A Hokie-dipped partnership

Before Whitley’s Peanuts had a problem, it had a product. And a famous one at that. 

What began in a small kitchen fryer with Marion Smith’s '61 love for home-cooked Virginia peanuts grew into a thriving company run by three generations of Hokies.

In recent years, the family business faced a recurring challenge: selling out. Specifically, selling out of hand-dipped chocolatey peanut clusters. 

“We have struggled to keep up with the demand for the last few years,” said Todd Smith '89, the founder’s son and current owner of Whitley’s Peanut Factory. “December is one of our busiest times of the year, and in recent years, we’ve had to stop selling some of our chocolatey items in the middle of the month. Several years ago, we actually tried to automate the process, but the quality of the product just wasn’t the same.” 

The handful of Virginia peanuts dipped in a milk chocolatey coating is a customer favorite, especially around the holidays. 

“But there’s only so many hands,” Todd said. “Workers can only scoop so much in a shift.”

The company has expanded tremendously in the 38 years since Marion Smith and Todd Smith’s brother Craig Smith '84 opened their first storefront in Hayes, Virginia, and offered peanuts through a mail-order catalog. After seeing success after the first few years at the Hayes location, Whitley’s opened a second store in 1991 in Williamsburg, which is when Todd Smith joined the company, spearheading its further growth. In 1993, they built a larger facility to keep up with demand between the two retail locations and the mail-order business. Whitley’s launched its website in 1997, causing another boom in sales. Then in 2022, Brett Smith '19, Todd Smith’s son, partnered with Virginia Tech athletics to market Whitley’s products and include them in all sports concessions.

After over 20 years of increased demand for the chocolatey treats, it was once again time for Whitley’s Peanuts to revisit the idea of automation.

In 2023, Brett and Todd Smith attended a packaging and equipment expo highlighting new technologies that they hoped would streamline the production of their company’s most popular products. They were connected with the engineering company INPRO, which specializes in niche projects requiring innovative solutions. It turns out, INPRO had just the right starting point — a robot with the dexterity and sensitivity to achieve the delicate act of mixing and scooping peanuts just as well as people could. 

During Whitley’s initial call with INPRO’s owners Mike Couch '09, '10 and Eric Couch '01 ,'03 a few weeks after the robotics expo, the four alumni realized their Virginia Tech connection and a partnership was born.

“Anytime we tackle a project, there has to be a good working connection and being Hokies was the perfect starting point,” Mike Couch said. “We have to consider if we have the technology, skill set, and competencies to meet our client’s needs, but then there’s also the interpersonal question of whether we mesh, and the shared alumni experience certainly made that a lot easier.” 

No matter which major, college, or discipline, those who bleed maroon and orange share a hunger to work together to solve complex problems. Across varied careers, geographies, and life paths, graduates young and old recognize the spirit of the university in one another and what better solution than a commitment to community? 

Engineering entrepreneurship

Mike and Eric Couch’s father started INPRO Technologies in 1987 as an industrial ultraviolet (UV) curing equipment provider, initially serving as a sales rep company and later developing its own custom UV machines. The company wasn’t necessarily Mike Couch’s passion from the beginning — he wanted to leverage his engineering background and satisfy his desire to problem solve — but he felt a responsibility when his father retired to serve the company alongside his brother.

One of Mike Couch’s first significant projects was with Fender Guitars to deliver a machine that cures coatings on guitar bodies using UV light. The team used 16 large microwave-powered UV lamps in a tunnel, but saw potential for improvement by using a robot arm to scan and cure the coating, replacing the large array of energy-intensive lamps. INPRO purchased its first robot arm and got to work developing its automation capabilities.

“From the Fender project, we realized that robot arms could be a valuable tool to expand our offerings and help clients improve productivity, safety, reliability, and efficiency,” Mike Couch said. “When Whitley’s approached us, I was excited because this is exactly the sort of niche project I look for in developing this branch of INPRO that emphasizes custom robotics and innovation to find new solutions to complex problems.”

No small peanuts

Whitley’s request was both simple and incredibly complex. How do we automate and expedite the process of hand-dipping without losing the handcrafted touch? 

The biggest concern was to avoid crushing the peanuts and turning the cluster into a chocolatey puddle.

