sanitation worker

production supervisor

laborer

quality assurance manager

machine operator

Ferrara Candy Company

While there were aspects of the job that was enjoyable (coworkers, events, free candy), I found the overall environment challenging due to the systemic issues that affected both productivity and employee well-being. 

During the interview process, the recruiter felt like they were selling you a used car instead of a career, with the interview process being incredibly drawn out with way too many interviews and a series of tests that felt like they were trying to pass off hiring discrimination as "science-backed personality tests." Orientation at corporate was fun and engaging and almost made you forget how bad the recruiting process was, but afterward, you were left with no training, no management support, and no tools to complete your job.

Many within the HRIS and Learning & Development Teams were very knowledgeable and friendly,  excluding one power-hungry L&D Manager who made every interaction unenjoyable and difficult for no reason.

You would expect the HR team of a well-known company to be collaborative, efficient, and inclusive, but that is not the case at Ferrara. For anyone considering an HR position here, I would strongly recommend asking as many questions as you can about the management style, team dynamics, and know exactly what your jobs duties and expectations are, or else you will be doing the clean-up work of the many HR people who have left as quickly as I did.

Working in this environment feels like being trapped in a never-ending nightmare. Upper management's iron-fisted approach leaves no room for compassion or understanding. The Chief Manufacturing Officer rules with an iron fist, lacking any semblance of empathy or patience. Instead of fostering growth and collaboration, he thrives on publicly shaming and humiliating employees for any perceived shortcomings.

The pressure to meet KPIs is suffocating, with employees reduced to nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet. It's a relentless cycle of being labeled either "Red" or "Green," with no middle ground or consideration for extenuating circumstances. Weekly Zoom meetings serve as platforms for public floggings, where those in the red are subjected to verbal lashings that strip away any remaining shreds of dignity.

Every day becomes a battle to survive, with back-to-back meetings and endless Zoom calls leaving no time to actually address the root causes of performance issues. Instead of empowering employees to succeed, this toxic culture breeds resentment, anxiety, and despair. It's a soul-crushing experience that drains the life out of you, leaving you questioning your worth and dreading each new week in this cycle of misery.

Don’t even know where to begin!
This place is a prison, not a working environment.
Their policies are strict, but can become irrelevant-bending to production needs- if production is threatened. Yes, this is a factory. Factories rely on production, but this is gluttonous.

This facility is equipped with fascinating technology. Intriguing robotic arms to assist with packaging and pallet building. Don’t forgot the employees that are treated like robots, doing monotonous work every single day.
The machines even get more breaks than the employees.

Long days, everyday.
Don’t come here expecting your typical “8 and skate.” Unless you’re a salaried employee. Then you’re guaranteed to leave before the hourly.

The pay is great because the company realizes how miserable and toxic the environment is there. Trapped inside for 50+ hours a week.
Can’t leave for lunch so they serve you lunch. Can’t go outside so they built a nice little 20x5 outdoor, gated dining area.
Can’t breathe or blink without being questioned.

The QA department has no standards.
Favorites are played amongst the line operators and QA techs. If your QA is having a bad day or they don’t care for you, that determines whether or not you’ll have a good day.

Stay far away from here.


Managment is awful. The policies are awful. The environment is extremely toxic.
Especially on 1st shift.

1st shift gets away with everything, and leaves all the cleaning and set-ups for 2nd shift. Some lines will be down for hours on 1st shift just so 2nd shift can set it them up.
If 2nd shift has a machine down for 5-10 minutes, the Supervisor and Lead Operators are breathing down our necks wondering what happened.
Better not use the restroom while your line goes down. It turns into a game of 20 questions for having to do a simple human action.
You’re not a human here, just a number making candy.

Management doesn’t know how to manage their labor. They’ll give you a certain amount of people for your line and that’s all you’re allowed. If you ask for help or 1 extra person for labor, it’s like pulling teeth. 
They’ll play favorites at times and give labor to lines that don’t need the additional labor.
They cut you on line labor and expect you to increase your performance.

