese HR but they seemed incompetent in even comprehending his blunt violent and rude lies- I was fired no questions asked - Alot of gossiping on the line- very much tension on the line because many temp agency employees want to delegate tasks when Albanese workers are around and gossiping or not being a team player Albanese staff wants to apply policy when there is no policy clause to address an employees concern- concerns and policy dont got hand in hand for Albanese- I was told to report to an employee that worked for a temp agency because the Albanese production lead was not competent in welcoming new hires and training- she seemed distracted with insecurities and ultimately was rude-

Pay is decent and overtime is guaranteed each pay period. The glaring issues are upper management, company hiring process, and ppe in some cases. The management is awful with communication and coordination at times. EX: B shift finished cleanout after finishing product at 3 AM. A shift did not get the paperwork to start the next job until 11AM and plant manager came to us  to tell us to find something to do during that time. It is not my job to find something to do that is the supervisor. I'm not able to just wonder off from my workstation whenever I want and discover who or where needs help in a massive factory. That's why you have a supervisor that oversees those people and assigns them accordingly. . For a company hiring process that basically takes 5-6 weeks to get people in you'd think they'd be more thorough. We received people who could not meet job requirement and refused to move them to a different work group when the team lead requested. The rest of the shift had to pick up what an incapable person could not. Or lets say someone gets fired or quits. you're not new team members for 6 weeks. Pray that you don't lose multiple at once.  In the kitchen you work with powders and such constantly with little ventilation. Unless you are a supervisor you can not get masks and such from the vending machines on site and have to go through supervisors for it. Supervisor doesn't come by until 2 hours through the day? Guess you gotta suck it up.

I have seen a lot of people walk thru the doors of Albanese. they have a high turn over rate, but if you do your job correctly, you have nothing to worry about. So they say, you have everything to worry about. Do not point out, So many good people point out for stupid shyt, they are not playing, it dont matter if your the best worker, if you point out, you are gone!. All the rules in the handbook apply, even if you fall asleep standing up. There is a no tolerance policy for that even if you have no points. It dont matter what type of work ethic you have break any of the rules, you are gone. There is some leeway for those, that's when the favorites come into play. If you go up against a person with disabilities and your just a regular joe off the street who works harder and knows more than the disability person, the disability person stays and your out of a job. Unfortunately I loved my job at one point, but with all the favoritism and being treated like a second class citizen, I gotten tired of eating shyt the last four months. There was noting I could of said or done because of a little worm and you know who you are took my job away. The worst part about it, I stuck up for the worm too.

Working at Albanese Confectionery Group: Company Overview and Reviews

Albanese Confectionery Group

Albanese Confectionery Group Ratings

Popular jobs at Albanese Confectionery Group

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected