co-packer Are There Small Companies That Will Make Your Hot Sauce For You?

[Freewheeler]

Greetings,
 
I have never really looked into it, but I always wondered if there are companies where if you tell them what you want in a hot sauce - they will make it for you for a reasonable fee. I don't mean mass production unless of course you invent something amazing, but like a case of 6 to 8 bottles just to see if what you have in mind actually tastes good when it's professionally all put together.
 
Does anyone know what type of companies I should be looking for on Google for example or do anyone know of any companies that do this - Canada if possible.
 
Thank you very much.
 
FW

 

[AJ Drew]

FreeWheeler, the easiest way to manage all the rules and regulations seems to be to develop your own recipes and then turn it over to a copacker.  As far as I know, there are virtually no laws against sharing your sauce with friends and family members to get the recipe right.  So you could start with next to no investment.  Worse case you develop a recipe while having fun.

 

[Nicole]

Greetings,
 
I have never really looked into it, but I always wondered if there are companies where if you tell them what you want in a hot sauce - they will make it for you for a reasonable fee. I don't mean mass production unless of course you invent something amazing, but like a case of 6 to 8 bottles just to see if what you have in mind actually tastes good when it's professionally all put together.
 
Does anyone know what type of companies I should be looking for on Google for example or do anyone know of any companies that do this - Canada if possible.
 
Thank you very much.
 
FW

When we started and wanted to not make the sauce in our kitchen, and weren't ready for a copacetic we got set up with something (I forget exact term) but a shared community rent a kitchen. Basically it's a warehouse space that has all of the commercial machines and what not but you bring all ingredients. I've worked with ones that had their own workers that we hired since hey knew how to work everything etc. we have also used a community kitchen that was like rent by the hour but you do all the work. There were start up bakeries mainly using the space. Good luck to you!!!


Xo nicole
Also look into Cornell university, if you send ingredients they will send you a schedule of process, which describes the heat levels at the ingredients need to reach etc.

 

[salsalady]

Good points, Nicole.  The shared use or community kitchen is a good option and may work for someone looking to just to a single batch.
 

Also look into Cornell university, if you send ingredients they will send you a schedule of process, which describes the heat levels at the ingredients need to reach etc.

For clarification of the above, I'm pretty sure Nicole is talking about the temperatures the sauces need to be heated to, not the SHU's. 

 

[RocketMan]

 
One's ass could explode from hot sauce sold at your local grocery store from a name brand, but is illegal hot sauce death really a thing.

Any sauce that isn't processed correctly and even some that are can wind up with botulism in there and as you can see on here:

It can be fatal. Try asking the professionals like salsalady and LDHS how much in insurance they have to carry in case something happens with a bottle of their sauce.

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

Any sauce that isn't processed correctly and even some that are can wind up with botulism in there and as you can see on here:

It can be fatal. Try asking the professionals like salsalady and LDHS how much in insurance they have to carry in case something happens with a bottle of their sauce.

For some markets/stores it's 1 million. For others it's 2 million. I just carry a 2M blanket policy.

Naturally, Whole Foods needs a separate policy.

But it sure helps if someone claims to have been injured by my product. As I understand it there are "slip & fall" types who make a very good living targeting & suing businesses that are somehow non compllant. A friend of mine's restaurant/cafe in a rented space had a single 6" step. If anyone disabled came they'd help them with wheelchair access. No one in a wheelchair ever complained.
Then one of those opportunistic attorneys noticed it while eating there and sued "on behalf of Americans with disabilities" and got them to settle for $10k. When he picked up the check he told them "thanks - you just helped pay for my lake house".

And it's not just the ambulance chasers you have to be concerned with. There are legitimate regulatory issues like lot ID. Say you used a batch of jalapeños associated with contamination. If you have lot ID, you can perform a recall for the batch in question (per your established processes) and avoid liability. Without lot control you have a big problem.

There are other concerns but it sounds like Freewheeler wants someone to custom make them a hobby-sized batch. They said they can't cook and aren't interested making it themselves.

So I guess it's asked and answered. There's no hot sauce equivalent to Little Caesars pizza, who you could call up and have a micro-batch of sauce made.

But I would encourage Freewheeler to explore the hobby - there's great recipes here at THP, and you won't even need to rent anything - use your own home kitchen since you're not selling it. I did that for the better part of 8 years. It's a great hobby and you'll eventually be able to make recipes that make you happy since you expressed dissatisfaction of everything on the market.

Of course I'd recommend searching around sauces 1st - of the~10,000 brands surely there's one you'll like?

 

[Scuba_Steve]

May I add, that making a sauce is really not that complicated.  You do not need to be a chef to pull it off.
 
You ask for advice here on a recipe based on what you really want in it.  Run your food though a blender until it is the right consistency for you.  Maybe run it through a food mill if you want it really thin.  Then you bring it to a boil for a little while, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn.  In a big pot, boil some water and throw your woozie bottles or mason jars in as well as a funnel to sterilize them.  Then fill the bottles with the hot sauce while its still very hot (190+ I believe).  Cap and invert for 3 min to sterilize the cap.
 
Just follow the recipe advice to make sure your sauce will have a low enough pH to be shelf stable, and refrigerate just to be safe.  Easy peasy!  And no $1000+ for a small batch recipe.  $50 instead, $150 including nice prep equipment if you don't have a blender and some pots.  Plus you get the satisfaction of saying, I did this!

 

[JJJessee]

One TD had grilled pineapple! One! (1!)

The burger was epic and had grilled pineapple.

Another burger I made did not have grilled pineapple, and my veggie burger (with panko, orzo noodles, lentles and shredded carrot) was 1. Awesome and 2. Pineapple free!

That said, I would make sweet sweet love to grilled pineapple given the opportunity. I wub me some grilled pineapple.



...as for that dude - perfect example of why consumers should be behind legal sauce makers and demand professionalism from the people who make their food.

Dead animals and feces, with a side of child abuse :::shudders:::

This post reminded me of how good a slice of grilled pineapple is on a burger.
thx
jjj