artwork Resources For Starting Your Food Business

[The Hot Pepper]

Resources you will need when taking your homemade sauces to the next level.


Getting Started

FDA - Starting a Food Business

FDA - Small Business Guide

Overall Info

Canadian Small-Scale Food Processing


Manufacturing

Cooperatives and Kitchens by State

Northeast Co-packers

FDA - Acified and Low-Acid Canned Foods

Good Manufacturing Practice


Safety

General Food Safety

Basic Food Safety - Microbiology

What Is pH?

FDA - pH Control

Approximate pH of Foods

pH Chart

Choosing pH Meter

CDC - Botulism

Listeria

Cleaning/Sanitizing


Labeling

FDA - Labeling Guide


Farmers Markets

Farmers Markets


Insurance

Your food business will need food liability insurance, in the form of a $1 million or $2 million policy, in order to be carried in most stores. The firms listed below can be contacted by any local or private insurance agency to discuss the writing of a food product liability policy. However, they will require several specific pieces of information concerning the product and the business (annual sales, annual payroll, etc.) in order to provide a premium quote and they may require that the request be made by an insurance agency rather than the business owner.
Insurance Placement Center
1-800-532-1002
Sedgewick & James
(423) 584-9101
Southern Insurance
Manager
(615) 356-2900

 

[Blackseed]

Roger that Def. My schedule is packed between being a full time soldier and production. It is hard getting off the ground and you gotta be expecting to spend some loot in order to make it happen

How much money are we takling? I know it can vary HUGELY but I am just looking for a ballpark. Lets say I make one or two lines and just want to make enough for modest online sales and festivals. I guess it's illegal to do this in my kitchen? But I see people all over the side of the streets in makeshift stands selling food that I know must be made in their kitchen. Illegal huh?

 

[The Hot Pepper]

You have to check with your state. Some allow home kitchens that have been inspected and approved, but they may be limited to high acid foods (jams, jellies) and dry goods (pepper powders and baked goods). Sauces fall in the low acid food group and it may not be allowed. Also they probably do not allow interstate commerce or Internet commerce.

Call you state.

 

[Stemwinder]

Lots of broken links. I know it would probably take some work but it would be nice to get this sticky updated. Lots of info to be found in this forum, but it's a bit scattered. This sticky was nice because it centralized the basics.

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

this is an excellent topic and a lot of good reading.

Thanks to all who've contributed - I especially appreciated Defcon's post.

Question regarding insurance: do you need a fat insurance policy if you go with a co-packer, or does the co-packer carry the policy? Or do both you and the place of manufacture need it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[-Pablo-]

Yes, please update links if possible. Many of them are dead unfortunately.

 

[Sam & Oliver]

Definately interested. I'm going the route of makimg about 30-40 recipes, but only producing 3-4 max unless it sells. Maybe even 1 or 2 for now.

Its a shame really. So many cool ways to make hot sauces and so many rules

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

I never checked back here to let y'all know that I do indeed carry 2M in liability insurance, regardless that it's a copacker or my own production kitchen.



As for "30-40 sauces", I started making 1 sauce & perfecting it over many years with no intentions of ever starting a business.

For years I gave away sauce. Thousands of bottles. I have friends who are chefs & hot sauce fanatics and for years they were critical as hell. "Needs this, out of balance, too sweet, too salty, too much X/Y/Z, not enough X/Y/Z". Only after many years did that feedback eventually turn to "hey, ya got any more of that?"

Love what you do, is my only advice there. . Every recipe you produce has
1. Manufacturing costs
2. Labeling costs
3. Carrying/storage costs
4. The same scrutiny from external influences (e.g. Reviewers)
5. Risk of not being popular with consumers

Simply put, more flavors = more cost, more risk, more logistics.

I'd suggest starting out by making 1 sauce and getting to the point that you think it is the best hot sauce you've ever had. Focus on that one sauce. Make it a dozen of times - hone it. Craft it. If you still love it after making it a dozen times & eating it at home, Then move on to a second sauce. Not before.

Focus will help you achieve something special, unique and original. Even talking about 3 sauces before you have one production-ready recipe is a bit premature.

Good luck!