About Us
At Clasen Quality Chocolate, we are guided by our mission and values to serve the industry with excellence.
CQC Mission Statement
Be the preferred supplier of safe, high quality chocolate and confectionery coatings through operational excellence. Leverage our highly skilled organization to drive superior customer service, flexibility, and innovative new products that will generate profitable, sustainable growth.
CQC Values
INTEGRITY
With every decision made, we want to ensure we are always “doing the right thing”. We maintain a strict adherence to honesty, ethics, and equality.
COMMITMENT
We are driven by our commitment to our customers, our employees, and the community. We have committed to meeting and surpassing our customers’ expectations to develop a partnership based on trust.
RESPECT
We value the relationships with our customers, suppliers, and employees and hold them in the highest regard. Our goal is to always act in the same way that we would want to be treated.
FLEXIBILITY
We foster a culture that supports nimbleness and timely decision making to meet our customers’ ever-changing demands. We learn from our mistakes to support continuous improvement.
The CQC team is made up of the best and brightest in the food manufacturing industry. Years of experience and ongoing training initiatives for each employee result in a highly skilled team working together to take an innovative and flexible approach to meeting our customers’ needs.
Service Promise
CQC promises you outstanding service from your first interaction with us until product reaches your customers. What exactly does that mean? See for yourself!
WE PROMISE TO SERVE YOU WITH INTEGRITY
When working with CQC, you can be confident that we will never jeopardize your product’s quality or the integrity of either of our businesses.
WE PROMISE TO SERVE YOU WITH COMMITMENT
We consistently receive customer referrals due to our commitment to meeting and surpassing expectations. We work hard to develop a partnership based on trust.
WE PROMISE TO SERVE YOU WITH RESPECT
We respect our relationship with you and treat you as a valuable extension of our team. Our goal is to act in the same way that we’d want to be treated.
WE PROMISE TO SERVE YOU WITH FLEXIBILITY
We know your business initiatives and priorities are constantly changing. Therefore, we foster a culture that supports nimbleness and timely decision making. We have the freedom to adapt and quickly develop solutions to meet your needs.
History
In 1959, recent German immigrants, the Clasen brothers, opened a European bakery in Madison, Wisconsin and marketed on a small scale to friends and local neighbors.
1966 – The business expanded and the Clasen Candy Company is established.
1970 – The brothers began to produce and market their own confectioner’s coating and changed the name to Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc. to reflect the company’s new focus.
1998 – Ralph Clasen sells CQC to current Owner and President – Jay Jensen. CQC remains a family owned and operated business, and still is to this day. Shortly after the sale, the Middleton Research and Development Lab opens.
2007 – CQC builds a new manufacturing facility in Watertown, WI.
2008 – CQC’s Corporate Office and Innovation Center opens in Madison, WI.
2009 – The company produces its first Standard of Identity chocolate.
2010 – Clasen Quality Cartage is founded as the company’s own private trucking fleet and begins delivery of bulk liquid loads.
2018 – CQC continues to expand, building a new, third facility in Spanish Springs, Nevada to service the West Coast.
2023 – Milton, Wisconsin facility opens with rail access. This loaction in Rock County also serves as the new home for cartage.
