Sweet Baby Ray's facts for kids
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| Type | Barbecue sauce |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ken’s Foods |
| Introduced | 1985 |
| Previous owners | Dave and Larry Raymond |
| Tagline | The Sauce is the Boss! |
Sweet Baby Ray's is a super popular brand of barbecue sauce. It started in Romeoville, Illinois, USA. Many people love its sweet and tangy flavor.
Contents
The Story of Sweet Baby Ray's
The idea for Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce came from two brothers, Dave and Larry Raymond. They lived in Chicago in the early 1980s. Dave was a basketball player and had the nickname "Sweet Baby Ray." That's how the sauce got its name!
In 1982, the brothers first entered their special sauce in a barbecue contest in Chicago. They kept trying, and in 1985, their hard work paid off. Sweet Baby Ray's sauce won second place! This was a huge achievement, as there were 700 other sauces in the competition.
After their big win, the brothers decided to turn their sauce into a business. In 1986, they officially started selling Sweet Baby Ray's to everyone.
Growing the Business
In 2005, the Raymond brothers sold their sauce business to a company called Ken's Foods. This deal was worth $30 million. At that time, Sweet Baby Ray's was already making $30 million in sales each year. It also had a big part of the barbecue sauce market in the United States. By 2008, it had become the second best-selling barbecue sauce in the entire country!
Even though they sold the sauce business, Dave Raymond still owns the "Sweet Baby Ray's" name. He now runs two restaurants in Chicago using that name.
Sweet Baby Ray's in the News
In 2021, something cool happened. A bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce was seen in the background during an interview with Mark Zuckerberg. This small appearance made the brand famous in the media. It was like getting $2 million worth of free advertising!
Many Flavors to Enjoy
Today, there are 26 different kinds of Sweet Baby Ray's sauces. You can find flavors from sweet to spicy. They even make other types of sauces, like honey mustard and buffalo sauce. In 2020, the company also released a line of sauces with no added sugar. They added even more of these in 2021.
In March 2022, a survey was done by Mashed. They asked 695 people about their favorite barbecue sauce. Guess what? Over 48% of them chose Sweet Baby Ray's as their top pick! The sauce that came in second place was chosen by only about 15% of the people. This shows just how much people love Sweet Baby Ray's!
