co-packer Co-packers and Fermented sauces

hot stuff

hot stuff

Does anyone here use a a co packer with fermented sauces? Several questions:
1. Do make the mash there or do you have to make it in another liscensed kitchen?
2. If they do make it there, do they have to store it there?
3. If they don't have to store it there is there any regulation on where it must be stored while fermentation is happening?
4. If they allow you to store it yourself, is there anything that is required when you bring it back for mixing/bottling?
 
Thanks guys!
Guillaume aka Hot Stuff
 
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PepperDaddy said:
My co-packer gets there mash from Louisiana Pepper Exchange.  They buy it in 55-gal drums.  I had ordered from Louisiana Pepper Exchange when doing product R&D and they told me the average age of their mash was 5-6 months. 
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The two copackers I've inquired about have the same/similar arrangements as Ken - they are getting already fermented pepper mash and then packing to recipe as it arrives.  Once packed it needs to be shipped (to you for distribution) else you pay rent on the space it occupies on the copacker's floor until it's gone.  Rates for rent vary from place to place but neither copacker I contacted sounded too excited about having a couple pallets of sauce on their floor for months.  Don't know for sure how other places do it, just relating info from the two contacts I've made.  Both the places I talked to will happily private label their own existing hot sauce lines for you (as in sauces they already make and then put your artwork on it) but if you want them to do a custom recipe you gotta take delivery of the full batch once packed.  
 
For the record I've sampled the red jala mash from LPE and didn't think it was bad at all.  Pretty salty though, so adjust recipes as needed.
 
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A co-packer that doesn't do a lot of hot sauce may require rental but Endorphin does so much hot sauce volume they have drums of red hab and scotch bonnet mash on hand anyway.   
 
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clarification- "rental" probably means storage of the packed bottles at the co-packers facility also called warehousing. 
 
If the co-packer doesn't do a lot of sauces, I don't think they would store pepper mashes for a sauce maker.  The sauce maker would probably have to coordinate with LPE for delivery of what's needed for that batch. 
 
LPE also has some low salt and (I think) no salt mashes.
 
As far as making your own fermented mash, I would guess the inspector would want all processing of the stuff going into the sauce to be done in a licensed kitchen.  Raw ingredients can be handled outside of the facility (such as washing carrots at the farm prior to selling to you the consumer) but you can't cut up the carrots at home and then take them to the kitchen and make sauce. 
 
Knowing ferments take time, I'm guessing you'll have to find a place where the buckets can live in a secure place for weeks/months.  If you can find a shared use kitchen that has space for some shelves, an inspector may buy off on a lockable cabinet like this.  Something that is lockable, open for ventilation, cleanable.
 
Most co-packers don't want to deal with food that is sourced outside of licensed channels, such as making the ferments at home then taking to the co-packer.  If you can make the ferments in a licensed facility, they can be transported to the co-packer and the co-packer shouldn't have any issues with it. 
 
Again, all of this is subject to your AHJ.
 
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The problem with LPE is they don't use the peppers I normally make sauces with like T. Scorp Red or Yellow Brainstrain or Thai or other exotic peppers.  I wonder if they would take chilies from a Louisiana farm. My mother has a renter who has a farm who is interested in growing superhots for me down there.  I may have to look into other co-packers down there.
 
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hot stuff said:
The problem with LPE is they don't use the peppers I normally make sauces with like T. Scorp Red or Yellow Brainstrain or Thai or other exotic peppers.  I wonder if they would take chilies from a Louisiana farm. My mother has a renter who has a farm who is interested in growing superhots for me down there.  I may have to look into other co-packers down there.
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They do custom blends.  I would give them a call:  http://lapepperexchange.com/shopsite/product27.html
 
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Puckerbutt does ground chiles of all the superhots.  I got a price list from them a couple years ago.  PM your email to me and I'll forward it to you.
 
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salsalady said:
Puckerbutt does ground chiles of all the superhots.  I got a price list from them a couple years ago.  PM your email to me and I'll forward it to you.
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Thanks. I'm friends with him on FB so I'll contact him over there. Thanks for the idea.
 
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