BBQ Sauce Canning - For Resale

[downstatesmoker]

Hi All,

Thinking about trying to resell my BBQ sauce. I've looked into the local regulations and have a clean kitchen at a restaurant a friend of mine is willing to let me use till I get on my feet and can afford to pay some rent.

The issue I'm having is finding a small botteling system that will create a seal on a plastic bottle, something that is not a real industrial size.

Does anyone on this board have any ideas on what I can look for and maybe where I can get a smaller bottling system as I am going to have to transport this back and forth from my friends restaurant?

Thank you in advanced for any assistance you can give!

-Chris

 

[rivet]

Chris, to do small bottling in a kitchen you are going to have to do it by hand. Even if it is a restaurant kitchen there are is no bottling machinery to my knowledge that will do this on your scale.

To create a seal on a bottle you have to options. One is to have a mettalic/plastic "liner" inside your plastic (metal won't work) cap and send it through a infrared/wavelengthg activated heater that will seal that line to the lip of the bottle, like all the aspirin and salad dressing bottles we get. This unit is not much bigger than a microwave, but you do need a conveyor unit to convey the bottles at a set speed through it.

Another option is the heat tunnel which will shrink wrap plastic cylindrical sleeves over the lid and neck of the bottle....yes those annoying plastic things we all love and can't get off without a knife and several bad words.
'Course you have to get the special shrink plastic and have a conveyor as well to maintain rates of the bottles through.

You may just want to stick to the industrial "pop-up" caps that "canned" goods (like spaghetti sauce) have to allow for security and customer safety. If the button is up, then they don't buy the jar.

You can get those from industrial suppliers of canning products but you have to buy them in bulk (thousands) so it may or may not be feasable for you.

Ever look into co-packing? Contract your run out to plants with excess capacity.

PM me for additional help. I've done all this before and had great success with my spaghetti sauce and salsas.

 

[bayoubear]

What about on an even smaller scale? Pint sized mason jars and a pressure canner maybe? This will start off as a family/friends thing at first and if that works out then of course I'd escalate production methods.

 

[beer-b-q]

Here is a place in Kansas City, Kansas that does Micro Batches.

http://www.originaljuan.com/wholesale_info/
Wholesale, distributor, private label, and co-packaging opportunities.

I purchase lots of product from them and if you contact them tell them Paul Clary referred you...

 

[bayoubear]

Thanks for the link, i sent off for the catalog. Still a little more than I'm ready for at this time. Guess I'll just pressure can pints for the time being and see how that goes.