Starting a homemade sardines business can be a rewarding venture, but it requires careful planning, adherence to food safety regulations, and a commitment to producing a high-quality product. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
1. Research and Planning:
- Market Research: Understand your target market, competition, and consumer preferences.
- Regulations: Familiarize yourself with local health and food safety regulations for food production businesses.
2. Develop a Unique Recipe:
- Experiment with different seasonings and flavors to create a unique and appealing sardines recipe.
- Consider different variations, such as spicy, Mediterranean, or herb-infused options.
3. Source Quality Ingredients:
- Choose fresh and high-quality sardines, corn oil, and other ingredients.
- Establish relationships with reliable suppliers to ensure a consistent supply.
4. Set Up a Production Facility:
- Commercial Kitchen: If producing at a small scale, ensure your kitchen complies with local health regulations.
- Licensing: Obtain the necessary permits and licenses for operating a food production business.
5. Equipment and Packaging:
- Invest in quality equipment for cleaning, seasoning, and packaging sardines.
- Choose attractive and durable packaging with proper labeling.
6. Perfect Your Recipe:
- Fine-tune your sardines recipe based on feedback from friends, family, and potential customers.
- Ensure consistency in flavor, texture, and appearance.
7. Quality Control:
- Implement strict quality control measures to ensure the safety and quality of your product.
- Regularly test batches for taste, texture, and shelf life.
8. Pricing and Cost Analysis:
- Calculate production costs, including ingredients, packaging, labor, and overhead.
- Set a competitive yet profitable pricing strategy.
9. Branding and Packaging:
- Design an attractive and memorable brand logo and label.
- Ensure your packaging complies with labeling requirements and provides essential information.
10. Distribution and Sales:
- Explore various distribution channels, including local markets, grocery stores, and online platforms.
- Consider offering samples to local retailers and consumers to generate interest.
11. Marketing and Promotion:
- Build a strong online presence through a website and social media platforms.
- Implement marketing strategies such as promotions, discounts, and collaborations.
12. Networking:
- Attend food fairs, farmers’ markets, and other local events to promote your homemade sardines.
- Build relationships with local retailers and restaurants.
13. Customer Feedback:
- Encourage customers to provide feedback.
- Use feedback to continuously improve your product and business operations.
14. Scale Up:
- As demand grows, consider scaling up your production capacity.
- Explore opportunities for partnerships with larger retailers or distributors.
15. Compliance and Adaptation:
- Stay informed about changes in food safety regulations.
- Be adaptable and willing to adjust your business strategies based on market trends and customer preferences.
Starting a homemade sardines business requires dedication, attention to quality, and compliance with regulations. Make sure to consult with local health authorities, and consider seeking advice from business mentors or professionals in the food industry.
Bottled Sardines in Corn Oil
Ingredients:
1 kilo fish in season (tawilis or you may use fish like tunsoy, tamban or small milkfish)
6- 7 pcs laurel or bay leaf
60- 70 pcs peppercorn
6 -7 pcs red pepper
1 pc whole carrot, sliced thinly
1 pc whole pickle, sliced thinly
1 Liter corn oil (cholesterol free)
Soaking Solutions (brine)
1/4 cup salt
2 cups water
Equipment Utensils:
Pressure cooker
8 oz. bottles with brand new metal caps (required to attain a two- year shelf life)
Cups, Measuring spoons, Knife, Spatula, Chopping Board, Plastic bowl or basin, strainer, Hand gloves or potholder.
Procedure:
1. Remove or cut the head, tails, fins, and internal organs of each fish, then wash them.
2. Dissolve the 1/4 cup of salt in 2 cups water to make 10 percent salt solution (brine). Stir. To preserve the fish, soak them in the salt solution for 15 minutes. This will wash out blood and fishy odor. Drain afterwards.
3. Arrange the fish in sterilized glass bottles. If the fish are small, put 8 pcs per bottle; if they are slightly bigger, put 6-7 pcs.
There are two ways to sterilize the bottles:
a. Wash them thoroughly. Let dry. Then put the bottles inside the oven at 100 degrees centigrade for 5- 10 minutes.
b. Wash them thoroughly. Put them in a casserole and let boil. Then let dry.
4. In every bottle, place 1 pc bay leaf or laurel, 10 pcs peppercorn, 2 pcs red pepper or siling labuyo, 1 pc of sliced carrot, and 2 pcs of sliced pickle. Use a knife or the end of the spatula to insert the carrots into the bottle. Inserting the knife also releases the air bubbles from the bottle.
