Hot Sauce Business in Ohio?

In most states the department that could answer your questions best is the Dept. of Agriculture. It seems it is no different in OH. Here is a link to get you started:
https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/food-safety/resources/cottage-food

In my state it is the same dept that is responsible for overseeing the cottage food industry. The person that came to inspect my home kitchen as well as the one that came to watch me make food in a commercial kitchen (if one uses both types of kitchens for preparing one's foods for selling, one must be certified in both separately, at least in my state), both were very kind and helpful.

I'm sure there is a phone number on the site that I linked. I find it is always best to get the information straight from the source.

Good luck with your business!

Up here, an inspected commercial kitchen is also required. I have a friend who makes a traditional Haitian sauce, from a family recipe, that will slowly melt the sun.

So, I am massively in favour of hot sauce! Please follow your dreams! And, do you deliver?

do you know of any other person or company that makes similar products in similar circumstances? a quick glance at the ohio guidelines doesn’t fully answer your question, since hot sauces specifically don’t show up on their lists of acceptable or unacceptable products. that ‘acidified’ foods are on the ‘no’ list doesn’t bode real well. i agree that the best option is probably to contact someone (either with the state or very familiar with the guidelines in general) to answer your most basic questions.

in my state basically everything of this sort requires a certified kitchen and inspections. ohio seems to be a little more open, but it seems to me that it would be better to know for sure it’s something you can do before investing a lot of time and energy into it.

To add to Annie’s comments, make the phone call to the state.  If you contact the wrong person, they will normally tell you who you need to talk to.  The one time I needed clearance for a similar project, I was in contact with the health department.   Due to the small volume and the nature of the  product, they gave me clearance over the phone and then came out in person weeks later.

Yeah, this is a no-go. They say hot sauce is acidified.

I'm thinking the next best thing, a series of BBQ rubs...

Haha, this isn't my dream Doug, I just need some extra cash because money is tight right now. Ideally, I'd have a little cafe or something, with my apartment up top, in a suburb of a large city where there is a cheese counter. Because the deli at IGA in town doesn't have Manchego and I miss being around humans.

But I can make a damn good cup of coffee, my sandwiches are the best sandwiches of anyone I know, and I'm friendly and polite in general. A little cafe with a griddle, a kettle for boiling water, some pour-over sieves, cups, plates, and like 6 seats... that'd be perfect.