I’m trying to sell my salsa. Is there any other way to jar salsa to allow it to last longer other than canning or hotfill? Can I use a screw top lid as long as my ph is under 4.6? I’m new to this and thought I saw a local seller use just a fingertip tight lid on his jars. How to companies sell in the cold section there salsa as well in plastic containers?
bottles-jars Sell my salsa questions about jars
- Thread starter Jeterm
- Start date
Solution
Hi Jeterm, 
to THP.
Here's what I can share, hope it helps. PS- I am licensed in Washington State. Not as a cottage industry product, as a full food processor.
I started out and continue to sell a refrigerated salsa. Hence the name... salsalady. Since 1994, we have branched out to other bottled sauces, but the refrigerated salsa continues to be a constant seller at the 3 local stores I sell at. We live in a very remote area, there are no supermarkets, just the local grocers. I think the Methow Valley has a full time population of about 3000.
Our salsa is made with all fresh produce (tomato, onion, green pepper) spices and stuff. It is packaged in 16oz clear tubs, like cottage cheese size tubs. It is refrigerated and...
to THP.Here's what I can share, hope it helps. PS- I am licensed in Washington State. Not as a cottage industry product, as a full food processor.
I started out and continue to sell a refrigerated salsa. Hence the name... salsalady. Since 1994, we have branched out to other bottled sauces, but the refrigerated salsa continues to be a constant seller at the 3 local stores I sell at. We live in a very remote area, there are no supermarkets, just the local grocers. I think the Methow Valley has a full time population of about 3000.
Our salsa is made with all fresh produce (tomato, onion, green pepper) spices and stuff. It is packaged in 16oz clear tubs, like cottage cheese size tubs. It is refrigerated and...
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Hi Jeterm, to THP.
Here's what I can share, hope it helps. PS- I am licensed in Washington State. Not as a cottage industry product, as a full food processor.
I started out and continue to sell a refrigerated salsa. Hence the name... salsalady. Since 1994, we have branched out to other bottled sauces, but the refrigerated salsa continues to be a constant seller at the 3 local stores I sell at. We live in a very remote area, there are no supermarkets, just the local grocers. I think the Methow Valley has a full time population of about 3000.
Our salsa is made with all fresh produce (tomato, onion, green pepper) spices and stuff. It is packaged in 16oz clear tubs, like cottage cheese size tubs. It is refrigerated and has a 30 day shelf life.
I don't know what the regs are now, but 'back in the day', anything with less than a 30 day shelf life was considered a fresh refrigerated item and didn't have to go thru all the shelf stable regulations for hot sauces, FDA and such.
Looking for longer than a 30 day shelf life, you will have to work with your state Dept of Ag licensor as to what they will accept for long term storage processing. They might require BWB or pressure cooking in glass jars. That will give you a very extended shelf life, but at what price? The veggies will be cooked and mushy, not crisp like in a fresh refrigerated salsa. I do very well with the locally sold refrigerated salsa. It is only sold in my valley, does not go out of are, does not ship.
Think about your market and how you want to sell. I started out in another area of Washington state, selling in smaller local grocery stores and at the farmers markets. We moved to the other side of the state and I started over, selling at the pretty busy local seasonal farmers market. After the first year, market customers were asking...where can I get the salsa in the winter? So I got into the local grocery store... all 3 of them!
Down side was...the next 2 years at the farmers market....everyone would stop by the booth, take a chip sample, and say..."I LOVE this salsa, I just bought some at Hanks Market!" and then walk away. Yea, so I built up the customer base the first couple years, and then lost it at the FM as they were buying the salsa at Hanks Market when they were doing their usual grocery shopping.
Thinking back, when I started the salsa was around 1994 in northwestern Washington. If we has stayed over there in the Skagit-Whatcom area, I probably could of been self-sufficient as a salsa maker for income. there were enough larger independent market I could of been making and delivering refrigerated salsa once a week.