“It couldn’t just taste the same. We had to duplicate the size, shape, and integrity of the cluster,” Todd Smith said. “It had to look like what customers have been used to seeing for almost 40 years.”

The consistency of the nut mixture was also a factor. Workers handling the mixture know to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that the temperature remains consistent, which prevents it from cooling, thickening, and changing the end product. Uniformity is key, but how to program the robot to make adjustments that are intuitive for humans?   

To begin, Mike Couch and the INPRO team took a trip to the Whitley’s factory. While visiting, Todd and Brett Smith unearthed a decade-old first attempt to automate the peanut-dipping process: It looked like a piece of farm equipment — clearly thought through, but big and bulky nevertheless. In dusting off the prototype, Mike Couch was hit with a blast from the past.

“I was looking through the pages of the report describing the development of the prototype and realized it had actually been created by Virginia Tech engineering students as part of a senior capstone project,” he said. “I dug a little more and learned the project was led by the same advisor I’d had in my own senior capstone project and on into grad school – Dr. [Kevin] Kochersberger. He had such an impact on me. It honestly blew my mind.” 

Call it serendipity. Call it Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). 

Serving up a solution

Initially, the INPRO team thought of using a conveyor and nozzles, but when Todd and Brett Smith described their initial attempt at this approach and how it crushed the mixture and failed to produce the “hand crafted” look of the product, it became clear that a novel approach would be necessary. Over the course of three months, the team experimented with 3D-printed parts and existing robot arms in INPRO’s shop to design a prototype that could address all of Whitley’s challenges while still giving customers the product they know and love. The new system mimics human movements, using multiple robotic arms that can work continuously and efficiently in tandem with Whitley’s workers.

“We came up with a robot arm with nine spoons integrated into a custom shaker tool. It performs specific tasks including scooping, stirring, and gently shaking the mixture to create consistent clusters with a 'flick of the wrist,'” Mike Couch said.

It uses simple mechanics and programming to automate the process with a combination of mechanical engineering, electrical systems, and software that allows it to perform tasks efficiently and without causing damage to delicate products. As the chocolatey mixture cools and thickens, the robot is programmed to dive deeper into the mixture, scooping from the bottom rather than just the top to ensure it’s properly stirred and remains consistent, much like how a human might stir the mixture by hand.

“It doesn't mix the chocolatey coating and the nuts, but continues to keep the mixture stirred as it works,” Mike Couch said.

The robot also is equipped with a scale to monitor the mass of the mixture. As the robot works, it can detect when the mixture is running low and signal for a refill. This helps ensure that it keeps working without interruption, but the robot is far from autonomous. 

Whitley’s workers oversee and manage the setup, playing a crucial role in the early stages of preparing the chocolatey nut mixture. The operator is responsible for mixing the ingredients and placing them in a warmer before the robot takes over. The robot merely maintains the consistency of the mixture by keeping it stirred as it works. Once the robot scoops the mixture with spoons, moves it to help it drip off any excess, and shakes it into the desired shape, the human operator returns to handle cooling and packaging.

“The interaction between the human-prepared mixture and the robot’s automation allows for a blend of both human craftsmanship and robotic efficiency,” Mike Couch said. “The main difference between this robot and a human worker is that the robot can hold nine spoons at once.”

From prototype to production 

With the final machine complete in summer 2024, it was time to install the robot in Whitley’s factory in Gloucester, Virginia. Early on, the team at INPRO faced some glitches with fine-tuning the system. There were some technical issues, like the robot occasionally "freezing” which the team worked through to resolve quickly. 

Other challenges typical to deployments like this one included physically integrating the robot into the factory’s existing infrastructure, including meeting the increased electricity demands and providing the necessary training for employees to successfully work in tandem with the robot.

Prior to introducing the robots, a team of six to eight employees would produce about 800 pounds of chocolatey clusters per shift, or 100 to 130 pounds per person per shift. Now, two people can operate two robots and produce the same 800 pounds of product per shift. That is, each person can now use one robot to produce 400 pounds per shift, a nearly 300 percent gain in productivity per person, enabling the majority of the former “dippers” to make gains in other areas of the business, such as hand-packing the products or increasing production of some of Whitley’s other delectable products without losing any productivity on the chocolatey clusters.

