Equipment & Workflow Guides for Every Cannabis Product Type

Essential Equipment

• Steam-jacketed kettle (5–100 gallons depending on scale)
• Induction burners or electric ranges (for small batch)
• High-shear mixer or emulsifier
• Candy thermometers / digital data loggers
• Depositor (manual, semi-auto, or multi-head)
• Silicone or polycarbonate molds
• Blast chiller or controlled cooling room
• Dehumidifier (critical)
• Stainless steel tables & racks
• Commercial dishwasher or 3-compartment sink

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Ideal Workflow

1. Weigh & stage ingredients
2. Heat syrup mixture in kettle
3. Add infused oil, homogenize
4. Cook to target temperature
5. Deposit into molds
6. Cool rapidly (blast chill preferred)
7. Demold / cut slab gummies
8. Dust with citric/malic acid if required
9. Package & label
10. Hold for COA

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Critical Control Points

• Temperature: Undercooking = sticky gummies; overcooking = cloudy, tough texture
• Humidity: The #1 cause of gummy failures (target RH < 45%)
• Mixing: Cannabinoid homogenization requires consistent shear

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Best Practices

• Store empty molds in a dry, temperature-stable environment
• Use color coding for allergen vs non-allergen molds and tools
• Keep a clean demolding workflow to prevent oil transfer
• Use an inline filter for syrup going into depositors

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Common Mistakes

• No blast chiller → sticky, weeping, or crystallized gummies
• Cooling in walk-ins with no RH control
• Inconsistent potency due to improper mixing

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Chocolate Guide

Tempering Equipment, Climate Control, and Melters

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Essential Equipment

• Chocolate melter or tempering machine (continuous or batch)
• Stainless tables & cooling racks
• Chocolate-specific molds
• Dehumidifier (humidity above 50% ruins chocolate)
• Temperature-controlled chocolate room (64–70°F)
• Scrapers, spatulas, ladles
• Induction or hot plate for melting (if small batch)
• Blast chiller (optional but helpful)

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Ideal Workflow

1. Melt chocolate to ~113°F
2. Cool to tempering point (84–88°F)
3. Reheat gently
4. Add cannabis-infused cocoa butter
5. Mold, tap out air bubbles
6. Cool in temperature-stable room
7. Demold
8. Trim, decorate (optional)
9. Package

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Critical Control Points

• Temperature curve: Slight deviations cause fat bloom
• Room humidity: Must be < 50%
• Infusion method: Prefer infused cocoa butter or homogenized oil

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Best Practices

• Dedicate a separate chocolate room
• Keep molds warm, not hot to avoid streaks
• Store finished product at consistent temp for best sheen

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Common Mistakes

• Working in a hot kitchen → chocolate never sets correctly
• Using cheap molds → poor release, lost product
• Adding infused oil too early → separation

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Baked Edibles Guide

Convection Ovens, Proofers, Mixers & Batch Consistency

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Essential Equipment

• Commercial convection or combi oven
• Floor mixer (20–60 qt depending on volume)
• Induction burners (for infused bases)
• Sheet pans, racks, cooling racks
• Depositor for uniform portioning
• Blast chiller (for fillings or rapid cooling)
• Stainless worktables
• Packaging sealer or flow-wrapper

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Ideal Workflow

1. Prep infused butter/oil
2. Mix batter or dough
3. Deposit into molds/trays
4. Bake in convection oven
5. Cool uniformly
6. Cut (if slab brownies/cookies)
7. Package
8. Test/hold for COA

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Critical Control Points

• Potency distribution: Must homogenize oil thoroughly
• Bake time/temp: Avoid volatile loss of cannabinoids
• Cooling: Prevent condensation which can create microbial risks

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Best Practices

• Use infused butter or oil for accuracy
• Keep an ingredient staging rack to prevent errors
• Use digital scales for every portion

Common Mistakes

• Overbaking infused products → potency drops
• Using residential ovens → inconsistent temp and airflow
• Not batch-coding trays → traceability failure

Beverages Guide

Pasteurization, Bottling, Chilling & Ingredient Stability

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Essential Equipment

• Pasteurizer (batch pasteurizer or tunnel pasteurizer)
• Beverage mixer or homogenizer
• Hot-fill or cold-fill bottling line
• Induction sealer
• Shrink bander (tamper-evident)
• Blast chiller or glycol chiller
• Stainless tanks or beverage kettles
• Water filtration system

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Ideal Workflow

1. Mix base beverage
2. Homogenize infused component
3. Heat/pasteurize (if required)
4. Bottle in sanitized containers
5. Seal and apply tamper-proof band
6. Cool rapidly
7. Label & batch code
8. Hold for COA

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Critical Control Points

• Stability of emulsions (CBD/THC separates easily)
• Pasteurization temperature compliance
• pH levels for shelf-stability
• Clean-in-place (CIP) required for tanks and pipes

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Best Practices

• Use nanoemulsified cannabinoids for better stability
• Conduct shelf-life testing
• Track every bottle with a date code + batch number

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Common Mistakes

• Skipping pasteurization on shelf-stable beverages
• Not controlling oxygen exposure → flavor degradation
• Bottling too hot → warped containers

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Capsules & Tinctures Guide

Precision Dosing Pumps, Decarb Ovens, and Accurate Potency

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Essential Equipment

• Decarb oven for activating cannabinoids
• Precision filling pumps
• Glass or HDPE tincture bottles
• Capsule filling machine (manual or automatic)
• Magnetic stirrers or homogenizers
• Volumetric pipettes or dispensers
• Temperature-controlled storage
• Labeler & induction sealer

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Ideal Workflow

1. Decarb flower or heat isolate
2. Prepare MCT/coconut oil infusion
3. Homogenize tincture solution
4. Fill bottles or capsules
5. Seal and label
6. Batch code
7. Send to lab
8. Store in cool, dark area

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Critical Control Points

• Potency consistency per mL
• Capsule fill weight
• Carrier oil clarity & stability

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Best Practices

• Use precision dosing pumps for consistency
• Avoid overfilling—affects testing and consumer trust
• Track fill accuracy with hourly QA checks

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Common Mistakes

• Using non–food-safe pumps
• Inconsistent mixing → potency drift
• Not storing tinctures in dark, cool conditions