Picking a Co-Packer

Q.  I have a recipe that I’d like to go commercial with.  How do I pick a co-packer and why should I pick you?

Well, there is all kind of information on the web on what a co-packer is and how to go about selecting one.  We suggest you read this article from North Carolina State University to learn more about co-packing. 

What I’ll do is answer the questions that are asked in that article to help you learn all about Best Brand Bottlers.

 

Here is their checklist of needs you have from a co-packer:

Will you require product development assistance such as safety determinations, coloring, stabilizers and emulsifiers, or preservatives?

We will not need product development assistance.  Our Research and Development (R&D) personnel have vast experience and certifications in food product safety.  We recommend using all natural ingredients and we use the thermal process to insure shelf stability and follow the recommended process as outlined by an independent testing lab.  We have experience in using coloring, stabilizers and emulsifiers and will work with you to make sure that your product is safe AND appealing to the consumer

What are special product concerns such as: acidity, thermal process, refrigerated ingredients, refrigerated product storage?

We are a thermal acidified food processor.  What this means is that we heat almost all of the products we produce in order for pasteurization.  We do not process products above the pH level of 4.6.  If in our R&D lab we find that the product is above that level we work with you to add natural acid ingredients, such as lemon or lime juice, vinegar or citric acid to insure proper acid level for production.  We can do this without changing the flavor of the product.

We work with fresh ingredients in making products and have refrigerator storage for the amount that we work with.  However, we do not manufacture products that need refrigeration.

Are there special ingredient concerns?

We work with special ingredients all the time and there are always concerns. The biggest concerns are price and availability. The more special an ingredient is in your recipe, the more difficult it will be to buy that product in bulk at better prices.  As long as you understand that and are OK with having a higher priced product, so are we.  If by using a special ingredient in your recipe causes you to not be able to move your product, then we will work with you to find an alternative.

Will the product require specialized ingredients in terms of variety, function, or piece size?

In most cases, no.  In some cases, yes.  When it comes to piece size, the particulates must be able to pass through a filler.  So, for example, if your pineapple salsa calls for big chunks of pineapple, you may want to change that to smaller pieces.    

Will ingredient preparation such as onsite chopping, peeling, coring, or sugaring be necessary?

The processes of chopping, peeling, coring, sugaring, sautéing, etc. takes time and time is money.   Because we try to be as efficient as possible, we usually buy items that are already taken care of.  In some cases purchasing prepared items is cost-prohibitive.  Take onions, for example.   We use them in our specialty hot sauces and buy them whole.  We knock the tops and bottoms off, peel them, put them in a kettle and cook them.  While they are cooking we knock them down with industrial strength immersion blenders until they are smooth. 

Can ingredients be purchased ready-to-use?

Yes, they can.  This is sometimes the easiest method, but it is also the costliest.  Many BBQ sauces start off with ketchup as the base.  Using ketchup introduces things like High Fructose Corn Syrup into the recipe and you, the customer, has less control over what goes into a ready-to-use item.  We recommend that you start with basic commodities, such as tomato paste, and build your recipe from there.

Are there alternative sources for specialized ingredients?

Most definitely.  Our purchasing department is always looking for alternatives for all of our ingredients.  We look for the best ingredients at the least expensive prices.

Thank you so much for your interest in Best Brand Bottlers co-packing capabilities.  We specialize in thermal acidified processing of condiments, dressings, marinades and sauces.  Stay tuned to this blog to read more about choosing the right co-packer. 

Best Brand Bottlers Private Label Specialty Sauces

Q.  So, let’s see…you’ve got hot sauces, pasta sauces and BBQ sauces.  What else ya got in the sauce department? 

At Best Brand Bottlers, we believe that you need to have the basics covered before you can branch out into anything that is extraordinary.  We cover the basics with our hot sauces, pasta sauces and BBQ sauces and we also have sauces that are totally out of the ordinary.

Ajo Caliente is Spanish for Spicy Garlic and it is a basic cooking sauce in many Hispanic cultures.  We use garlic and habanero peppers to create a sauce that is truly unique and appealing.  It’s a marinade, it’s a finishing sauce, it’s a baste, it’s a baking sauce…let’s just say it is extremely versatile and you can use it on all kinds of different meats, fish, poultry and vegetables.  Our recommendation is to try it yourself and see what works.  The feedback that we’ve received is to use it when you want to really transform the center of the plate entrée you’re serving.

Our best recipe is to take a filet of any white fish, cover it with Ajo Caliente and bake it until the fish is flakey.  This may be a simple recipe, but it is one that will make your guests come back for more.  Create a fish menu item, serve with Spanish rice and a hearty vegetable, such as asparagus, for a feast fit for your strongest critic.

Sweet Serrano Chili Sauce is a sauce that was created like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – “hey you put your chocolate in my peanut butter..” 

One day we were having lunch at one our client’s restaurants and the executive chef served us crab rangoon with a sweet sauce and empanadas with our very own Serrano Pepper sauce.  I mixed the sauces together and new taste sensation was born. I think we ordered at least 2 more appetizers, just so we could keep on sampling the sauce mixture and experimenting with the right blend

It wasn’t long before I was pouring this sweet, delectable sauce over anything that came fried and wrapped, like egg rolls, spring rolls, empenadas, and wontons.  My mouth is watering as I type this.  I believe sometimes I order these appetizers just so I can have the sauce!

