• If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in Startup Help.

Scaling up from 100 bottles to 2000 bottles. Advice needed!

HI! 
 
I have been contacted by a distributor to buy 2,000 bottles of my hot sauce at whole sale price.   I have been operating out of my home licensed kitchen up until now, making at most, 100 bottles a day.  
 
In order to make 2,000 bottles I will need to buy some new equipment and rent a commercial kitchen.  I have so many questions.
 
I am hoping this thread, though it is long, can serve as a reference for future sauce makers in my position.
 
I'm asking for advice in multiple departments here from cooking, scaling up receipes, hiring help, commercial kitchen rentals, etc.
 
 
COOKING
 
 
SCALING UP:
Please give any tips to scaling up a recipe. I have heard you can multiply ingredients in equal ratios except for salts.  Any advice on how to scale up salt?   Right now I have an accurate recipe for about 100 bottles.  Should I just multiply everything by 5 to make 500 bottles, and work 4 days straight in the kichen to meet my 2,000 demand?
 
 
BLENDING:
I've' been using my blender for creating sauce at home. Is there a giant blender I can use to blend ingredients when making large batches How do you blend things in such a large scale capacity?  Does a commercial kitchen usually provide the equipment needed for this?
 
BOTTLING:
I am looking at buying a Handy Filler (VPF108-SL) to help with the bottling process. It looks pretty perfect for what I need to be doing. 
 
Can anyone suggest any alternatives?  I will be bottling into standard 5 oz woozy bottles
 
 
COMMERCIAL KITCHENS
 
I have scheduled a kitchen tour with a well reviewed commercial kitchen. Until the meeting, I have several questions. I'm hoping people here with experience can weigh in...
 
 
EQUIPMENT
What kind of equipment should I expect a standard commercial kitchen to provide for me in the hot sauce making process?  
 
SANITIZING BOTTLES
I have read that putting glass bottles in an industrial dishwashing machine found in common commercial kitchens is the most efficient way of sanitizing bottles.  Is this the standard method? Can someone help describe the method of sanitizing bottles in bulk at a commercial kitchen.
 
HIRING HELP
I am fully up to FDA standards (licensed with BPCS certificate).  If I want to hire a friend to help me in the kitchen, will they need to be certified in any way similar or is that unnecessary?
 
 
SHIPPING PALLETS OF SAUCE
 
Once the hard work is done and the sauce is made, I need to then get the bottles shipped all the way across the country from Oregon to New York.  Each case holds 12 bottles, so I will have a total of 167 cases to ship.  I'm looking into how to do this properly. A friend who is in the wholesale condiments industry has said I should expect about $400 to ship the pallets to the east coast.  
 
Any tips on this?  
 
 
THANK YOU EVERYONE - This will be a GIANT learning curve for me, but I am open and ready for the next chapter of my business!  Thank you!
 
-Jake / Newks Hot Sauce
www.newkssauces.com
www.instagram.com/newks_hot_sauce
IMG_4533_720x.jpg

 
 
Newks_Hot_Sauce said:
I am hoping this thread, though it is long, can serve as a reference for future sauce makers in my position.
 
I'm asking for advice in multiple departments here from cooking, scaling up receipes, hiring help, commercial kitchen rentals, etc.
Sorry, no personal experience.... BUT!

Large capacity blender
Commercial Blender
Commercial Bottling
Sterilizing
Time To start Processing 73 gallons of Hot Pepper mash
Bringing my hot sauce to market
Are There Small Companies That Will Make Your Hot Sauce For You?
Large scale batches
Sourcing Ingredients - Ready to Scale!
Question about commercial kitchens, etc.
 
 
Can't help much neither but I wish you good luck with your expansion project. Great recap NECM!
 
Reply in CAPS since I don't feell like trying to do colors~~~ I'm NOT YELLING  :lol:
 
Newks_Hot_Sauce said:
HI! 
 
I have been contacted by a distributor to buy 2,000 bottles of my hot sauce at whole sale price.   I have been operating out of my home licensed kitchen up until now, making at most, 100 bottles a day.  
VERY EXCITING!!!
 
In order to make 2,000 bottles I will need to buy some new equipment and rent a commercial kitchen.  I have so many questions.
 
I am hoping this thread, though it is long, can serve as a reference for future sauce makers in my position.
 
I'm asking for advice in multiple departments here from cooking, scaling up receipes, hiring help, commercial kitchen rentals, etc.
 
 
COOKING
 
 
SCALING UP:
Please give any tips to scaling up a recipe. I have heard you can multiply ingredients in equal ratios except for salts.  Any advice on how to scale up salt?   Right now I have an accurate recipe for about 100 bottles.  Should I just multiply everything by 5 to make 500 bottles, and work 4 days straight in the kichen to meet my 2,000 demand?
 
