anybody know of any vacuum/sealer devices for bottling your own bbq sauce? i'd like to sell some in my store but don't want/need to hire a co-packer.
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We bottle and sell our own sauce.
What kind of volume are you hoping to bottle?
After starting out at 15 cases a day, we are now cooking, bottling, labeling, and shrink-banding that much per hour.
We tried a copacker and weren't satisfied.
Roger
What kind of volume are you hoping to bottle?
After starting out at 15 cases a day, we are now cooking, bottling, labeling, and shrink-banding that much per hour.
We tried a copacker and weren't satisfied.
Roger
volume will be small. i just want to have it available on a minimal basis for those who want it. (plus it looks cool to have a display shelf with your own products on it)
This is a topic of interest to me too.
Roger, if you don't mind sharing, what's the best way to go about it assuming a similar volume to what you are doing?
What are the legal/health requirements?
Good source of supplies?
Process?
Roger, if you don't mind sharing, what's the best way to go about it assuming a similar volume to what you are doing?
What are the legal/health requirements?
Good source of supplies?
Process?
Start with your Dept of Ag. They monitor our operation.
We are lucky to have an old school nearby that closed to consolodadion so we rent their approved kitchen from the city for $10/hr. We store our supplies in an old classroom [heated above 32F] for $25/month.
We found a couple of Groen 40 qt. steam jacketed kettles on a restrant auction to cook our sauce to 185F without scorching. Brown sugar + aluminum stockpot+ gas stove = scorching and emery disk sanders. We can cook 5 gallon batches in 20 minutes, if we aren't tripping breakers; they draw 54 amps each, on 220V. 208V 3 phase draws much less, but not an option.
Ebay has the kettles, but currently are selling high.
From there it is pailed into a Simplex AS 1 bottler filler www.simplexfiller.com they are spendy, but hold their value; $5-6 grand new. Great machine, and like their name implies, simple.
From there it goes into a bottle which we label ahead with a RL-1 www.racelabel.com hand labeler.
Bottles and caps: check around. We get our from a local place, Gamer Packaging.
231 cases/10 oz or 192/16 oz bottles per pallet plus shipping. We bottle both sizes and and sell the 10 oz/12 oz actual wt for $3.75 and 16oz/19 oz actual wt for $5.00. Jack and Peggy mention last summer here on the forum, that smaller bottles work well, so we tried them and agree.
Shrink bands: They are your tamper proof seals, not the inner foam liner. We were contacted by a great company called GlobalPak [Google up]. They treat us small guys like kings. Others blew me off and wanted as much for 5000 as 100,000. Ask for Adrian [owners daughter] or Jen. VERY accomodating. We use a paint striping heat gun.
Labels, Nutritional facts, UPC's. This took the longest. Find a good label company, and if they ARE a good label company, they will help you out on these. The more you buy, the cheaper they are.
We attended the Firey Foods and BBQ Show in Alberqurqe NM [Hi Smokin, Eddy, and Dr. BBQ!] last March and found most of these items there.
It took us 5 years to get this far, after we developed the sauce. I hope I shaved a few years off of that for you.
Good Luck! Roger
We are lucky to have an old school nearby that closed to consolodadion so we rent their approved kitchen from the city for $10/hr. We store our supplies in an old classroom [heated above 32F] for $25/month.
We found a couple of Groen 40 qt. steam jacketed kettles on a restrant auction to cook our sauce to 185F without scorching. Brown sugar + aluminum stockpot+ gas stove = scorching and emery disk sanders. We can cook 5 gallon batches in 20 minutes, if we aren't tripping breakers; they draw 54 amps each, on 220V. 208V 3 phase draws much less, but not an option.
Ebay has the kettles, but currently are selling high.
From there it is pailed into a Simplex AS 1 bottler filler www.simplexfiller.com they are spendy, but hold their value; $5-6 grand new. Great machine, and like their name implies, simple.
From there it goes into a bottle which we label ahead with a RL-1 www.racelabel.com hand labeler.
Bottles and caps: check around. We get our from a local place, Gamer Packaging.
231 cases/10 oz or 192/16 oz bottles per pallet plus shipping. We bottle both sizes and and sell the 10 oz/12 oz actual wt for $3.75 and 16oz/19 oz actual wt for $5.00. Jack and Peggy mention last summer here on the forum, that smaller bottles work well, so we tried them and agree.
Shrink bands: They are your tamper proof seals, not the inner foam liner. We were contacted by a great company called GlobalPak [Google up]. They treat us small guys like kings. Others blew me off and wanted as much for 5000 as 100,000. Ask for Adrian [owners daughter] or Jen. VERY accomodating. We use a paint striping heat gun.
Labels, Nutritional facts, UPC's. This took the longest. Find a good label company, and if they ARE a good label company, they will help you out on these. The more you buy, the cheaper they are.
We attended the Firey Foods and BBQ Show in Alberqurqe NM [Hi Smokin, Eddy, and Dr. BBQ!] last March and found most of these items there.
It took us 5 years to get this far, after we developed the sauce. I hope I shaved a few years off of that for you.
Good Luck! Roger
i am totally impressed! what a journey you all have made. thanks for the time saving tips!
great info........thanks
Thanks Roger!