Sausage Maker

What will I be doing?
In addition to actually making sausages, a Sausage Maker often uses his or her creativity to formulate new and appetizing sausage products. A Sausage Maker understands and manages the entire process of creating further processed meat products, including operating and adjusting equipment, troubleshooting, contributing to product development and managing people. He or she will handle, select, prepare, and formulate recipe ingredients in the production of sausage or processed items. The Sausage Maker is responsible for monitoring temperature of the products in controlled stages of production, grinding, mixing, stuffing, hanging, smoking, and cooling of products.

In most cases he or she understands the science of meat and effects of the various ingredients and processes used to produce sausage products.

What training do I need?
Consider enrolling at one of Canada’s post secondary meat training programs to gain a meat cutting certificate that includes sausage manufacturing, meat science and math components; helping you move up more quickly in your career.

Sausage Makers often complete Meat Cutting and Retail Meats certificates to complement their workplace experience. Sausage making requires some culinary skill, basic meat science and a good understanding of the value-added meat process.

What kind of salary and working conditions can I expect?
Depending on your level of experience, education and your provincial standards, Sausage Makers can typically earn up to $50,000 (est.) per year.

Sausage Makers can work in a variety of places, including retail establishments, specialty meat shops and meat processing operations. Sausage Makers split their time between hands-on processing, and other culinary and creative endeavours. You will work indoors, generally in temperature-controlled conditions ranging from minus two to four degrees Celsius, and depending on your place of employment, you may also interact with customers at the store-front.

What are my career options?
Building on sausage making skills gained from formal or on-the-job training, many sausage makers aspire to develop their own products and use their entrepreneurial ambitions to create their own businesses. Having worked in more industrial environments, many Sausage Makers also will use their skills in specialty meat shops and retail establishments