Process guide
Sauce and Condiment Contract Manufacturers (Hot Fill, Kettle, Acidified)
Use this page for sauce or condiment — hot fill, kettle, acidified; retort if cheese, cream, or broth. A sauce is not one process.
If pH will not hold at or below 4.6 ambient, that is LACF — retort, not a hot-fill acid line. If the claim is never-cooked, that is HPP. Unpublished MOQ is not small: Chelten House, Stir Foods, and Tulkoff did not print a number.
Acid vs low-acid and the full decision table sit in the textbook below.
Sauce contract manufacturers
Facts from the plant’s own pages fetched 21 Aug 2026. Blank on their site = unpublished. Not a census. Unpublished MOQ ≠ small — Chelten, Stir, and Tulkoff are not 25-gallon plants.
| Plant | City / state | Formats / process as stated | Certs published | MOQ published | USDA vs FDA | Organic | Site | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Foodworks | San Antonio, TX | Hot-filled and acidified shelf-stable. Sauces, salsas, marinades, dressings, BBQ, hot sauce, queso, pasta. Retail 8–32 oz; FS 1–50 gal. Glass and plastic. No own brand. | SQF; Kosher (OU); GF (Gluten Free Food Program) | 1,000 gallon; orders at least quarterly. Not first runs. | Unpublished | Unpublished | Home · Capabilities | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Parish Foods | Louisiana (city unpublished) | Hot fill or cold fill sauces/dressings; plastic and glass. Bottles 1–32 oz; cups 1.5–3 oz; gallons; 5-gal pails. No square/flask. | FDA and Louisiana registration/label language. SQF unpublished. | Cups/gallons 25 gal; retail bottled 50 gal. Not a one-time test run. | FDA-registration language. FSIS unpublished. | Unpublished | Co-packing | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Chelten House | New Jersey (city unpublished) | Large-scale co-man. Nine lines; 500k+ sq ft. Dressings, pasta/pizza, salsa, BBQ, ketchup, marinades, simmer/international; private label names hot sauce. FS 8–64 oz pouch/container, shelf-stable. Fill method unpublished. | SQF 2000 Level 3; HACCP | Unpublished. Not a small-MOQ plant. | Unpublished | Organic products 35+ years. Certifier unpublished. | Co-man · QA | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Supreme Cuisine | Montgomery City, MO | Sauces, dressings, broths, sous vide meats. Hot fill, cold fill, retort. Glass and plastic. Cups 1–4 oz through totes 250–300 gal. | SQF, Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten Free Certified as one bullet — held vs. capability not separated. | Minimum runs starting at 1,000 gallons. | FDA- and USDA-inspected. Meat-sauce room unpublished. | Same certified bullet | Bottling | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Stir Foods | Orange, CA; Fullerton, CA. Mississauga, ON not US. | Sauces, dressings, dips. Kettle; hot & cold fill; retort; emulsification; aseptic & non-aseptic. Pouch/cup/bag/bulk; glass, plastic, cups, totes, drums. | SQF Level 3 HACCP; FDA and USDA inspected | Unpublished. Not a small-MOQ plant. | FDA and USDA inspected. Rooms unpublished. | Claims-review only. Certifier unpublished. | Custom sauce · Partner | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Tulkoff Food Products | Baltimore, MD; Cincinnati, OH | High-volume co-pack: condiments, sauces, dressings. Glass/plastic; VFFS pouches; sachets; dip cups; retail/FS/bulk. Fill temperature unpublished on co-packing page. | SQF; GFSI; FDA-audited. Supports (not always-on): Kosher, Organic, Halal, GF, Non-GMO. | Unpublished. High-volume. Not a small-MOQ plant. | FDA-audited. FSIS unpublished. | Organic supported | Co-packing · Contact | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Sonoma Farm Co Packing | Shelby, IN | Small hands-on. Pasta/pizza, salsa, BBQ, hot sauce, oils, vinegars, mustards, dressings, jams. Bottling. Fill method unpublished. | FDA-registration / “FDA certified” language. SQF