Midwest Food Processors Association Directory

The Midwest Food Processors Association, Inc. is a trade association that advocates on behalf of food processing companies and affiliated industries in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  Established in 1905 as the Wisconsin Canners Association, today the association represents a more diverse group of food processors on a variety of food issues.

Sharpe Mixers has been building mixers for the food and beverage industry for over 30 years.  From simple beverage syrup and juice concentrate blending to brew mash kettles and high viscosity products, successfully mixing a wide spectrum of food products has built a solid foundation of experience.

Share Mixers is proud to be a prominent listing in the MFPA's 2014-2015 directory.  For more information on our sanitary mixers, be sure and visit our website.

Sharpe Mixers Featured on "How It's Made" Television Show

Sharpe Mixers has been a leader in the food and beverage industries for many, many years.  So it should be no surprise that our mixers were recently featured on the "How It's Made" TV show, for a segment on how mayo is made.

These agitators are used to prepare the “pre-blend” of oil, vinegar, eggs and spices prior to milling that creates the final “fluffy” product – mayonnaise.

Originally sold in 1997, our mixers worked so well that the customer placed an additional order in 2006 to expand their operation.

Sharpe Mixers at Process Expo 2011

Sharpe Mixers exhibited at the now bi-annual Process Expo 2011, Chicago, Nov 1-4, 2011.

This is the first year that Process Expo is a stand-alone exhibition. It had been part of Pak Expo in the past. The new format brings a more focused audience to the show. People interested in food & beverage processing equipment, not packaging equipment, made up most of the attendees we saw this year. Our exhibit drew many food processors, especially, meat packers looking for brine mixers. Our all stainless steel portable mixer is a favorite in this industry.

Sharpe Mixers was the only agitator supplier at Process Expo. Other mixer companies, like those offering specialty mixers and high shear mixers were in attendance, but none of our common competitors were there.

Sharpe Mixers participated in the educational part of the exhibition this year. Two technical sessions were presented, detailing the sanitary design features used by Sharpe Mixers to bring our equipment into conformance with USDA, 3A and FDA standards and guidelines. Much of the focus was on our line of all stainless steel portable mixers. One of the seminars was presented in Spanish by Laurie Thayer, our in-house linguist and purchasing manager, to a Latin American audience, organized by FISA’s (Food Industry Suppliers’ Association) Educational branch, under their “Seminario de Innovaciones” program. Kyle Sides, our director of sales, presented the same seminar to a large group of English speaking participants.

The food & beverage industry continues to be a growing part of our business, as more and more plants look to upgrade the quality of their mixing equipment. Sharpe Mixers product development catering to the sanitary industries has made a very good impression on the marketplace. Show attendees who stopped by our exhibit recognized the advantage of our product features and benefits, making statements like “This is what we need”, “How soon can we get one of these?”, and “This is the mixer I was telling you about.”

The show was also a good opportunity to visit with our local sales representatives at Anderson Pumps & Process, with offices in Illinois and Wisconsin. Some of our other sales representatives visited us, including folks from F & H Food Equipment Co., KGO Group, Inox Pumps & Process and York Fluid Controls.

The future of the process industry trade show is definitely in transition. The overall attendance at this year’s Process Expo was good, not terrific, but, highly qualified. Attendance at most shows has dropped in the past few years, due to both the internet and the economic downturn. Going to a bi-annual cycle will help Process Expo maintain a better than average interest level. We may see other industry shows going to a less than annual calendar, in the future.

Sharpe Mixers will continue to support the food & beverage industry by exhibiting at Process Expo in October 2013.


Submitted by Fred DeCicco

Process Expo - The Global Equipment and Technology Show!

Be sure and mark your calendars for this BIG event in Chicago, Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, and come see us at booth 5123.  Admission is FREE!

What is Process Expo?  Process Expo is one of the largest shows dedicated to process equipment for food and beverage.  It gathers the industry’s leading processing and packaging equipment manufacturers in one convenient place.  Here you will find solutions for your most critical issues and new technologies that will give you an advantage over your competition.  With experts from all segments of the food and beverage industry, you’ll find cross-over opportunities that you might not have realized were there.

As a leading mixer supplier in the food and beverage industry, Sharpe Mixers will not only be attending this year's event, we'll be offering two keynote presentations!

Kyle Sides, Applications Engineer/Director of Sales at Sharpe Mixers, will be offering a presentation on Easy, Clean and Sanitary Design Options for Mixers and Agitators.

TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1:15 - 2:15pm

ROOM: S102A

The focus of the seminar will be on mixer and agitator options and their impact on price and quality. Cleanability is a leading requirement in the food industry and this presentation will help processors meet the new 3-A requirements and standard practices.

Kyle has worked at Sharpe Mixers for 15 years.  He has a wide range of field experience and has traveled not only across the U.S., but also in China, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Canada.  Kyle currently designs and quotes sanitary mixers for the food and pharmaceutical industry, with an emphasis on easy-clean applications.

Laurie Thayer will offer a presentation in Spanish of  Easy, Clean and Sanitary Design Options for Mixers and Agitators.

TIME:  Monday, Oct. 31 9:00 - 10:00 am.

Laurie has been with Sharpe Mixers for four years, coming from international business on the East Coast. Laurie’s focus is to secure the highest quality materials at the best cost for the mixer components Sharpe Mixers manufactures. She has traveled to Latin America to assist in start-up operations and supports the design engineers in complex translations during the technical and quotation phases of the business. As a director at Sharpe Mixers, Laurie is involved in company strategies and future business direction.

Sharpe Mixers has a long history of supplying liquid mixers from small, all-stainless steel portable sizes to large-capacity blend tanks, with applications varying from water-like to cosmetic pastes and gels.
 
Process Expo is the premier worldwide trade show for leaders in the food and beverage industry. We are excited to be a part of it and look forward to seeing you there!
 
Need help with your mixing needs NOW?  Let's get started!

Process Expo in Las Vegas, Oct 5-7

PROCESS EXPO provides the newest developments in processing technology to meet the challenges faced by the industry's food and beverage manufacturers. So it should be of no surprise that Sharpe Mixers will be there to showcase our latest offerings for the food and beverage industry!

Come see us at the at Booth #S7137. Our President/CEO Jay Dinnson and Applications Engineer Kyle Sides will be on hand to answer all your questions and share close-up examples of our industry leading products!