Scaling from your first test batch to your second rarely goes perfectly. If you haven’t yet documented your full process, start with our guide on How to Scale a Recipe for Manufacturing.
The goal of your second test run is to identify what’s changing—and fix it before moving to larger production.
Common issue: Texture, flavor, or consistency shifts when scaling up.
Why it happens: Ingredients interact differently in larger quantities due to changes in surface area, mixing time, and heat transfer. Powders may clump, liquids may separate, and emulsions may break.
How to fix it:
Pre-mix dry ingredients before adding liquids or see if you can source dry versions of your liquid ingredients.
Use weight, not volume, for accuracy.
Test ingredient order—when and how you add components affects results.
Note any changes in texture or viscosity.
Read more about why ingredients behave differently at scale and Best Practices for Selecting Ingredients That Scale.
Common issue: The center of your batch heats or cools slower than the edges, creating inconsistent results.
Why it happens: The surface area-to-volume ratio decreases as batches grow, slowing heat transfer.
How to fix it:
Allow more time for heating and cooling.
Stir or mix more frequently to distribute temperature evenly.
Avoid raising temperatures to “catch up”; that often burns or oxidizes ingredients.
Use a thermometer to confirm uniformity before moving to the next step.
Common issue: Product texture changes—dense, airy, or separated.
Why it happens: Larger batches increase mixing inertia. Equipment speed and duration that worked in small batches no longer produce the same shear or aeration.
How to fix it:
Mix by time and visual cues (texture, uniformity), not just habit.
Record mixing times and RPMs.
Test smaller sub-batches if your equipment can’t achieve even blending at full volume.
Common issue: Packages fill unevenly or vary in net weight.
Why it happens: Product density and viscosity can change with temperature or rest time.
How to fix it:
Calibrate filling equipment between batches.
Keep temperature consistent during filling.
Record actual vs. target fill weights after every run to spot trends early.
Common issue: One step in production takes significantly longer than others, creating delays or wasted product.
Why it happens: Manual processes, limited capacity, or non-optimized layout slow the overall workflow.
How to fix it:
Time each process step and identify the slowest.
Explore simple fixes first—staging ingredients, pre-heating equipment, or reorganizing flow.
Note constraints for future equipment upgrades.
If you're part of the Union Kitchen Accelerator, we can help run a Bottleneck Analysis and identify the best solutions for your leading constraints.
Common issue: Finished product quantity doesn’t match your projections.
Why it happens: Spillage, overfills, or equipment residue reduce total yield.
How to fix it:
Measure yield after every batch (finished units ÷ theoretical yield).
Identify where waste occurs—mixing, transfer, or packaging.
Adjust your batch size calculations to account for average loss until processes stabilize.
Once you’ve logged each issue and its fix, compare your first and second test runs. Are results more consistent? Are yields higher? Use those data points to decide if you’re ready for your first market-ready batch or need another controlled test.