C’Mon Betty is an artisanal canning company creating small-batch, handmade, delicious and unique shelf-stable condiments upcycling locally sourced ingredients by providing an avenue for farmers and grocers to sell crops that would have otherwise gone uneaten, unsold or unharvested due to blemishes, overstock, or bumper crop to keep produce in the community and divert food from the landfill.
I am working with the Michigan State University Food Processing Innovation Center to get my shelf-stable condiment recipes, starting with a zucchini relish and watermelon rind relish approved for wholesale at farmers markets, grocery stores and online retail. The approval process called the Process Authority Test is conducted to ensure that the recipe is shelf-stable and to establish a regulated process for the Michigan Health Department to verify. Once the state Processing Authority has approved these recipes I will be working with Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen to produce the relishes at a larger scale than a home kitchen can allow. This is also a wonderful network tapped into local farmers and producers whom I can provide a food recovery option to and who can recommend what other vegetables and fruits are the most overproduced. This will allow me to prioritize other shelf-stable condiment recipes starting with a sundried tomato relish as a pain point for farmers dealing with a bumper crop of tomatoes and a pumpkin ketchup as we are now in pumpkin season.
Once my initial recipes have been approved by the state a local health inspector will be present for the canning of a batch of relish to observe that I am producing my food according to all health regulations and standards. Their final approval will allow me to apply for two final needed licenses to operate as a canning and preserving business as well as selling the products that I produce.
My condiments will ultimately be sold at grocery retailers, online and at fairs and farmers markets.