- Food Startup Funding: Do you need investors to build a successful food or beverage business? - February 29, 2024
- Explaining Food Certifications & Labeling: Organing, Non-GMO, Halal, Kosher, & More! - February 29, 2024
- Explaining the Meaning of MOQ - February 29, 2024
Did you know that ketchup is America’s favorite sauce, ranking number one in 25 states? Well no matter if it’s ketchup, BBQ, or chocolate, no matter what type of sauce you’re bottling and selling, you need a great co-packer or private label company to ramp up production and bring your sauces to the masses.
But when you’re trying to determine what co-packer has the services you need–at the right price and the right speed–it can feel like a lot at once. So we’ve put together this list of some of the top sauce bottlers, co-packers, and private labeling services to help start your search.
What Does a Sauce Bottler Do?
Sauce bottlers are manufacturing companies that bottle:
- Tomato sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Hot sauce
- Salsas
- Condiments
- Dressings
- Chocolate sauce and other dessert sauces
- Fruit sauces
And many more products! Depending on your product, you may need a sauce bottler with specific manufacturing capabilities, such as:
- Hot fill
- Cold fill
- High pressure processing
- Aseptic processing
- Liquid blending
You may also be looking for various bottling options, including:
- Glass and plastic jars
- Glass or plastic jugs
- Glass package substitutes
Types of Sauce Bottler Manufacturers
There are three main sauce bottling companies: co-packers, private labeling services, and sauce manufacturers. Most manufacturing companies offer all these services and even help their clients develop, test, and perfect a sauce recipe.
Sauce Co-packers
Co-packing is short for contract packaging, which is a specific realm in the food manufacturing and packaging field. A co-packing company focuses on packaging finished products.
Co-packers don’t typically create the product unless they’re also your contract manufacturer.
Private Labeling for Sauces
Private label companies produce sauces for other brands. They’re normally made using the manufacturer’s own food recipes or formulations. Brands can collaborate with private-label food companies to develop the components or precise ingredients and then sell them under their label.
Sauce Manufacturing
Sauce contract manufacturing is the actual production of sauces based on a brand’s recipe. Sometimes the manufacturer is also the co-packer, which means that raw ingredients go in one side of the factory and shelf-ready products come out of the other.
Depending on your company size and product, you may need one or all of these services. But when you’re trying to focus on growing your business, the last thing you need is to waste time trying to find the right bottling company for your sauce.
So here’s how you do it!
How to Find a Sauce Co-Manufacturer
1. Start with Research
Identify potential sauce bottlers through online directories, industry publications, trade shows, and referrals from trusted sources. Look for manufacturers that specialize in making sauces, marinades, and dressings, or have experience with sauce bottling specifically.
Look for a manufacturer with relevant certifications and a solid reputation in the industry. Consider their expertise, track record, and customer reviews to understand their reliability and product quality.
2. Send Outreach
If you’ve narrowed your search to a few possible contenders, then it’s time for some cold calling or emailing. Contact bottling companies and manufacturers to introduce your business and express your interest in partnering with them.
Manufacturers and companies are busy and receive cold calls all the time. Provide a concise and impactful message that establishes credibility, outlines your product and volume, and sets the stage for further discussion.
3. Conduct Site Visits
As with all business decisions, a degree of healthy caution is always a good idea when entering a partnership with a company. Visiting the manufacturing facilities in person will give you a better understanding of their operations, food quality control measures, and overall suitability for your business.
During the site visits, closely observe their production processes, cleanliness standards, storage facilities, and equipment. Discuss any specific requirements or customization options for your sauce product. Make sure that any of their products are properly certified according to government regulations and guidelines.
4. Prioritize Culture Fits
Another perk of site visits is seeing if there’s a culture fit between your brand and the co-packer. If your values don’t match, their production process can be difficult. Ask about their relationships with suppliers and workers to ensure they prioritize a healthy product environment.
Understanding the manufacturer’s culture will also help you build a long-term partnership that supports your brand values and resonates with your target audience.
5. Conduct Onboarding
Before finalizing the partnership, carefully review and negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract, and ensure that the contract covers aspects such as pricing, production capacity, quality control, delivery schedules, and any other specific requirements. Once the contract is signed, collaborate closely with the manufacturer to establish an efficient onboarding process and communicate your expectations.
6. Make it Easier with PartnerSlate
This extensive process of finding the best organic food manufacturer can be arduous without the assistance of platforms like PartnerSlate. The research alone can take months–especially when balancing the other elements of growing your food business. But that’s why we created PartnerSlate: so you could find your co-packer in just days instead.
You can create an account and include all the details about your sauce product and what you’re looking for in a manufacturer. Manufacturers can see the project details and determine whether or not they’re a good fit for you. If they are, the manufacturer will reach out, and you can start the process immediately.
