bottles-bottling Question regarding shrink capsules for Woozy Bottles

Daddy Devil Dog

Daddy Devil Dog

Hey everyone;

Got a question regarding shrink capsules or wraps for 5 ounce woozy bottles.

Does anyone known of a source for full bottle length shrink capsules or shrink sleeves for 5 ounce woozy bottles? In particular, I am looking for the sleeves if I can get them to be solid black. I have only found 1 place so far and they want a minimum order of 5,000 sleeves. Considering that these are for my 6 month barrel aged and fermented premium sauce that I will make a MAXIMUM of 70 bottles a year, , I sincerely doubt that I would live long enough to go through 5,000 sleeves.

I thought about possibly using vinyl wraps from the bottom to the shoulder and then covering from the top of the cap to the shoulder with a black shrink capsule, but when I ran the prototype wraps through my wife's Cricut (with her permission, of course), I ended up with .30" of uncovered space going up the shoulder and at the bottom of the shrink capsule. Luckily I only ruined ONE of her black vinyl sheets😎.

Another option would be if anyone knows of a bottle supplier that has black woozy bottles. But I think the only option for that would be plastic bottles, and that's a non-starter.

Any help, leads or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please remember that I make in a month 400 bottles of sauce, and am not really looking to increase that volume so anything with 5,000 pieces minimum order is not in my league. This is a side hustle for me since I am retired and it gives me something to do.

Thanks again guys and ladies!
 
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One option is a black wax dipped top but let it drip a ways down the bottle. More than this:

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Daddy Devil Dog said:
I wonder if I could dip the bottle in the black wax all the way down to the bottom of the shoulder and then vinyl wrap it the rest of the way. That way, the vinyl doesn't need to creep up the shoulder at all.
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You want to see some drips though they are cool. Wrap it as far as you want then just make sure to bring the wax down past it. It can be over the shoulders it would look super cool.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
Here you go
blendedwaxes.com

Bottle Sealing Wax - Gloss, Metallic, Pearl, & Regular

This sealing wax accomplishes a distinct look on the bottle, provides a positive seal, and is an environmentally conscious product. Shop now.
blendedwaxes.com blendedwaxes.com
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That's probably a better option than using either paraffin or soy wax and coloring the wax. In our house, since my wife uses soy wax to make her candles I would just need to grab a few pounds of it, we have over 100 pounds of the stuff, she went crazy on a soy wax sale.
 
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DDD, what is your end game marketing? Are you looking for big time full on legal hot sauce with all of the bottles? Is it for private gifting to friends and family for holidays?

Are you thinking of how that would work to do for a 500 bottle run dipping in the wax and you would still need a sturdy label?
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
I love it. Never seen it before.
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It would look cool on the shelf. Limited edition specialty something, maybe.....

As a consumer, i would not be inclined to purchase a product i could not see. And...as a consumer...i do not like labels that totally wrap the bottle so i can't see how much is left in the bottle.

If i like the sauce i am gonna want to get more before the bottle is empty!
 
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salsalady said:
DDD, what is your end game marketing? Are you looking for big time full on legal hot sauce with all of the bottles? Is it for private gifting to friends and family for holidays?

Are you thinking of how that would work to do for a 500 bottle run dipping in the wax and you would still need a sturdy label?
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I have considered all of this. I am producing these under Texas Cottage Law for sale at craft shows and farmers markets. I have four main sauces, which are moderately mild, Caribbean hot sauce style, A superhot, and also Chinese Chili Oil with a kick. As for doing a 500 bottle run, that's about my monthly target, since this is strictly me. I can do 100 bottles a week in 5 days. so I run 20 bottles a day, filled by hand after sterilizing the bottles and cooking down the sauce. So 400 bottles a month is enough for me, right now. And it's only the special bottles that will get waxed. The other bottles are sealed with shrink capsules in 4 different colors so I can tell at a glance what I have.

And the sauce will meet or exceed Texas Cottage Law requirements

I have not only my food handler certification but also food service manager certification. Since I can only do x amount of dollars a year before going to co-sharing and commercial licensing, this suits me perfectly. And these special bottles I want to make are MAXIMUM 70 bottles a year. They are going to be mashed and fermented in a charred oak barrel of 5 L capacity that is seasoned with Maker's Mark and fermented for 6 months, 35 bottles to a batch with Maker's Mark added to the batch prior to bottling. I do de-alcoholize the liquor through heat evaporation prior to adding it to the sauce so that all that is left is the smooth and mellow Bourbon taste. This way, children won't be at risk. I have made this type of sauce before in smaller batches (been fermenting foods for years) and I have even used the MM in the sauce before and the folks I gave it to here in Texas loved it. And some were not even close friends. 😆

As for the labels, I can seal them with Food Safe Clear Coat Spray before waxing them. I've used the stuff many times on other projects in my life.

Like I said, I only plan on vinyl coating and waxing 35 bottles at a time. Twice a year. The mystique of the bottle is the appeal. Limited Edition or Collector's Edition. Each bottle will be individually numbered such as 1 of 35, 2 of 35 etc. A unique lot number will enable me to track the bottles if need be. Since these are the only fermented sauces, they are the only ones that need to have lot numbers and batch records and it makes it easy for me to track them, and also comply with state law.

Another source of pride for my sauces is that all the ingredients are locally sourced from Texas farms near me, even my vinegar is local. In addition, my sauces are Made in Texas and only sold in Texas. Cottage Law here restricts me to face to face sales or Internet sales where only I can deliver the products. I am not putting those kind of miles on my vehicles, when I can do the craft shows and farmers markets a lot easier.

Hope that answers your questions.

DDD
 
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I'm well aware that I'm lucky to be in Texas. I wouldn't even have given two thoughts to this if we didn't have Cottage Law that allowed this as I'm not ready to nor probably never will be to build and license a full commercial kitchen, although co-packing isn't off the table.

Only problem with co-packing is that the nearest place to me is about 70 miles one way, down in Houston. I live north of Houston in between Huntsville and Livingston. Or if there IS a co-packer near me I haven't found it yet. 😎

And using a digitalized pH meter has helped me to get the sauces down to the 3.4-3.6 range.

And I keep full and complete records of every batch I make, along with lot numbers on every bottle ( I add those when I print the labels on the back). Haven't found an automated printer yet to print the lot number on the glass.

Texas also allows mustards to be made and sold, but that's still a little ways off.

And if the law changes and no longer allows hot sauces, I'll still be content, as I'm retired anyhow, and I got into this originally to kill time. RETIREMENT IS NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE! Ask me how I know 😎
The Hot Pepper said:
You are really lucky TX cottage law allows it! Most states only allow cookies and jams and things. I checked and it says salsas etc. acified to 4.6 and below. Great!
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