“We’re thrilled with the quality and the integrity of the cluster,” Todd Smith said, then explained the process leading up to the installation of the robot.

Whitley’s couldn’t sell any of the treats the INPRO team created, even the successful ones, as they weren’t produced under regulation in the factory – but they had to go somewhere. 

“Mike said the best part of the project was getting to eat all the clusters,” Todd Smith said. “But they must have gotten tired of it – we sent over 100 pounds.”

Indeed, by the time Mike Couch and the INPRO team installed a robot in Whitley’s Peanuts Factory that could mimic the famous “hand” dipped product, they could not eat any more chocolatey peanut clusters. Fortunately, they didn’t have to. 

“With the robots improving efficiency, we’re thinking now about how to scale the entire process up, including the cooling process and final packaging to keep up with the increased production,” Mike Couch said.

Whitley’s Peanuts, however, still faced challenges like how an automated process might be received by customers. Clientele were used to “hand-dipped” clusters, and all of Whitley’s packaging touted that touch. 

“We’re adjusting the labeling to read “small-batch made,” Todd Smith said. “It’s about the taste and the quality, and that hasn’t changed.”

They also had to address their employees’ fears around job security and the common skepticism that robots will take human jobs. 

“We are not replacing workers,” Brett Smith said. “Plenty of other parts of the process are not automated. As our company grows, our employees grow. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

In fact, Whitley’s has actually hired new employees, as expanding the output creates new positions in pre-and-post production. If not optimizing the preparation of the chocolatey peanut clusters, or cooling and packaging the final product, there are always eight other Whitley’s snacks for employees to get into the hands of customers, including its famous peanut brittle.

Leading innovation, honoring tradition

Todd Smith still remembers the smell of peanuts roasting in the house he grew up in in Southampton County, home of the Virginia Peanut. Cheering for Virginia Tech when he was a student in the '80s, he had no way of knowing his son would grow his father’s nascent company into the snack of choice for Hokies in the stands. At first the university hadn’t considered a sponsorship, but during a casual golf outing in Roanoke, Brett Smith went out on a limb. 

“After hearing our family’s story, athletics saw the value in partnering,” Brett Smith said. “They promised us that our peanuts would be in every possible corner of athletics, and they worked behind the scenes to make it happen. Now, three years into our partnership, it’s truly special to see the legacy of our family intertwined with the traditions of Virginia Tech. This place is a second home for me.” 

Although Brett Smith is an integral part of the company now – he manages all new product development ideas and strategies, while supporting the sales and marketing teams – he didn’t start in the family business right after graduation. Neither did Mike Couch. Brett Smith worked for a coffee company where he gained experience in quality assurance, research, and development, and Mike Couch spent 10 years in the aerospace industry. 

“You have to gain outside experience and get exposure from different fields,” Todd Smith said. “Be open minded. Listen to people with different perspectives. It’ll broaden your horizons.”

Both Brett and Mike Couch credit their external experiences to better preparing them to not only support their family businesses, but finding a way to grow them that is unique to their own interests – all while honoring their Blacksburg roots.  

“The two most important factors in success are curiosity and a desire to serve,” Mike Couch said. “Be in 'absorb-mode' and get comfortable not being the smartest person in the room. Truthfully, I wasn’t thrilled to join my dad’s company at first. None of my internships excited me and I questioned if engineering was even the right path. The branch I’m developing within INPRO is rewarding, but it took patience to get to this point.”

As for what future success will look like in this endeavor, Mike Couch hopes Whitley’s will see a positive return on its investment in under two years.

“We want to see them get the most out of their investment, and that will involve collecting data on their utilization of it. Right now the robot is probably producing 90 percent of what it’s capable of when they are using it, but there are always ways to reduce waste and lower downtime.”

Todd Smith also acknowledged that while the design is done, there will still be challenges in implementing this device, with learning curves such as training people to operate the technology and properly equipping the facilities to accommodate new processes.

Whitley’s has continued plans to work with INPRO, automating other processes so that workers can be freed up to work elsewhere in the company’s operations, reducing the need for overtime or last-minute shortages. 

“This opens up our business possibilities exponentially,” Todd Smith said, and shelled out an unintended pun.“Down the line, we’d like to look into a conveyor belt.”