5. Pour the corn oil up to the brim of the bottle.
6. Half- seal and put the bottles over the metal wire wrap inside the pressure cooker. Pour water up to the half the height of the bottles. Adjust the temperature to immediately heat the bottles. Start at a high temperature once the pressure cooker “whistles”. Pressure-cook for 30 minutes.
The repeated pressure- cooking process is done to completely release remaining air bubbles in the bottles and thus prevent corrosion of the bottle caps. it is also meant to precook the fish and to produce a vacuum inside the bottle for a longer shelf life.
7. After 30 minutes, take out the bottles from the pressure cooker. Use hand gloves or potholder. Since water evaporates, add water inside the pressure cooker to last for one-and-a- half hours. Seal the bottles fully and cook in the pressure cooker for one and a half hours under a pressure of 10psi. This is done to soften the bones of the fish.
8. Cool the jars in an inverted position. This is to make sure that the caps are not leaking. After 24 hours, wash the bottle with soap and water. Wipe them dry.
Bottled Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 kilo fish in season (tawilis or you may use fish like tunsoy, tamban or small milkfish)
60- 70 pcs peppercorn
1 pc whole carrot, sliced thinly
1 pc whole pickle, sliced thinly
Soaking Solutions (brine)
1/4 cup salt
2 cups water
Packing Sauce:
1/2 cup corn oil (120 ml)
1/3 cup vinegar (180 ml)
1 pack tomato paste (70g)
200 ml water
Equipment Utensils:
Pressure cooker
8 oz. bottles with brand new metal caps (required to attain a two- year shelf life)
Cups, Measuring spoons, Knife, Spatula, Chopping Board, Plastic bowl or basin, strainer, Hand gloves or potholder.
Procedure:
Follow the same procedure as in the preparation of sardines in corn oil, only don’t pour the corn oil. Instead, pour the mixture of oil, vinegar, water, and tomato sauce or paste. Tomato paste is tastier than tomato sauce because it is concentrated.
Costing
To compute for your production cost, get the prices of the ingredients used by dividing the retail price of an ingredient with its content, then multiply it by the amount you used in the recipe. Take for instance pickles. A small bottle of 8 pcs retails for about P42. Divide P42 by 8, so pickles is a little bit P5 a piece. Therefore, the cost of pickles for one recipe is P5. Do the same for the rest of the ingredients then total them, just make sure to separate the computation of the two sardine recipes. Don’t forget to add the cost of packaging ang P10 per bottle for your overhead costs- electricity, LPG and labor.
To compute for your retail price, divide the total cost to the number of yields and put a 100% profit margin. You may even earn more if you reduce your production cost by buying the ingredients in bulk.
Bottles may be bought second-hand from Divisoria, Manila, but be sure they are thoroughly washed and cleansed prior to sterilization. Buy only brand new bottle caps, preferably made of metal and not plastic to ensure a much longer shelf life (two years at the most). The caps of properly sealed bottles pop up when opened.
Source: Entrepreneur Magazine
Supply of brand new bottles and caps:
Bottle Caps Corporation of the Philippines
138 Capt. Cruz St., Valenzuela City. Tel #: (02) 294-3487
San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp.
9th Floor San Miguel Properties Centre
#7 St. Francis Ave., Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Philippines
Trunk Line: (632) 702-4200
Fax No.: (632) 637-6368/69, or (632) 687-7075
website: http://www.smypc.com/index.aspx
i will try this recipe on my class. thank you!
hi im planning to make bottled spanish sardines
how do i know ive reashed 10 psi or 15 psi using a pressire cooker without gauge. . is there a tool to use
how many days will last sardines in a jar
Hi, just want to ask how many bottles can we put in a 30 quart pressure cooker? Also, can we stack them up even if the water level is only 4 inches from the bottom? I am right now engage in processing bottled sardines, just want to expand a little bit, thank you.
Hi!how did you set the 10psi pressure of the pressure cooker. Pressure cookers doesnt have pressure gauges. Thanks!
So happy for the info, since i am avid fan of eating spanish sardines, thank you so much!plan to make some for family consumption and maybe one way of starting a small business!?❤❤❤once again thank you!?
Sardines business is a great plan for me. And i agree that making homemade sardines in cooking oil and tomato paste is a good way to start.
happy to be on this site
nice
waw
wew
hello,
i find the info on the sardines business very helpful. as i am based in cagayan de oro city, i am interested to know where i can buy caps anywhere near the area i am operating. caps are a bit hard to comeby here and they are very expensive for small time producers like myself. i would appreciate some info on the matter.
thanks. 🙂