When is small batch no longer small batch ?

The other day while I was peeling some lovely beetroots i had picked up that morning from the markets, the crisp change in temperature has brought with it some rather delightful root vegetables, firm, earthy, perfect for our beetroot relish, I love peeling veg albeit frantic and frenzied, I do enjoy it and in my peeling state of mind  I started to ponder about the term small batch.

From the beginning, small batch was one of my main focuses, to create and cook condiments, preserves, sauces and whatever else could be preserved in a jar for later consumption in or out of season, by hand, in a pot in Small batches. Now as the business has grown, I do admit I have incorporated certain machine inputs to help with the preparing of vegetables, these chef hands, aren't what they used to be and with the threat of arthritis and carpal tunnel knocking on the door I have to ease the pressures on my money makers. My robot coupe (food processor) does most of the hard graft, dicing, slicing and grating while my thermo mix and stick blender ensures a silky smooth sauce, with out these tools my condiments would not be the condiments that I love to create & eat today.

And while these tools make light work of processing 20,30 sometimes even 100kg of produce in a day, I still revert to my trusty 50l stainless steel pots to cook everything in, and while they are large (they take up a 4 burner in the home kitchen) these pots have a maximum cook volume, you cant just fill them to the top and expect a long cook to result in the same product (trust me I tried). They have a maximum ingredient load of around 15kgs sometimes less when talking about jams and marmalades (2-3kgs). This maximum load is (after trail and error) the perfect amount to achieve the finished product id set out to make those many years ago. 

So as I make my single batch, per pot relishes and jams, the total jars I can make per recipe ranges anywhere from 20-100, now surely thats still small batch, right? Hmmmm as I continue to rack my brain through what small batch means, am I small batch? medium batch? do I even create a batch size worth noting on the label, I wonder.

After finishing peeling my beets, a quick hand wash to try and rectify the blood bath of purple that has occurred, one day ill start wearing gloves but I still just cant quite get over not being able to feel the produce im preparing. but until that day a good scrub in the hand sink and then a second scrub does a pretty good job. Time for a coffee and a little bit of google research "how big can small batch be" the results come back uncertain, from brewing whiskey to pet food, hot sauce to jam ranging any where from a few kgs at a time to 20x that, even a notable condiment brand comes up, one thats in all the big super markets here in Aus, now surely that cant be small batch, Australia wide distribution and prices that would make tomato farmers cry.

So in a world where the meaning small batch is in the eye of the beholder I still believe as long as you read between the lines, know that the artisan or chef who's making your products is still involved, not just using autonomous big self stirring pots, then your going to end up with a pretty special handcrafted local product, made just the way it was meant to turn out and tastes as good if not better than the original recipe. Like I always say (or should I say used to when I was in kitchens), "if you wouldn't be happy serving it to your mum, then you shouldn't serve it at all." Which is why I love creating all of our products in small batches the ability to get that flavour, texture and consistency just right every time and end up with a product id definitely serve to my mum and all the mums! 

Right this relish won't cook its self ive got to get back to grating my beets, let me know what you think in the comments, should small batch be a bit more regulated, do you have a max number of jars that you class as small batch, should we introduce terms like micro batch ,super small batch, super duper small batch? Do people even care or have I just been in the kitchen alone with my thoughts too long peeling beetroot? 

Have a great day, 

Much Love

Dom