We then streamline the onboarding and document-sharing process so you and your new manufacturer can get started as soon as possible!
Great Sauce Bottlers, Co-packers, & Private Label Services
The sauce bottler in this list is not your only option. You can choose from plenty of great sauce bottlers nationwide; we only made this list to give you ideas. So, if you’re interested in seeing the sauce bottler featured in our list, read on.
If you’re already prepared to work with one, sign up here, and we’ll connect you to some of the best sauce bottlers in the country!
1. At Last Gourmet Foods
At Last Gourmet Foods calls Minneapolis their home and is the perfect place for newer brands to find a helpful companion in the packaging and manufacturing process. At Last Gourmet Foods are co-innovators and can help you develop and sell your products.
They have a focus on all things food service, with products ranging from meat to broths. As one of the leaders in the industry, you couldn’t go wrong working with this company.
Services:
- Contract Manufacturer
- Product Development/R&D
- Co-Innovators
- Sustainable Sourcing Solutions
- Clean Label Production
Product Types:
- Meat and Poultry Processing
- Sauces and spreads
- Salsa
- Marinades
- Dips and hummus
- Prepared appetizers & entrees (frozen)
- Prepared appetizers & entrees (fresh)
- Soups, broths, and chili
Speciality Product Capabilities:
- Organic
- Gluten-Free
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. ATX Specialty Foods
ATX Specialty Foods is the perfect place for those looking to get everything done in one place. With on-site quality management, nutritional analysis, and shelf-life studies, ATX works its hardest to make sure your product is destined for success. Each product goes through aggressive screening to make sure it meets your standard and that everything throughout the production process is up to par.
Services:
- Contract manufacturing
- Small production runs
- Hot and cold fill
- SOP creation
- Nutritional analysis
- Shelf-life studies
- HACCP plan development
- Hot fill
- Cold fill
- Liquid blending
- Kettle cooking
Product Types:
- Non-carbonated beverages
- Tea
- Sauces
- Spreads
- Salsas
- Marinades
- Jams
- Dips and hummus
- Syrups
- Prepared appetizers and entrees
- Soups, broths, and chili
Speciality Product Capabilities:
- Kosher
- Organic
- Gluten-Free
Location: Austin Texas
3. Canopy Foods
Canopy Foods is a Pennsylvania native who can package and manufacture your product to standard, or can make the process private label entirely! You decide what you bring to the table and what you let Canopy Foods do, and they’ll make sure it gets done.
If you do decide to go with one of their recipes, know that each one is tried, edited, and tweaked until it is absolutely perfect. Canopy Foods operates at your pace though, so if you want more editing, testing, or tweaking, you just give them the say-so and it won’t be produced until you are proud of the flavor it has.
Services:
- Testing kitchen
- Commercial test runs
- Contract manufacturer
- Contract packager
- Private label manufacturer
- Hot fill
- Kettle cooking
Product Types:
- Sauces and spreads
- Dressings
- Salsa and marinades
Speciality Product Capabilities: Not mentioned.
Location: Downingtown, PA
4. Great Sauce Bottling Company
This company brings four decades of experience to the table when packaging or creating your product. They also have an Innovation Center, which provides national brand and private label partners with facilities, equipment, and expertise. This company is also capable of high-pressure processing, package design consultation, hot and cold fill, aseptic processing, and more.
Services:
- Co-packing and processing of beverages, spirits, and food products
- Private label for food, beverage, and spirits manufacturing
- Product R&D
- Tasting & recipe experimentation
- Package design consultation
- High-pressure processing
- Hot fill and cold fill fresh processing
- Aseptic processing
- Glass and plastic jars
- Plastic and glass bottles
- Plastic jugs
- The Living Jar™ glass package substitute
Product Types:
- Carbonated and non-carbonated beverages
- Dry beverage mixes
- Wine and spirits
- Dairy products
- Grains and oilseed products (Oils, Vegetable Fats, and Starches)
- Various sauces
- Dips and spreads (Such as Jams, Nut Butters, Syrups, and Hummus)
- Meat and poultry (Packaging and Processing)
Speciality Product Capabilities:
- Gluten-free
- Organic
- Kosher
Location: New York
5. Great Sauce Bottling Company
This sauce bottling company focuses on sauces, preserves, and dressings. They can make anything almost tomato-based, provide warehousing and long-term storage, recipe creation, and more. On top of that, this company is known for its quality customer and support.
Services:
- Co-packing
- Warehousing and longer-term storage
- Hot-fill
- Private label manufacturer
- Contract manufacturer
- On-site R&D
- Recipe creation and reverse engineering
Product Types:
- BBQ sauces
- Salsas
- Pasta sauces
- Fruit preserves
- Bruschettas
- Salad dressings (vinegar-based)
Speciality Product Capabilities: Not specified.
