KC Masterpiece facts for kids

KC Masterpiece is a very popular barbecue sauce. It is sold by the HV Food Products Company, which is part of a bigger company called Clorox.

The Story of KC Masterpiece

KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce was first made in 1977. A doctor named Richard E. "Rich" Davis created it. He was a child psychiatrist who lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Davis was born in 1926 and passed away in 2015.

How the Sauce Got Started

At first, Dr. Davis called his sauce "KC Soul Style Barbecue Sauce." It only had five ingredients! Later, he changed the name to "KC Masterpiece." He wanted to sell his sauce in grocery stores. He also tried to sell other sauces he made, like "Muschup" (ketchup and mustard mixed). Many companies were not interested in his new sauces at first.

Finding a Partner

Eventually, Dr. Davis met a person named Jim Flynn. Mr. Flynn worked for a company called Flynn Brokerage. Jim Flynn tasted the sauces and immediately saw how good KC Masterpiece was. He thought it could be a big hit in stores.

Selling the Sauce

Jim Flynn had a simple plan to sell the sauce. He suggested giving out free samples in local supermarkets. This idea worked incredibly well! The very first weekend, they sold over 3,000 cases of sauce. That's 36,000 bottles! The stores even ran out of it. In the years that followed, KC Masterpiece sales grew very quickly.

Selling the Company

In 1986, after almost ten years of success, Dr. Davis received an offer. The Kingsford charcoal division wanted to buy the KC Masterpiece brand. This company, HV Food Products, is part of Clorox. They wanted to sell the sauce all over the country. Dr. Davis agreed to sell the brand. However, he kept the right to use the sauce in his own restaurants. He opened several restaurants, but they all eventually closed. The last one closed in 2009.