Sorry to be so long winded, and maybe I didn't quite answer the original question, but I hope this helps. There is a market for a fresh salsa, in plastic tubs. Putting in glass jars with lug lids and refrigerated does not extend the shelf life, but increases your material costs substantially. Only BWB or Pressure cooking will extend the shelf life in glass jars and make them shelf stable. BWB and pressure cooking significantly changes the texture of the salsa. If you want to keep the Fresh Salsa crunchy veggies, look into the fresh refrigerated option.
PS- selling a fresh refrigerated less than 30 days Expiry has a lot less regulations than going for a shelf stable product.You should be able to get licensed through your state Dept of AG.
You should try for <4.0pH even though the minimum is 4.6pH.
Shelf stable is a whole other level of processor licensing, facility licensing, FDA-or-not,
Good Luck! Have Fun!!!!
salsalady
to THP.Here's what I can share, hope it helps. PS- I am licensed in Washington State. Not as a cottage industry product, as a full food processor.
I started out and continue to sell a refrigerated salsa. Hence the name... salsalady. Since 1994, we have branched out to other bottled sauces, but the refrigerated salsa continues to be a constant seller at the 3 local stores I sell at. We live in a very remote area, there are no supermarkets, just the local grocers. I think the Methow Valley has a full time population of about 3000.
Our salsa is made with all fresh produce (tomato, onion, green pepper) spices and stuff. It is packaged in 16oz clear tubs, like cottage cheese size tubs. It is refrigerated and has a 30 day shelf life.
I don't know what the regs are now, but 'back in the day', anything with less than a 30 day shelf life was considered a fresh refrigerated item and didn't have to go thru all the shelf stable regulations for hot sauces, FDA and such.
Looking for longer than a 30 day shelf life, you will have to work with your state Dept of Ag licensor as to what they will accept for long term storage processing. They might require BWB or pressure cooking in glass jars. That will give you a very extended shelf life, but at what price? The veggies will be cooked and mushy, not crisp like in a fresh refrigerated salsa. I do very well with the locally sold refrigerated salsa. It is only sold in my valley, does not go out of are, does not ship.
Think about your market and how you want to sell. I started out in another area of Washington state, selling in smaller local grocery stores and at the farmers markets. We moved to the other side of the state and I started over, selling at the pretty busy local seasonal farmers market. After the first year, market customers were asking...where can I get the salsa in the winter? So I got into the local grocery store... all 3 of them!
Down side was...the next 2 years at the farmers market....everyone would stop by the booth, take a chip sample, and say..."I LOVE this salsa, I just bought some at Hanks Market!" and then walk away. Yea, so I built up the customer base the first couple years, and then lost it at the FM as they were buying the salsa at Hanks Market when they were doing their usual grocery shopping.
Thinking back, when I started the salsa was around 1994 in northwestern Washington. If we has stayed over there in the Skagit-Whatcom area, I probably could of been self-sufficient as a salsa maker for income. there were enough larger independent market I could of been making and delivering refrigerated salsa once a week.
Sorry to be so long winded, and maybe I didn't quite answer the original question, but I hope this helps. There is a market for a fresh salsa, in plastic tubs. Putting in glass jars with lug lids and refrigerated does not extend the shelf life, but increases your material costs substantially. Only BWB or Pressure cooking will extend the shelf life in glass jars and make them shelf stable. BWB and pressure cooking significantly changes the texture of the salsa. If you want to keep the Fresh Salsa crunchy veggies, look into the fresh refrigerated option.
PS- selling a fresh refrigerated less than 30 days Expiry has a lot less regulations than going for a shelf stable product.You should be able to get licensed through your state Dept of AG.
You should try for <4.0pH even though the minimum is 4.6pH.
Shelf stable is a whole other level of processor licensing, facility licensing, FDA-or-not,
Good Luck! Have Fun!!!!
salsalady