Odd Lots Alison Roman's Plan to Conquer the Tomato Sauce Market
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Feb 23, 2026 
Alison Roman, cookbook author and founder of A Very Good Sauce, talks about launching a jarred tomato sauce and why she left market sauces behind. She explains scaling home recipes for co-packers and the logistics of production and DTC fulfillment. She covers sourcing tradeoffs, pricing versus artisanal quality, and how her media reach shapes demand and product trust.
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From Market Stall To Co-Packer
- Alison Roman started selling her homemade tomato sauce at her grocery First Bloom when demand quickly outpaced her capacity.
- She outsourced production to a co-packer after being approached by an experienced tomato-sauce maker.
Scaling Changes How Ingredients Behave
- Scaling a home recipe requires rethinking ingredients, cooking methods, and equipment.
- Alison found batches behave differently and had to iterate recipes at scale, especially for caramelized shallots.
Visit The Co-Packer Regularly
- Visit your co-packer and taste batches frequently during scale-up.
- Adjust ingredient levels and methods based on batch behavior rather than assuming proportional scaling.
