After you get the hot sauce recipe down pat, you can scale up production by increasing the amount of each component and the batch size to fill more bottles at once. Using sauce bottling equipment can increase output and simplify the process of filling 5 oz or 10 oz sauce bottles.
As we go into the best sauce filling machine for beginners, let’s first discuss the sauce bottling equipment itself.
Filling sauce bottles using pneumatic, piston-driven pumps and gravity-fed equipment are also possible choices. The two different machine types can both manage the amount of sauce that is put into each bottle. Semi-automated gravity-fed equipment can fill up to 20 bottles per minute, depending on the bottle size. A piston-powered pump designed expressly for use with bottles may fill containers holding more than ten fluid ounces. At the same time, automatic systems that are fully functional can fill more than 60 bottles per minute.
What to look for in sauce bottling equipment?
Value for Money
The price of the equipment will matter if you are starting out in the sauce industry on a tight budget. Although inexpensive machines may get the job done, the more costly ones often offer a larger production and wider range per bottle.
Think about the machine’s initial use and its potential for future expansion before making a purchase. Imagine buying a machine that requires you to pull a lever three times to fill a single five-ounce bottle.
Excellent Workmanship
Your new equipment will probably experience problems sometime, but it doesn’t indicate it’s of poor quality. Many products have a clear relationship between price and quality.
Fits Your Requirements
You’ll need filling equipment compatible with the size of bottles you’ll use for your sauce. To avoid filling each bottle more than once, you should know how many milliliters are in an ounce, as that is the worldwide standard.
Sauce Bottling Equipment Types
There are a few distinct kinds of bottle filling machines that may be used to fill hot sauce bottles, including those that rely on gravity, machine pumps, or piston-driven pneumatic machinery. The consistency of the spicy sauce depends on the machine used. Thus it’s possible that none of them will work for your sauce. A piston-driven pneumatic machine is essential for filling or forcing thinking sauces, salsa, chutney, or as a ketchup filling machine . On the other hand, gravity-fed equipment works well with the conventional liquid nature of a sauce, which is more akin to water. A pump, however, can only move fluids of water’s consistency or thinner.
What’s the difference between the gravity, pump, pneumatic, and piston systems?
☞ Gravity, Manual, or Semi-Automatic
This mechanism feeds the sauce into bottles based on its weight. These may apply with heavier, thicker sauces and are often called “paste filling machines.” A manual lever activates the sauce, dispensing precisely the right quantity to fill bottles of varied sizes.
If you’re starting out, have a small team, and want a straightforward system, these are the perfect machines. They are lightweight and simple to maintain, making them ideal for use in rental kitchens.
☞ Pump
This kind of device draws the product from a bigger source and transfers it into smaller containers using an internal pump. These desktop devices are designed for low-viscosity, particle-free liquids. These machines come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and their prices also vary, but they won’t operate with thick sauces.
☞ Pneumatic
Pneumatic refers to a device that uses air pressure to function. This kind of equipment uses a piston within a hollow cylinder to provide the system pressure to squeeze thicker sauce into bottles. The usage of an air compressor that is not included with cheaper machines in the $500–$600 range is necessary. Compressors are fitted into larger, more costly commercial machinery, which may cost between $5,000 and $10,000.
What is the best sauce bottling machine for start-up businesses?
Bottle filling machines, like other devices, were created to assist manufacturing simpler and more efficient. Two types of machines are especially examined: gravity-fed manual or semi-automatic machines and piston-driven pneumatic pump-fed machines.
The ideal ones to use these devices are those just starting but have a small kitchen and a small team of workers. They are lightweight and straightforward to maintain, making them ideal for use in a temporary kitchen.
Several models of this kind of equipment may be controlled either by a hand lever or a foot pedal connected to a compressor.