WORKING IN SEVERAL SMALLER BATCHES IS BETTER THAN TRYING TO GO ALL IN ON ONE BIG BATCH, ESPECIALLY DURING THE LEARNING PHASE
 
 
BLENDING:
I've' been using my blender for creating sauce at home. Is there a giant blender I can use to blend ingredients when making large batches How do you blend things in such a large scale capacity?  Does a commercial kitchen usually provide the equipment needed for this?
 
COMMERCIAL KITCHENS PROBABLY HAVE SOMETHIGN IN LINE OF A NINJA, BLENDTEC OR VITAMIX.  LOOK AT BREAKING DOWN YOUR RECIPE TO SEPARATE THE INGREDIENTS THAT NEED BLENDERING.  SO MAYBE IN A 10 GALLON BATCH, YOU ARE ONLY BLENDERING 2 GALLONS OF PEPPERS INSTEAD OF ALL THOSE PEPPERS IN THE FULL AMOUNT OF LIQUIDS WHICH WOULD BE 10 GALLONS OF STUFF.
 
BOTTLING:
I am looking at buying a Handy Filler (VPF108-SL) to help with the bottling process. It looks pretty perfect for what I need to be doing. 
 
Can anyone suggest any alternatives?  I will be bottling into standard 5 oz woozy bottles
 
 
 
 
COMMERCIAL KITCHENS
 
I have scheduled a kitchen tour with a well reviewed commercial kitchen. Until the meeting, I have several questions. I'm hoping people here with experience can weigh in...
 
 
EQUIPMENT
What kind of equipment should I expect a standard commercial kitchen to provide for me in the hot sauce making process?  
 
GENERIC POTS, PANS, BLENDERS, SLICERS.  ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO YOUR OPERATION, LIKE MAYBE A COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC SIEVE, WILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
 
SANITIZING BOTTLES
I have read that putting glass bottles in an industrial dishwashing machine found in common commercial kitchens is the most efficient way of sanitizing bottles.  Is this the standard method? Can someone help describe the method of sanitizing bottles in bulk at a commercial kitchen.
 
I HAVE USED HOME DISHWASHER RACKS.  I ACTUALLY GOT A COUPLE RACKS FROM A JUNK YARD.  THEY WERE IN GOOD CONDITION, NO RUST. THE DAY BEFORE PROCESSING, I RINSE THE BOTTLES IN A BLEACHWATER  SOLUTION, AND UP-END THEM ON THE SPIKES AND KEEP PILING THE BOTTLES INTO THE RACK.  THE DW RACK IS ON THE DRAINBOARD OF THE SINK.  I CAN FIT ABOUT 6 CASES OF 5OZ WOOZIES INTO ONE TYPICAL DW RACK.  LEAVE THEM OVERNIGHT TO DRAIN AND FOR THE CHLORINE TO DISSIPATE.  GOOD TO GO THE NEXT DAY FOR BOTTLING.  CLEAN, DRY, SANITIZED...
 
HIRING HELP
I am fully up to FDA standards (licensed with BPCS certificate).  If I want to hire a friend to help me in the kitchen, will they need to be certified in any way similar or is that unnecessary?
 
THEY MIGHT NEED A LOCAL FOOD HANDLERS PERMIT, BUT AS YOU ARE THE BPCS CERTIFIED PERSON, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE ALL THE PROCESSING IS DONE CORRECTLY.  HAVING AN ASSISTANT HOLDING THE SUCTION TUBE, APPLYING LABELS, CAPPING ETC... SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THE SAUCE IS AT TEMP, CAPPED, INVERTED FOR THE PROPER TIME, INGREDIENTS ARE GOOD, NO CHIPS ON THE BOTTLES, YADAYADAYADA...
 
 
SHIPPING PALLETS OF SAUCE
 
Once the hard work is done and the sauce is made, I need to then get the bottles shipped all the way across the country from Oregon to New York.  Each case holds 12 bottles, so I will have a total of 167 cases to ship.  I'm looking into how to do this properly. A friend who is in the wholesale condiments industry has said I should expect about $400 to ship the pallets to the east coast.  
 
Any tips on this?  
 
 
THANK YOU EVERYONE - This will be a GIANT learning curve for me, but I am open and ready for the next chapter of my business!  Thank you!
 
-Jake / Newks Hot Sauce
www.newkssauces.com
www.instagram.com/newks_hot_sauce
IMG_4533_720x.jpg

 
Best of Luck!  I hope this sale works out to be profitable for you.  Maybe scale it back for the first order, go with your gut.
 
:Cheers:
 
SL
 
hola,
good luck in your venture.
From my brewing experience, you can sanitize bottles by pilling them in the oven, then turn the heat to 110celsius for 30 min heat on top and bottom (but dont let the bottles rest on top of the resistance/heat source use a tray) then at 200celsius for 1 hour. I let them cool overnight inside the oven without open it.
 
Back
Top