Based out of Cartago, Costa Rica, Alimentos Kamuk is a leading private label manufacturer, co-packer, and exporter that specializes in the production of bespoke preserves, pickles, marinades, dressings, and specialty sauces.

For over 30 years, the family-run business has worked closely with its clients to create, customize, and replicate quality sauces that are shipped worldwide to locations across America, Australasia, Asia, and Europe.

Alimentos Kamuk currently has around 500 SKUs and employs 100 people.

We asked Natalia Alvarez Vargas, R&D Manager, to share her experience of using LabelCalc food labeling software.

Why Did Alimentos Kamuk Start Using LabelCalc Software?

We saw a lot of recommendations for LabelCalc and started using the software in August 2023. Our existing supplier had become really expensive, so we started searching for a food labeling company that could give us all the features we needed without such high prices.

We reached out to arrange a meeting and demo and thought LabelCalc seemed really professional. We were impressed by the quality of the service; the team was really nice and patient, and took time to show us all the features that were available.

There are two of us in our R&D department that need to use the program, so we also liked the fact that LabelCalc allows more than one user for the same price, unlike the platform we’d been using before.

It was great to be able to access everything directly through the website without having to go through a remote desk like our old program, which always used to be slow when it came to saving our recipes.

How Has LabelCalc Benefited Your Business?

LabelCalc is just so much easier to use than the software we’d been using. We were surprised by how good the database was. I can look up an onion and be shown lots of different options like sweet onion or powdered onion. It also has a lot of branded ingredients, which is great.

I know lots of people that still do everything in Microsoft Excel and it’s very easy to make mistakes. 

I am a food engineer and can see that the data is correct when I’m adding each ingredient in LabelCalc. It’s really important to be able to trust the software and know you can rely on it.

How Much Time And Effort Does The Software Save You?

Sometimes, I have large recipes with maybe 20 ingredients or more. Without this software, I’d first have to build a database in Excel using information from the USDA and our suppliers, which could take maybe an entire year. Then, when I’m making each recipe, I’d have to go through every ingredient, add them into Excel, and check everything, which could take over an hour or more. With LabelCalc, it takes only 10-20 minutes each time.

We also use different rounding rules in places like Europe and use the Simplified Labeling feature for FDA. When you have products like sauces that don’t have a lot of nutrients, simplified labels are a good option and frees up space on the product packaging.

What Would You Say To Someone Considering Switching To LabelCalc?

The software is very easy to use – especially as it’s available online as a website. It’s quick to add my ingredients, check the boxes, generate a label or nutrients list, and download it. The price is good, it has a large database, allows multiple users, and the service and support has been very helpful. We are very happy with LabelCalc and would definitely recommend it.