Location: Ohio
6. Great Sauce Bottling Company
This sauce bottling company has been in business for 60 years and can accommodate various sizes. They provide services ranging from supply chain control to retail sizing. In addition, they offer a selection of bottles and sachets for your product and provide design, taste testing, and other services.
Services:
- Supply chain control
- Taste testing
- Food service and retail sizing
- Multiple packaging options
- Hot fill
- Cold fill
- Liquid blending
Product Types:
- Beverage non-carbonated
- Tea
- Coffee
- Sauces and spreads
- Dressings and marinades
- Salsa
- Syrups
- Drink mixes
- THC & CBD infused products
Speciality Product Capabilities:
- Gluten-free
- Organic
Location: Colorado
7. Great Sauce Bottling Company
This sauce company is an international and coast-to-coast manufacturer and packager. With multiple services including but not limited to co-packing, kettle cooking and processing, private label manufacturing, and more. They can also make dressings, dips, salsa, broths, hummus, batters, and spreads.
Services:
- Contract manufacturer
- Contract packager
- Private label manufacturer
- Kettle cooking
- Kettle processing
- Product R&D
Product Types:
- Sauces and spreads
- Dressings and marinades
- Dips, hummus, and spreads
- Soups, broths, and chili
- Gravies
- Batters
- Traditional salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Mango salsa
- Hummus
- Eggplant hummus
Speciality Product Capabilities: Not listed
Location: California
8. Great Sauce Bottling Company
This sauce bottling company is one of the highest-volume co-packers in the US. They produce over 400 unique items created to meet their client’s specific needs and desires. They are a full-service company, so all the customer needs to focus on is selling their brand. They pride themselves on their customer service skills and extensive flavors and ingredients library.
Services:
- Product development
- Ingredient and package sourcing
- Distribution
- Turnkey ingredient sourcing
- Dry storage
- Refrigerated storage
- Freezer storage
- Contract manufacturer
- Contract packager
- Private label manufacturer
Product Types:
- Non-carbonated and carbonated beverages
- Butter
- Sauces and spreads
- Dressings and marinades
- Salsa
- Jams
- Dips and hummus
- Syrups
- Dry seasonings
- Nut butters
Speciality Product Capabilities:
- Kosher
- Gluten-free
- Organic
Location: Maryland
How to Start a Sauce Business
Starting a sauce business is easier said than done. When you start your business, you need to have a product in mind, know what audience you want to target, and be ready to put in the effort.
1. Conduct Market Research
Market research entails examining competitors’ products and gaining knowledge of consumers’ likes, lifestyles, personalities, and views. This can be useful in finding ways to make your sauce distinct or stand apart from the competition.
There are numerous sauces, condiments, and dressings already on the market, but some comprehensive research can help you discover a creative way to differentiate and position your sauce.
2. Formulate Your Recipe
To maintain quality and expedite production, you’ll need to convert your sauce recipe into a mathematical formula. A recipe is what you make at home, using cups, tablespoons, and pinches, while a formula is how a professional specialty food manufacturer documents your information in pounds, kilograms, grams, and other weight measurements.
Right from the start, always document your formula by weight. That’s how to ensure the formula remains consistent from bench-top preparation through final production. These weights can easily be converted to relative percentages and then used to make any amount or batch size of your product.
3. Partner with a Sauce Bottling Company
Next, you’ll need a sauce bottling company that can scale and grow with your product. The best way to find that? Using PartnerSlate. We’ll match you with the best sauce bottling companies for your product so you can see your vision come to life.
Make an account, upload all your product details, and get matched with quality manufacturers. It’s that easy!
4. Marketing & Branding
Marketing and branding is about showcasing yourself and the product to buyers and consumers. You want to create a recognizable brand in stores or online that grabs consumers’ attention and keeps them coming back!
Test your sauce and marketing techniques on a focus group so you can perfect your marketing strategy. See how they respond to the packaging, branding, and more. This can tell you if you need to change your product or if it’s ready to launch.
5. Launch Your Sauce!
If the product is ready for launch, make sure that your initial plan is ready. Have all departments confirm their part and prepare your product to ship. Your marketing team will take it from here and start campaigning your product to get consumers to buy it.
Read More Here: How to take your food product from idea to launch.
Match With the Best Sauce Bottling Company in the U.S.
There are many fantastic bottling companies in the US that can meet your needs–it’s finding them that’s the challenging part! PartnerSlate is happy to take on this task for you, so you can focus on developing your product, growing your team, and marketing your business.
All you have to do is create a profile and provide a project description that gives the manufacturers all the info they need to determine if they’re a good fit. We’ll then connect you with multiple manufacturers on our platform, which makes it easier than ever to share documents and manage onboarding.
Make your free account on PartnerSlate today to find your perfect sauce bottling match, from co-mans to co-packers to private label companies!
