Making and selling your own barbecue sauce be a lucrative home-based business.
Commercially bottled barbecue sauces are convenient to use, but premade sauces are loaded with corn syrup and chemicals that are not considered healthy. If you make your own barbecue sauce and get rave reviews about its flavor, consider selling it. There are a number of avenues with which you can take to peddle your homemade sauce. Developing your recipe, learning can and package it properly and finding local markets are the stepping stones to selling your own barbecue sauce.
The Recipe
Making barbecue sauce at home for friends and family is one thing, but making it shelf stable to sell can be quite another. Make sure that you are using ingredients that will be able to withstand being on store shelves or in storerooms for months at a time. Limit the number of perishable items, such as fresh vegetables, that are used in your sauce. Consider using dehydrated products or powders in the place of fresh ingredients. Make adjustments to retain the same flavor as your regular sauce.
Packaging
Invest in good canning equipment and learn use it properly. Do several test runs of the product to make sure that you are canning it correctly and that the flavor is being retained after weeks and even months after canning. Check to see if there are any local or state requirements that your canned barbecue sauce needs to meet. You may be required to have ServSafe sanitation certification or a food handler's license in order to sell the sauce at retail outlets. Obtain a good printer in order to make attractive adhesive labels to stick on your barbecue sauce jars. Include an ingredients list so anyone with allergies can check to see if they are at risk.
Marketing
Get people talking about your product. Showcase your barbecue sauce anytime you host events at your home. Enter local and regional barbecue competitions and use your sauce in those events. Always keep a few extra bottles handy to sell if the opportunity arises. Supply samples to local chefs and restaurants who may be interested in using your sauce at their establishment.
Local Sales
Look for local outlets to sell your barbecue sauce. Arrange for a table at a local farmer's market or church bazaar. Set up an attractive display to showcase your sauce. Contact your local grocery store about having them sell your barbecue sauce. Arrange a meeting with the grocery manager. Bring samples of your sauce, as well as pictures of your kitchen, showing where you make the sauce and your sanitation process. Discuss pricing and display options with them.
Global Sales
Set up a website to sell your barbecue cause online. Have the website developed by a webmaster or use website-making software to create a simple website. The site should have a home page, a product page that has information about your sauce, such as ingredients, calorie counts and background information about you and the sauce. There should also be a link to purchase the product and a contact page with an email address, phone number and mailing address. Include shipping and handling charges when setting up your pricing structure. Invest in search engine optimization tools to get your website more hits. Obtain crush-proof packaging and cushioning materials to ship your sauce in.
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