Is there a market for my red onion sauce !?!

I have a "cooked onion recipe" that I have made. I introduced it to my cart about 5 years ago, and go through 30 pounds of onions a week making this. I have people bring people for this on thier dogs. If I run out during the day I have "walk aways, and see you tomorrows". I find the Latinos love it especially. I sell it in mason jars to people in the summer time for their cook outs when requested,and it seems the more I do this the more requests follow. I would love to hear from anyone who might know what I should do to try to market this. Thanks for reading!!!!!

Do you have a label,a brand, word of mouth advertising? I would say that you have a good start on a product however, I would consider hiring a marketing firm. Or send some samples out or give out free samples at your stand. I would definitely copy write the recipe so as to have some legal protection in case anyone tries to steal your recipe, ie: employees, competitors, etc...
Don't know what else to say except that Sabrett has the corner on the market as far as on-line sales go. Who's to say that you cannot compete!!! Good Luck!!!


David O.

Go for it....and best of luck...sounds good actually!

You need to send samples to all of us

What about the practical side? What is the health dept going to say about the sale of this product. Are the jars labeled. Whwere are they produced? Has it passed BOH certifcation/inspection?
Sounds like a big can'o'worms to me.

Dont mean to burst your bubble and good luck.
britt

Joe,
You may want to look through the archives in both the Restaurant Professionals and BBQ forums here as there have been a number of discussions on how to commercially manufacture and market sauces and other food products.

Show us the recipe and we will make some and tell you if we think it will sell.....Russ

There must be a hands off approach, companys that market and distribute after they research? Any contacts on such companies?

Check with your local ag dept or land grant university. Many states have quasi-public/subsidized commercial kitchens for rent. In our state I have heard of "test runs" of just 100 jars of sauce. The good part is that permits etc are in place. You will NOT make money on test runs (I think it costs about $1000 ttl for the typical 100 jar run plus ingredients), but you get a "turn key" pkg for fairly short $$$. You can then use the samples to get an established company to take on your line, or to get financed for a "production run" at a contract food company. According to info sessions that I have attended (not recently) most products never get past the test stage, but better to lose $500 on a $1000 investment than $25k on a $50k commercial run.

"Slotting Fees" to get your product into supermarkets are big, big, money, and you really need a broker to help you there. Sometimes you can get into a few stores for free, if they have a "local" section and you make a good case for your product. In my local market, you supply the initial product for free under this program.

You can avoid slotting fees by selling direct to farm stands or to flea market venders. Show season is about over for this year, but next winter you can get on the "show circuit" with other small food companies. It only costs $300 to $1000 to get a table at a lot of these trade shows. You can also advertise in magazines like "Grower" or "Country Folks". You can also sell direct via a web site if you can get some food editors to mention you.

Hey Big Joe ,

Where is your cart . Perhaps a few roadfooders would visit you and try the sauce out

Benzee

I have my year round location at Lowes in Cranston RI. I also have one at the city pool and another on Rolfe Streetin the summer.

Gee...I don't know Big Joe...maybe you should give me the secret recipe so I can try it out first!

LOL! I say go for it! Just check on the laws where you are at regarding home food businesses.

bigjoe why dont you take a picture of your sauce and post it....Russ

I will just as soon as I can figure it out. (meaning wait until the daughter helps me)

quote:

Originally posted by brittneal

What about the practical side? What is the health dept going to say about the sale of this product. Are the jars labeled. Whwere are they produced? Has it passed BOH certifcation/inspection?
Sounds like a big can'o'worms to me.

Dont mean to burst your bubble and good luck.
britt

After you have completed all of the above and more, You will need to find a food distributor to sell your product to the stores.

You can't copyright a recipe. I believe the particular laws involved would be patent, trade mark and trade secret laws.

Hey BigJoe

Let me know if you actually get that sauce to marketing... I'd be interested and you are local to me.

I had a buddy who tried to make/market/distribute his own salsa about 10 years ago . . . he dumped a ton of money into equipment and such only to lock horns repeatedly with local and state heath regulators. After a couple years of back and forth (spending even more money) trying to meet all the needed requirements, he just wound up selling his recipe (for a modest profit) to an already established food manufacturer.

"It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great!"...Jimmy Dugan, "A League of Their Own"---1992

One of our members, Buddy Roadhouse markets his namesake BBQ sauces. You might inquire from him the answer to some of your questions. Since you are not in the same regions I don't think 'competition' for market space would be an issue.

The best thing for you to do is to find a co-packer who can package it for you, including applying your private label. I think you'll find that this is the easiest way to get to the marketplace. If you can find an Amish or Mennonite jam or relish kitchen, that would be your best bet because the quantities required to purchase would be much lower.

As far as finding a market, you might want to contact your state department of agriculture and see if they have any programs to help you market your product. If they do have a program, you might find someone that uses the program to private label for you.

If you can't find someone close to you, I'd suggest that you contact Troyer Cheese Company in Millersburg, OH. They have a full blown cannery where they make a variety of jams, relishes, pickled items, etc. under the name of Amish Wedding Foods. I know they do private labeling as well. If it's a good item, they might even want to market it to their 1400+ customer stores spread all over the country. If you contact them, ask for James Troyer. He should be able to help you.

Big Joe,

My father and I have been in the process of getting our Special Sauce to the market. The advice offered here is second to none! We started the process back in September of last year. The first thing we did was lots and lots of research about what all is involved in making the sauce the safe and legal. Back in early January we found a co-packer that was willing to make a smaller quantity for us,(50 Gallons) so we could get started. It has taken up until yesterday (Apr. 22) for them to get our recipe to our specifications. Patience is key for them to get it right. (Even though it seems to be taking forever.) You will have to have a label designed, nutritional anaylisis, possibly a pH test. The Co-packer will probably charge you to scale up the recipe, etc., etc.
In the meantime we have had some meetings with some local grocery stores and have been in contact with some private labelers. Don't be afraid to get out there to test the market.
I have spoken with Buddy Roadhouse and jman, they are full of great ideas and suggestions. There are lots of topics about this on this site which I found to be valuable.
We are hoping to get our sauce within the next two weeks!!!!
Good luck to you on your venture!!! I hope you follow through

I agree with bill an russ....you either need to send us all samples or send us the recipe so we can make it and then tell you what we think about it.