Sokol Custom Food Ingredients, a complete one-stop shop for dressings and sauces, has developed a plant-based chipotle ranch sauce to accompany several plant-based sandwiches that have entered the market. The launch comes amid rising demand for clean label savory sauces without the “nasties,” a short ingredient list, one that focuses on natural and recognizable ingredients.
“We are seeing that about 70 percent of the inquiries coming in for custom sauces now have a ‘no fly’ ingredient list or diet/allergen requirements,” says Kyle Phalen, R&D food scientist, Sokol.
Getting saucy
“Our team is constantly exploring new ingredients and methods to create sauces that meet those requirements. Along with having multiple certifications, such as certified non-GMO, sustainable palm oil, certified organic, etc., our capabilities allow us to deliver a variety of services typically found at much larger companies.”
“At the same time, our team has the flexibility and agility of a small team, so we can quickly meet changes and source new ingredients from our large ingredient library if something isn’t working or needs to be adjusted,” he notes.
Sokol can help manufacturers overcome formulation challenges to create various savory sauces that can accommodate a wide range of consumer dietary considerations such as paleo, Whole30, keto, vegan, halal, kosher and alternative sugars.
The company says it focuses on getting products to market quickly, including marinades, salad dressings, finishing sauces for protein bowls, and dipping sauces.
Tapping into plant-based trends
Sokol offers savory sauce solutions, including:
• Regional-specific sauces, including Texas-style and Kansas City-Style BBQ sauce
• Sauces featuring trending or special ingredients, such as peppers like habanero, ghost, poblano
• 100 percent plant-based ingredients
• Low sugar, alternative sugar ingredients
• Certified non-GMO, organic, sustainable ingredients
• ‘No fly’ ingredient lists, free-from, allergen-free labels
• Convenient, flexible packaging options: ranging from single-serve pouches to drums
“Regional sauce flavor profiles are also really hot with consumers. Texas-Style and Kansas City-Style barbecue sauces, sauces that play with specific smoke flavor profiles, those that highlight specific peppers such as habanero — or fruit varieties, such as mandarin orange sesame dressing — are being sought out by today’s consumers,” adds Shannon Pimmel, Marketing Manager, Sokol.
