Home based BBQ Business

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Dave:
I have been on the Internet for days trying to find out how to start a home based BBQ business, with little or no results. I found your site and was impressed. We have a large enough home to take one of the rooms and make a kitchen for retail sauces, and my husband has a very good sauce. He has been approached many times by people who want to by his sauce. We want to start out small, because we want to be sure it would sell. We just aren’t sure how you go about preserving the sauce for shelf life, what kind of equipment is needed for sealing bottles, so on and so forth. We need smaller equipment to start out with, not something that does 1000 bottles at a time. Who do we contact for all this info? I really would appreciate it if you could help us out.
C. Hardy

C. Hardy:
I hear this quite often and I caution you not to bottle your sauce in your own home. In most parts of the U.S., bottling of products is allowed only in certified and inspected commercial kitchens. If you are serious about getting into the business, you should find a contract packer who can manufacture the sauce to your recipe and specifications. Depending on what part of the country you live, I can make recommendations for a packer. As far as the business aspects, we have quite a few articles posted on the subject. Go to www.fiery-foods.com  and click on "E-zines" to find them. The best book on the subject is called "From Kitchen to Market" and it can be ordered by calling 800-638-0375. If you are serious about starting a commercial kitchen, then equipment can be found at Simplex Filler (www.simplexfiller.com ) and bottles can be found at All American Containers
(www.allamericancontainers.com). For labels, contact Lewis Label at 800-433-7679. To learn about
shelf life, preservatives, and bottling techniques, you would have to take an FDA-certified course
in manufacturing. Such courses are offered at colleges such as Texas A&M. Again, it is ten times
easier to find a contract packer. Finally, if your sauce is as good as you indicate, you should
enter it in our Scovie Amateur Awards Contest.
–Dave

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