unpublished. | Unpublished. Do not list as small-MOQ. | FDA-registration language. FSIS unpublished. | Unpublished | Home · About | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Fischer & Wieser | Fredericksburg, TX (411 S. Lincoln St. per Warehaus) | Hot-fill shelf-stable: BBQ, salsas/chutneys, fruit sauces, marinades, mustards, dessert sauces. No ambient-fill salad dressings, pouch liquids, refrigerated, or powders. | SQF Level 2; HACCP/HARPC. Can run peanuts, sesame, tree nuts, milk, fish, soy, wheat, eggs. | 2,500 units per SKU. ~6 weeks from approval. | Unpublished | Unpublished | Co-man · Plant | Aug 21, 2026 |
| The Spice Guy — Sauce Pack | Denver, CO | Acidified foods packer. Hot sauce, BBQ, wing. 100-gal kettles; hot-fill all products. Needs recipe + scheduled process (or their help) before a quote. | “FDA certified Acidified Foods Packaging.” SQF unpublished. | 50 gallons per flavor (~1,200 × 5 oz woozy). Kettle size ≠ MOQ. | FDA-certified language. FSIS unpublished. | Unpublished | Home · FAQ | Aug 21, 2026 |
| El Pinto Foods | Albuquerque, NM | Private label / co-pack: salsas, sauces, marinades, dressings. Hot-fill (kettle + heat exchanger; filled hot, then cooled). Form also lists cold fill and hold. Glass, plastic/PET, cups, bulk. | SQF (2025 score 97.5%). Can meet vegan, Non-GMO Project, Kosher, GF, organic; certifiers unpublished. | Homepage 10,000 units/year. Certs page: minimums vary by pack. | FDA-filing help. FSIS unpublished. | Capability listed; certifier unpublished | Co-pack · Services · Certs | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Paradigm Foodworks | Lake Oswego, OR | Copack / private label sauces and condiments, conventional and organic. Shelf-stable. Fill method unpublished. Formats unpublished. | SQF and Organic Certified | Unpublished. | FDA-approved language. FSIS unpublished. | Organic certified (certifier unpublished) | Copack · About | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Best Brand Bottlers | Sarasota, FL | Private label sauces, marinades, dressings, condiments. Acidified and thermal manufacturing and bottling. Formats unpublished. | Third-party audited; GMP; SQF in process (not certified on page fetched). | Unpublished. | Unpublished | Unpublished | Home | Aug 21, 2026 |
| Onofrio’s Ultimate Foods | New Haven, CT | No own brand. Sauce and marinade bottling. Glass 8–128 oz; hot-fill plastic 8–128 oz; sealed pouches 8–128 oz. Kettles 50–1,000 gal (equipment ≠ MOQ). | FDA-approved; HACCP; GMPs; STAR-K kosher parve. Certified organic production (certifier unpublished). GF capability. SQF unpublished. | 100 case runs. | FDA-approved. FSIS unpublished. | Certified organic production; certifier unpublished | About · Capabilities · Certs | Aug 21, 2026 |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways. Cells are not smashed.
Omitted (fetched 21 Aug 2026; one-line reason): Yoshida — hot-fill, plastic only, no dairy (still in the directory via the hot-fill page). Co-Packing Express — 100 gal liquid (still in the directory via small MOQ). Lanovara — hot/cold fill; acidified/LACF; average 75–250 cases, not a floor. Spicin / Flavorcraft / Carolina CoPacking — sauce claims; MOQ or fill unpublished. Sauce Crafters (Riviera Beach, FL) — 30-year sauce copack, pH test + test batch; MOQ/fill unpublished. Beaverton — brand shop; no incoming copack service page. Stello — contract packaging/private label; MOQ/fill unpublished. Woeber — mustard/horseradish/vinegar/garlic private label only. Heritage Specialty Foods — refrigerated kettle soups/sauces; not ambient hot-fill. Motherlode (Hudson, CO) — sauce/dressing/salsa copack; first trial 400 gal; SQF Level II (CO already covered; table capped). Misses: Sauceology (dead domain), Vermont Bottling (500), Hinkle (500), Allegro (404), Pacific Choice (down), Golden West (no copack), Fuel Kitchens (commissary). Directories are not plant facts.
