Weigh out every ingredient
Use the recipe to weigh each ingredient on a scale before it goes into the mixer.
Career profile
Food Batchmaker
Food batchmakers mix measured ingredients into batches in large factory mixers, following exact recipes.
You watch a blend reach just the right feel. Then you try to get the next batch to turn out the same way.
A day in the life
Program the mixer's time and temperature
In a bakery, you set the mixing time and dough temperature on the machine's control panel.
Judge whether the batch is done
Judge a sample against the goal by feel or test results, and change processing time if it's unfinished.
Log the batch's production record
Write down the ingredients used, temperatures and test results so the production record shows what happened.
Clean the blender and area
You clean the blender, other equipment and your work area, following the plant's sanitation steps.
Quick facts
High school + workplace training
United States · 2025–2035
$42,290/year
United States · May 2025
6.5% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + workplace trainingA high school diploma or equivalent is typical, followed by training on the job.
Pay
$42,290/yearNational median for food batchmakers, equivalent to $20.33 an hour.
Outlook
6.5% projected growthEmployment of food batchmakers is projected to grow from 2025 to 2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like getting measurements right.
- You can repeat a process without skipping checks.
- You notice when a machine sounds different.
Things to weigh
- Standing, lifting ingredients, and bending to clean equipment can make a shift physically tiring.
- Factories can be noisy, and production schedules may put you at work early in the morning or overnight.
Where AI may help
Some bakery systems automatically measure and feed ingredients into mixers, reducing hand loading.
What people still lead
Operators still set the cycle and check dough consistency.
What we can’t predict yet
How much future equipment takes over those checks will depend on the product and the mixing system.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare actual offers: employers may weigh your experience, equipment skills, and location when setting pay.
The national midpoint
Food batchmakers earned a median $42,290 a year, or $20.33 an hour. Half earned more and half earned less.
The pay spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned $31,990 or less annually; the highest-paid 10% earned $58,940 or more. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Food manufacturing pay
Within food manufacturing, the annual median was $43,830, compared with $42,290 across all industries. That difference does not guarantee a higher offer at a particular plant.
Openings over the decade
About 23,100 openings per year are projected for 2025–2035, including replacement openings as well as growth. This is a national estimate, not a count of jobs available nearby.
Getting started
Learn in an entry-level job
- What the route involves
- Apply with a high school diploma or equivalent and learn equipment operation and food safety from experienced workers.
- What it can lead to
- You build the skills to operate and care for the plant's processing equipment.
Bring manufacturing experience
- What the route involves
- Build hands-on experience operating blending or packaging equipment in manufacturing.
- What it can lead to
- That background can meet experience requirements for mixing jobs that are not entry level.
You typically learn this work after hiring. Some jobs accept newcomers; others require related equipment experience.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn your machine's safe operation, cleaning routine, and signs of trouble.
Handle more of the process
Develop changeover and troubleshooting skills so you can help keep production running between batches.
Guide other workers
An experienced batchmaker may take responsibility for directing helpers through the batchmaking process.
Where you can work
Dry-food blending plants
You may move between blenders, grinders, and packaging equipment. Powder handling brings dust, and changing products means cleaning and resetting equipment.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Commercial bakeries
Dough mixing involves temperature and timing. Some jobs include moving dough troughs into fermentation rooms before the next mixing stage.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On paper, scale a four-ingredient recipe to make three times as much. Create a batch sheet with a checkbox beside each amount, then have someone check your arithmetic. Notice whether you enjoy the precision and recordkeeping.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Food Batchmakers — 51-3092.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Food Batchmakers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Manufacturing: NAICS 311. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Processing Equipment Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Woodland Foods. Batch Mixer/Processing Operator 1st Shift. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Ragenta. Dough Mixer. Accessed 2026-10-03.