Merckens Small Packs: What Changed, What’s Left & What Now
What Happened to Small-Pack Merckens — and What to Do About It Merckens no longer allows distributors to break down bulk cases and sell the product under their brand name. Small-pack. The distributor repacks you’ve been buying — including the 1, 2, 5 and 10 lb bags we packed here — are no longer being branded as Merckens. Bulk is untouched: 25, 45 and 50 lb Merckens is still available. If you’ve been buying a repacked Merckens melting wafers, your pack sizes are changing and you have a few weeks to decide what replaces them. If you buy by the case, nothing changes. The rest of this post walks through both, and through the options in front of you — including the ones that don’t involve us. What Actually Changed For years, the small bags of Merckens on distributor sites were repacks. A distributor bought factory cases, broke them down into 1, 2, 5 and 10 lb bags, and sold them under the Merckens name. That’s how a product built for commercial kitchens ended up in home-based candy businesses, and it’s the version most cottage-food makers know. Merckens has ended that. A distributor can still sell Merckens — bulk factory packs as-is, and now small packs too — but not under the 'Merckens' brand name. We’re not going to speculate about the reasoning. It’s a manufacturer’s decision about how its brand is sold, and you’ll see the same shift play out across the trade over the next few months as other distributors work through the same rule. In conjunction with this news, we've made the decision to only sell small pack sizes of melting wafers under our own brand - Cambie. If You Buy a Repack: This Is You Most people reading this are here. You go through somewhere between a couple of pounds and a case a month, you buy as you need it, and Merckens in a small bag has been the default because it behaves predictably and everyone in your groups uses it. Here’s what to plan for. Your current bag is fine. Nothing about the product changed. Compound coating stored cool, dry and out of light holds for its full shelf life, so a bag you bought last month is the same product it always was. Don’t rush to use it up. Your reorder is the change. Only Cambie branded small sizes of compound coatings are available now: In 1 lb, 2 lb, and 5 lb bags. What you’re actually choosing. The decision isn’t “Merckens or not.” It’s whether the two sizes that remain fit how you buy, and if they don’t, whether bulk or a different small-pack coating fits better. The options section below covers all of it. The next section is short and it’s for the case buyers, so skip it if that’s not you. If You Buy 25 lb and Up: Unaffected The factory bulk case packs are not discontinued and the brand is not leaving distribution. Merckens milk, dark, white and super white in 25, 45 and 50 lb packs are still being made, still sold through distributors, and still carry the Merckens name on the box. If you’ve been buying by the case from us or anyone else, your order looks the same next month as it did last month. If you’ve been buying 5 or 10 lb bags and were on the fence about stepping up to a case, this is the nudge. Cost per pound drops at the 25 lb break, and the product inside the case is the identical coating you’ve been using. Your Options Now There are five realistic paths. Most of them have nothing to do with us. 1. Buy the Cambie branded melting wafers. This is the direct replacement, and for most repack buyers it’s the answer. If those work for you, you’re done reading. 2. Step up to a factory pack. A 25 lb or 45 lb case of Merckens is the cheapest way per pound to keep using the same coating. It works if you can move the product inside its shelf life and you have somewhere cool and dry to keep it. A rough test: if you’re using more than 2 lb a week, a case is worth considering. 3. Split a case. Two or three makers who already share a market or a kitchen can buy one 25 lb case and divide it. The restriction is on distributors selling repacked product, not on you sharing a case you own. Weigh it out, label it, and keep the lot number from the box in case you ever need it. 4. Move to a different trade coating. If neither remaining size fits how you buy, Merckens is not the only compound coating made for commercial use. Cambie and Van Leer are both professional-grade coatings that are available in smaller quantities and behave in the same family — melt without tempering, set at room temperature, hold a shell. They are not identical to what you’ve been using, and anyone who tells you a substitute is identical is selling something. Expect to run a test batch. We’ll publish a full guide to switching coatings without wrecking a production run in a few weeks; the short version is to test at the size you actually produce, measure set time and bloom at seven days, and adjust your process before you judge the product. None of these is wrong. The right one depends on your weekly volume, your storage, and how much testing you’re willing to do this month. If you want a gut check, the questions in option five are the ones to bring. What We’re Doing About It Two things, briefly. We’re keeping Merckens. The 25, 45 and 50 lb factory packs stay on our shelf, and all of it lives in our Merckens collection. Everything there is Merckens in Merckens’ own packaging — which from here on is the only way we’ll sell it. And we’re replacing our own repacks. The 1, 2, and 5 lb bags we’re retiring will be succeeded by a Cambie melting wafer line in those same sizes, made without tempering, with the melt numbers published so you can check them yourself. It’s not out yet. When it is, the announcement will be a plain statement of what’s available and what it does, and the old repack pages will point to it. Until then, if you have a question about your specific situation — pack size, storage, whether a case makes sense at your volume — email us or ask in the groups. We answer as people, and the answer might be “you don’t need to buy anything from us yet.” Frequently Asked Questions Is Merckens discontinued? No. Merckens factory packs — 25, 45 and 50 lb — are still made and still sold through distributors. What’s ending is Merckens branded distributor repacks — the 1, 2, 5 and 10 lb bags distributors filled themselves. Why can’t I buy Merckens in 1 lb or 2 lb bags anymore? Those bags were distributor repacks of factory cases. Merckens now requires that small packs be sold only in bags Merckens fills and seals itself, which come in 30 oz and 5 lb. Distributors can no longer break cases down and sell the pieces under the Merckens name. Can I still buy Merckens in bulk? Yes. The 25, 45 and 50 lb packs are unaffected and available from distributors, including Cambie. Is the product in my current small bag still good? Yes. Nothing about the coating changed. Store it cool, dry and out of light and use it within its normal shelf life. What’s the closest replacement for a 1 lb, 2 lb or 5 lb Merckens repack? Cambie melting wafers are the closest replacement to what you were buying previously. We offer a variety of melting wafers in 1 lb, 2lb, and 5 lb sizes. Can I split a 25 lb case with other makers? Yes. The restriction applies to distributors reselling repacked product, not to you dividing a case you bought. Weigh, label, and keep the lot number.
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