Management thinks machine operators can run their line, do paperwork, fix issues and relieve their labor all while making sure the line runs.

Everyday they expect more and more without giving anything.

Talk about a greedy corporation.



Working at Ferrara is exciting from the beginning to the end of the day
New projects, new ideas to be executed, a constant challenge to make Ferrara the number 1 globally, an excellent and motivating challenge to be part of this great community
At the managerial level, the doors are always open to all employees without restrictions and ready to listen, attend to and resolve complaints or ideas
A multicultural workplace full of joy every day
The hardest thing is to say no to group work, because everyone participates,
The easiest thing here at Ferrara is that ideas flow unlimitedly, and resources are there to be applied to improvements
Ferrara has excellent benefits, Healt, Vision, Dental insurance, 401K, life insurances and more 
Great support to all employees to enjoy time with family
I am very happy working here at Ferrara Candy since 3 years ago and have plans to retire here working!

The organization has perks such as free lunch on Friday's, wine and beer after hours and the new office space prior to Covid has a very industrial loft appearance. There are a ton of new hires which mean gaps in knowledge. None of those details is negative. 

The culture of the organization is a contradiction of what the CEO encourages. Senior director and higher are unwilling to listen. Also if you don't support their style or point of view they will belittle you making it extremely uneasy to voice your opinion. There is a lot of nepotism which is typical of many organizations but it's very evident and unless constructive criticism is coming from their friends they are unwilling to listen. Also if they find that you've challenged their way of seeing things, they will also make the workplace very hostile.

Working is a structured, purposeful engagement that blends personal dedication with collective goals. It is essentially a daily routine designed to turn expertise and action into tangible outcomes, such as projects completed, services rendered, or solutions found. A productive work experience often requires an organized approach to managing time, prioritizing critical tasks, and navigating challenges efficiently. It involves collaboration with others, sharing ideas, and providing feedback to boost productivity and foster a supportive environment. Whether in a physical office, remote setting, or creative space, work is about aligning individual skills with company objectives to generate value. Ultimately, it is a dynamic process—a balance of meeting daily, measurable targets while contributing to long-term professional growth and organizational success, requiring a mix of technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and a dedicated, communicative, and positive mindset.

Ferrara is a great company to work for.  If you want to be appreciated for what you do and you hard work Ferrara does a good job.  Advancement opportunities are good and most of the upper management are great to work with and for.  Where Ferrara needs work is its structure and internal mechanisms.  They are about 10 years behind the curve in their technology implementation for plant operations and financial reporting.  Under Catterton they were obsessed with the bottom line and setting the company up to go public or sell while the ship was sinking and the plants were cut to the bone.  I am hoping that under the Ferraro ownership this philosophy will change.

I loved my job first off very active position must be a great multi tasker.I had alot responsibilities that goes with my position. have to make sure you change date codes every day to ensure products are getting shipped properly. Have to be focused at all times have look almost 5 areas of the auto bulk. Superformer box machine,bag inserter , tape machine, work the robot,etc. Have to check all conveyor belts every hour for shavings.Over all I have learn alot of things at this job, you  basically training yourself to make operations run smooth every day ,you learn something everyday.Management helps you in the best way they can basically you got to be focus to run the auto bulk area and also like your job.

At first, this place was a fun work environment. After the company transferred to a new building and relocated to DeKalb, everything seemed to have gone downhill. Expect to work long days. 10, 12 hour shifts, more than 5 days a week sometimes. Mangement is rude, demanding and their expectations are too high. I've never seen a place so unappreciative of their hard-working employees. They don't follow their own standards and bend the rules as they please.  The pay was great but you end up getting burned out. The most difficult part of the job is knowing that you work in an extremely toxic environment. Forget any suggestions because management won't listen. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sanitation worker 18 salaries reported	$18.41 per hour
Production supervisor 5 salaries reported	$75,500 per year
Laborer 4 salaries reported	$16.07 per hour
Quality assurance manager 19 salaries reported	$81,432 per year
Machine operator 3 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour

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