I make the most awsome, to die for BBQ sauce. I am certain there are no BBQ's like mine on the market, because I haven't found one I will even use as a "fill in" for mine. It is the sauce my mom made when we were kids and it is still the only one I use. Friends and family rave over our BBQ's. I am told over and over that I should market it.

I know it will sell, it is just that good tasting. My problem is how do you go from making a family batch size to having enough to sell by the case?

I really want to do this, but I just don't see how small kitchen based products become big products. There has got to be something that happens that allows it to go into large scale production, cause I know it it can't keep coming from the home kitchen.

It is a time consuming product because you cook and reduce the batch, so what started as a HUGE pot turns out to just be enough for maybe 3-4 canning jars.

Has anyone done something like this before? Plus I have no idea how the laws work for selling food products.

I know there probably aren't very many answers out on this board w/ full experience, but maybe someone has had these same questions before and learned something.

I really want and need to do this. Here is my plan to get started.
1) State outloud my ideas to make them concrete (okay, I just did that)
2) GET RID OF MY DESK CLUTTER AND FILING so I can focus
3) Get canning jars (3 cases)
4) Purchase enough ingredients to make 3 case batches
5)determine all cost in making this and price item.
6)design label and learn laws for food product labeling
7) cook enough for 3 cases
8) Start selling to friends
9) Find a system to record sales and costs and tracking.
9) Look for places that will sell my stuff at their store (that's last for sure...I need to get a good control on managing time frame of cooking and preparing and making my mistakes w/ friends and family and word of mouth people)

I want to be selling my product to friends by the end of Nov. That's a full month to still keep my house going and get some sort of business running. Honestly, my biggest hangup is filing my desk. I plan to work only on that today. Say a prayer for me and don't let me off the hook. I've been trying to get this done since May and have accomplished at least filing the last years stuff....I just need to get to the 2 years prior for things that need to be saved.

By Heaventree on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - 09:30 am:

Good for you Dana, follow your dreams, I have no real advice for you. My Mother is just now semi-retired but cannot stop doing, she has booked a table on Saturday's at the local farmer's market and plans on selling baked goods. You might try to get yourself a table or approach one of the vendors that sells meat products.

Good luck!

By Vicki on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - 09:49 am:

Good for you on following through on something you want to do!

I think you should check with your state on this. I am sure that you are going to need to be inspected (maybe even some kind of license?) in order to be able to sell in stores to the general public. To be honest, at least I hope so! I would hate to think that I could buy something out of a store that came from a place that isn't inspected! I am sure you are very clean etc., but not everyone out there is! You may even need some kind of insurance in case anyone would ever get sick (food posioning etc) and I am sure there should be some kind of ingredent label.... you may even need a lawyer now that I think this through.....

By Dana on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - 09:56 am:

Yes, Vicki, there is so much to consider when it is a food product. But what about this airborne lady. Do you think she did all that before "Friends and family" wanted to use her special remedy? I am just stamered on how a home product makes that jump to market place. there are so many things that need to happen, but it started somewhere....and I can't imagine it starting all so legal at the get go. Seems there had to be the guinea pig group that liked it just the way it was and all that other stuff just didn't matter to them (cause they knew the person and/or their kitchen LOL). I just can not figure out how a regurlar person goes from stove top to the next step before becoming a big public product. There has to be a middle in there somewhere.