The sixth edition of the Iron Confectioner had just begun, and frenzy ensued as both teams began collecting various caramel ingredients to bring back to their workstations.

When I started reviewing the topics for the American Association of Candy Technologists’ (AACT) program for its National Technical Seminar being held at the beginning of this week in Chicagoland, I quickly highlighted the presentation being given by Ed Seguine, the chocolate research fellow for Mars Global Chocolate.

What happens when you put a bunch of confectionery buyers in a small back room and ask them about the candy industry?

"The behind-the-scenes tours were by far one of the most interesting parts of the week for me."

"The behind-the-scenes tours were by far one of the most interesting parts of the week for me."

A truly remarkable thing happened to me on the way to the European Candy Kettle Club (ECKC) award in Helsinki — I met the founder of the organization, Guy Urbain.

When I had the chance to break bread with Patrick Huffman, we talked. And talked. This year's 68th Kettle Award recipient is a great storyteller.

The ECKC does its over a period of three days, which includes a meet’n greet dinner, a plant tour, a mega reception, and a final farewell tour of the city and sights. In addition, the venue changes each year.

The thing about the 2020 sustainability goal is that everyone already knows there’s no way every single company will be able to get 100 percent “Fairtrade” chocolate.

When I had the chance to break bread with Patrick Huffman, we talked. And talked. This year's 68th Kettle Award recipient is a great storyteller.