A Look at a Nerds Candy Production Line

The Food Network’s “Unwrapped” show takes viewers inside of a factory in Itasca, where Nerds and Nerds Rope candy products are made. For professionals in the powder and bulk solids industry, the segment provides an opportunity to see the equipment used to manufacture these pellet-like candies.

Nerds’ irregular shapes are produced using tumble growth agglomeration, according to a primer on agglomeration processes written by chemical processing services provider Howard Industries.

“First we start off with a sugar crystal and we keep coating it with more sugar, liquid corn syrup,” James Ewing, a worker at the plant, told an interviewer during the segment.

Whether you love or hate Nerds, the video provides a concise explanation of how this popular confectionery product is manufactured.