At Best Brand Bottlers we pride ourselves on taking risks on what could be considered fusion items and at the same time offering up the tried and true.   We do this so that you may be successful in your endeavors.

Thank you for your question.  Just a reminder - we’re a thermal acidified co-packing company with a line of gourmet Private Label products.  Please keep the questions coming!

Best Brand Bottlers Private Label BBQ Sauces

Q.  I see that you have two different BBQ sauces that are available for Private Labeling so I just have to ask you, “is there room for one more BBQ sauce?”

Let me answer the question first, then I’ll tell you all about our BBQ Sauces.  The answer to your question is a resounding yes.  As long as there are BBQs and grills, there will always be room for one more BBQ sauce.  Sure, the big guys produce this stuff in mass quantities and then it’s sold at your local grocers for as cheap as you can get it.  Then you take it home and doctor it up.  This is what a lot of people do and it’s OK to do that.  But, sometimes it’s really nice to have a gourmet BBQ sauce available. 

Wait…WHAT?  Did I just say, “GOURMET BBQ sauce?”  Isn’t that akin to saying Vintage Mad Dog 20/20?  Well, yes and no.  Check the labels on the BBQ sauces at your local grocer’s.  My bet is that the cheaper they are, the less ingredients they have AND the more high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) you will find in them.   Some studies have shown that HFCS is a major contributor to obesity. 

People are going for a healthier lifestyle and grilling is one way to eat healthier.  Using an all-natural BBQ sauce on your leaner cuts of meat and veggies is one way to do just that.  The higher end BBQ sauces are all natural and better for you.  So, that is the reason why my answer to your question is yes. 

Best Brand Bottlers Original BBQ Sauce is made from the finest ingredients and does not start with ketchup.  We use the best tomato products we can find and add the best ingredients to come up with what is a truly unique and flavorful BBQ sauce.  It’s great on ribs, chicken, and beef hamburgers, as you would suspect.  However, we’ve also gotten rave reviews from our Vegan friends who use it on grilled vegetables, such as zucchini and asparagus, shish kabobs with a variety of vegetables (as pictured) as well as on or in Tofu burgers.

Best Brand Bottlers Chipotle BBQ Sauce is our Original BBQ sauce with the spicy/smoky Chipotle pepper added to it.  Chipotles are ripened and smoked jalapeño peppers.  According to Wikipedia,  at the end of the growing season, jalapeños naturally ripen and turn bright red. They are kept on the bush as long as possible. When they are deep red and have lost much of their moisture, they are picked to be made into chipotles.

The red jalapeños are moved to a closed smoking chamber and spread on metal grills. They're smoked for several days, until most of the moisture is removed. In the end, the chipotles have dried up in a manner akin to prunes or raisins. The underlying heat of the jalapeños combines with the taste of smoke.

This unique and flavorful BBQ sauce gives a smoky kick to your falling off the bones ribs.  We really like them on beef ribs.  One other thing we do is to make a salsa from grilled pineapple, onions, peaches and red bell peppers.  After grilling the fruit and veggies, we chop them into salsa size chunks and add a dollop of Best Brand Bottlers Chipotle BBQ Sauce to the mix. 

Yummy.

Best Brand Bottlers is a faith based company and a full-service manufacturer of sauces, marinades, dressings and condiments.  We also feature numerous products that are available for Private Labeling. 

Best Brand Bottlers Private Label Pasta Sauces

Q.  Wow! That’s great stuff about your pepper sauces.

I’d like to learn more about your pasta sauces.

 

Premium Caper, Garlic & Olive – Our top of the line pasta sauce takes the best that the Mediterranean has to offer and mixes them together to come up with a very unique pasta sauce.  We start with the best tomatoes and herbs and spices, then we add olive oil, garlic, and olives and finish it off with capers.  We suggest you use this wonderful sauce with shrimp, chicken or sausage or to make your favorite Parmigiana dish (veal, chicken or eggplant).  First, sauté your center of the plate item, while you boil up some linguini, and then top both with this delicious sauce straight from the Med.   The unique flavor profile of adding olives and capers to a red sauce is bold, so make sure your wine is up to the challenge!

These wonderful pasta sauces are available in retail (12 ounce) and food service (1 gallon) sizes and are available through the Best Brand Bottlers Private Labeling Initiative.  We are a leader in gourmet food products that are available to you under your brand! 

Best Brand Bottlers Private Label Products–Pepper Sauces

Q.  I see a very nice selection of hot sauces on the Private Label section of your site and was wondering if you could give me more information about them?

I sure can. 

All of the pepper sauces are manufactured from scratch in-house here at Best Brand Bottlers and are available for private labeling in 5 ounce woozies (industry standard) and 1 Gallon (128 ounce) containers.  The 5 ounce jars are for retail (front of the house) and the 128 ounce jugs are for food service (back of the house).