How to read the MOQ column
Published minimums are not comparable units. Parish and The Spice Guy quote gallons per flavor/run. Creative and Supreme quote 1,000 gallons. Fischer 2,500 units/SKU. El Pinto 10,000 units/year. Onofrio 100 cases. If MOQ is unpublished, assume nothing.
Process decision (before you request an intro)
| Your SKU | First question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot sauce, BBQ, ketchup, marinade, acid salsa | pH ≤ 4.6 in time? Process authority? | Hot fill / acidified kettle. Spice Guy 50 gal/flavor; Parish 25/50 gal; Creative / Supreme 1,000 gal. | pH will not hold ambient → retort. Never heated → HPP. |
| Creamy dressing, aioli | Ambient or refrigerated? Dairy? | Stir, Tulkoff, Best Brand, Paradigm name dressings. Fischer: no ambient-fill salad dressings. | Refrigerated-only: not a shelf-stable hot-fill house. |
| Cheese/cream sauce, bone broth, pH > 4.6 ambient | LACF? | Retort. Supreme and Stir publish retort. | Do not force hot fill. |
| Meat in the formula | USDA-FSIS or FDA? | Supreme and Stir state USDA inspection. Confirm the room. | Do not assume Chelten’s dressing line is a meat line. |
| Glass jar, first run under ~100 gal | Who publishes a small gallon floor? | Parish 25/50 gal; Spice Guy 50 gal/flavor; Onofrio 100 cases. | Chelten / Stir / Tulkoff unpublished. Creative / Supreme 1,000 gal. |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways — cells are not smashed.
Request an intro
If a plant in the table fits pH, format, and published minimum, we can introduce you. See the sauce directory cards.
What process a sauce needs, acid vs low-acid, decision table, gaps, sources
Textbook — after the shortlist
What process your sauce actually needs
A sauce is not one process. Hot fill, cold fill, retort, and acidified kettle are different kill steps, different filings, and different plants.
Hot fill. Heated, filled hot, held, then cooled. Default ambient path for high-acid ketchup, hot sauce, many BBQ sauces and marinades.
Acidified kettle. Acid added so finished pH is 4.6 or below — acidified food under 21 CFR 108/114. Needs a process authority letter and Form FDA 2541e. The Spice Guy will not quote without one. FAQ floor is 50 gallons per flavor.
Retort. Scheduled cook of the already-closed pack when pH > 4.6, aw > 0.85, hermetic, ambient — LACF. Supreme and Stir publish retort separately.
When this page is the wrong process
pH will not hold at or below 4.6 ambient. File a scheduled LACF process.
“Never cooked,” live culture, or HPP-only claims. Heat destroys that story. Use the HPP page.
Dairy. Cream and cheese sauces are often low-acid. Yoshida (not in this table) refuses dairy because the Portland plant is Kosher Pareve.
What is still unpublished (do not invent it)
- Numeric MOQ for Chelten, Stir, Tulkoff, Sonoma, Paradigm, Best Brand.
- City for Chelten House (New Jersey only) and Parish Foods (Louisiana only).
- Hot vs cold vs retort at Chelten, Tulkoff, Sonoma, Paradigm, and Best Brand.
- Organic certifier — none named Oregon Tilth / CCOF / QAI on this table except where a company page already states one from another process page.
Sources fetched 21 Aug 2026 are linked in the table. Directories, LinkedIn, and extension lists were not used as plant facts.