Brand your own hot sauces as a fundraiser for a cool consistent moneymaker.

Sell Your Own

Branded Sauces

Whooo! Is it hot in here or is it just

my food. Americans love their hot

sauces, barbeque sauces and salsa type sauces. They will put it on just about anything and the popularity for sauces is growing rapidly.

You will get the basics here on how to start selling your own homemade sauce or how to start looking at selling a sauce that has been relabled with your nonprofit's name on it.

Getting Started

This is not too difficult a task, especially if you have some committed cooks in your organization.

There are three main factors to consider when starting on your sauce making fundraising project:

1. Making the sauce

2. Finding the right container and marketing it.

3. Making sure that you comply with local laws.

Organize Your Committee

You can't cook and bottle your sauces alone. You must have help and should consider having others in a committee to help. You'll need the following:

1.Marketer This person will contact stores, restaurants, trade shows and other local places that will buy your sauces and/or agree to offer them to their customers at retail prices. Remember, these groups are supporting you by not taking a cut of your profits.

Other duties will include designing the Fundraising Sales Form and then setting up sales teams that will also go out and sell door-to-door your special fundraiser. This person will also contact the newspaper and other media and get their support and willingness to highlight your group.

2.Cook Someone to buy the various

ingredients and cook the sauces. Get the

finest items available since cheap ingredients

will be reflected in the taste outcome. Some

of these sauces will create a strong smell so

care should be made to use an industrial facility.

3.Graphics This person should design the order form, advertisement flyers, and packaging label. They should then get these printed either commercially or on their own computer. Great colorful graphics are the key to increased sales. Also, assist the Marketer in designing the Fundraising Sales Form and brochures as they are needed.

4.Selection Committee This group should decide on the types and variety of sauces to offer for sale. Try no more than two types of sauces for your first year.

You must choose a title or name of your sauce that's indicative of the ingredients in the sauce or that is associated to your group. For instance, a barbecue sauce for a scout group might be "Troopmaster's Barbeque Sauce -- Camper's No. 1 Choice"

Make sure to test the various combinations out, take pictures of the ingredients and then get the pictures to the Graphics person.

5.Packager This person will secure and buy jars or bottles, packaging labels, recruit volunteer packagers, and set the equipment up for all volunteer packagers to get together one day and package all of the products.

Recpes

There are many books and resources

from your county home extension

office that can give you tips on various

recipes. Here are some basics.

Hot Sauce #1

Hot Sauce #2

Equal amounts of Cayennes

Jalapenos, garlic, vinegar,

and Habaneras thinned down

black pepper, white pepper,

with vinegar and water, 1/3

bell peppers, cayene

cup sugar, and 1/3 cup of

peppers, and tomatoes.

salt, onions and garlic.

See some of the comtemporary sauces recipe books or hot sauce making books.

Complying With Local Laws

Make sure that you check with your local health department before starting your cooking since they will want to inspect your processing and cook facility.

Also, be sure to check with your local authorities to get your clearance on any sales and processing permits that might be applicable. Finally, check with for any state approval by calling your state's consumer affairs bureau.

Packaging

Buy strong glass bottles, glass jars or plastic bottles. After pouring in your special sauce, place your label on it (Product Name, ingredients, and information about your group (phone #, website, e-mail and how to order more including times of the year that sales will occur)). Include an address for donations to be sent in if the a person wishes.

Suggested container sizes might be 3oz. or 5oz. for hot sauces, 7oz. for salsas and 18oz. for barbeque sauces.

For storing and delivering your products, consider some relatively inexpensive plastic containers found at AllBizSupplies.com

Custom Branded Products

An alternative to cooking your own sauce is to contact some sauce companies that already will place a custom label on their sauces for you. This will cost a little more, but may be worth it if you don't have the manpower to make your own.

See companies like Your Name Gourmet from Mad Will's or Tabasco for more.

Set your prices relatively low. $2.00 to $2.99 are reasonable prices for small 3 to 5 oz. bottles of hot sauce, $3.99 for barbeque sauce, and $4.99 for salsas. See what your local store is selling "homemade" and "gourmet" sauces for and charge comparably.

This fundraising project will be a hot topic generating some cool cash for your group. Don't forget that even with the best sauce in the world, The trick is to actively go out and sell, sell, sell.