Serrano Pepper Sauce – The Scoville rating of the Serrano pepper is 10,000 to 25,000, making it hotter than the jalapeño pepper and not quite as hot as the habanero.  The Serrano pepper itself has a thicker skin than most other hot peppers and that’s what gives it its unique flavor and texture.  

We believe our Serrano Pepper Sauce will be the next big thing to hit pepper sauces because of its flavor.  We add a unique blend of spices along with fresh onions, garlic and ginger to our aged red Serrano peppers and a touch of vinegar.   At the restaurants we private label for, they treat this sauce the same way as they treat their single malt 18 year old scotch whiskey – Top Shelf!

Cayenne Pepper Sauce The rating of the cayenne pepper is generally at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units.  It’s used for red pepper flakes and crushed red pepper and it’s red curly look is very familiar.

Best Brand Bottlers’ Cayenne pepper sauce was once known as Hot Lava™ and we’ll be resurrecting that brand name once more!   Look for it soon.  Some restaurants only buy this particular sauce as their customers prefer one choice of pepper sauce and this is tried and true.

Habanero Pepper Sauce According to The Nibble, the hottest chile grown in central America or the Caribbean (10 on a scale of 10), the habanero is named after Havana, where it is believed to have originated, and was later introduced to the Yucatan peninsula. The habanero is the most intensely spicy chile of the Capsicum genus.  The Scotch Bonnet is in the same species of pepper. 

Taking a similar flavor approach as the recipe for our Serrano Pepper sauce, we use the best spices, the freshest onions and garlic to make our habanero hot sauce into something that’s still hot, but not killer hot.

Red Jalapeño Pepper Sauce and Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce – According to Wikipedia, Jalapeños have 2,500–10,000 Scoville heat units. Compared to other chilis, the jalapeño has a heat level that varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation. The heat, caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the membrane (placenta) surrounding the seeds.  Like most peppers, the mature fruit is red in color, but jalapeños are usually harvested when they are green.

We at Best Brand Bottlers consider these sauces to be very special, so much so that we only run them at certain times of the year.  We run the Red Jalapeño Pepper Sauce once a year to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (May 5th).  The Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce is only run for St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th).  We require an 8 week in advance order for them and supplies are limited and we usually run out pretty quickly, so the earlier in advance you order them, the better.

Thanks for your question and your interest in Best Brand Bottlers, bringing you the best of flavors in condiments, dressings, sauces and marinades!  I’ll follow up with descriptions of the rest of food product offerings in the next few weeks.

What is Co-packing?

Q.  When it comes to food products, I hear the term co-packing said a lot.  I don’t know what that means.

Thanks for your question!  According to Wikipedia, “A contract packer, or co-packer, is a company that manufactures and packages foods or other products for their clients. To market and distribute, a co-packer works under contract with the hiring company to manufacture food as though the products were manufactured directly by the hiring company.”

Best Brand Bottlers, Inc. is such a company, and we specialize in acidified and thermal processing of sauces, marinades, dressings and condiments and have the ability and the legal authority to pack those products under strict state and federal guidelines. 

What that really means is that we take your recipe for any of the types of products listed above, create a formula from which we can bottle large quantities, and purchase all of the ingredients and materials that go into manufacturing that product.  This is after making sure that we have satisfied all of your requirements pertaining to package size and raw material selection.

Not bad, eh?  You hand us a recipe and we do all the work!   There’s more give and take during the process, but that’s essentially it.

At Best Brand Bottlers we pride ourselves on working with you, our customer, to make sure that you understand the process and are fully equipped to market your product to the best of your abilities.

Our motto is “Customer for Life.”

How Do I Start My Own Food Business?

Q.  I’ve been a foodie my whole life and I have great recipes.  My friends all tell me that I should sell my products commercially.  How do I go about doing this?

There are a few ways to accomplish this goal.

First, you could go through all of the research and development for every single product that you want, which we at Best Brand Bottlers are well-equipped to help you with. We would make sure that you have everything you need – your formula, your Food Processing Authority Letter, nutritional information and ingredients list, and a few samples for you to sell to you prospective clients. To get each of your products through this process is about $1000 apiece. To create a catalog of products could cost you in the 10s of thousands of dollars.

Another way would be to have a flagship product, created from a recipe that is near and dear to your heart or that has been in your family for generations. This would be your baby and we would walk you through the process above. Then you could take any of Best Brand Bottlers’ Private Label Gourmet Products, brand them as your own and sell them.

We have two clients who started with one product and are now in the process of expanding their product line with many of the established private labeled products that we created. This is working extremely well for both clients.

There is a third way. You could create a catalog of salad dressings, hot sauces, marinades, pasta sauces and salsas from the Best Brand Bottlers array of thirty-two different products.  We can help you with purchasing sales samples, private labeling for you or your clients, establishing which products suit your own personal tastes and where you want to market your line.

Whether you go the route of Contract Packing, Private Label or a hybrid of the two - any way you envision your future - rest assured that Best Brand Bottlers will help you every step of the way. It’s what we do.

Best Brand Bottlers, Inc. in Sarasota, Florida is a company guided by a strong moral compass.