The crunchy shells on M&Ms and the creamy filling in Oreos have the same birthplace, a factory in Minneapolis, says the Star Tribune. The FDA-approved sprayers and pumps are a small but fast-growing line of business for Graco Inc., better known for industrial pumps and sprayers used to paint cars or insulate homes.
The Graco machines, costing from $40,000 to $150,000 each, are renowned in the food industry, says the Star Tribune. “We do the fruit for Pop-Tarts,” says a Graco official, who says the company “really specializes in … pumping the really difficult and thick fillings that have high viscosity. We are the market leader.”
The company got into food handling in 1990 and began pushing sales in 2010, The same division in charge of food equipment also makes sanitary and industrial pumps for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and oil companies, said the newspaper.