This country never ceases to amaze me. There are entrepreneurs and businesses out there that do all kinds of things. I figured there were a few companies out there that could bottle our sauce but I had no idea just how many. There were companies of all sizes that do just that, some of which were very close to home. We knew we needed some guidance. Our broker at The Fresh Market again stepped in to help in a big way. Part of the process was finding a co-packer that met the stringent standards that The Fresh Market demanded of their private label partners. So they gave us several qualified companies that we could go and interview to find the right fit for our business. After speaking with each of them, looking at their capacities and business philosophies, and just really trying to get a grasp on this industry, we made a decision.
We decided on Braswell’s Foods in Statesboro, GA. They were the right size for us and could handle the smaller quantities we would need starting out. When I say small quantities, I mean they would be making our sauce in 300 gallon batches. That was a bit more than we were able to make in our kitchen!
Once we decided on Braswell’s we immediately begin the process of transferring our recipe that made about 30 ounces to their process that would make 300 gallons at a time. So, just multiply each measurement, right? Not so easy…
In my next post, we learn food math, and why multiplying a teaspoon by 30,000 just doesn’t work.