We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deidre Burt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deidre below.

Deidre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I came up with the name Sassy Sauce after researching 5 potential name options that either had something to do with me or my 3 boys. Sassy Sauce stood out to me as catchy and different. Based off my products being “citrus-based” and as I used to be told my mouth was “sassy” growing up, they nicknamed me Little Miss Sassy, hence the name SASSY SAUCE. When the flavor hits your mouth, it makes you have something to say.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started making BBQ sauce with my mom and aunts for family gatherings and cookouts at a young age, simply because I LOVED BBQ sauce and is my favorite condiment til this day. During the midst of COVID in the Spring on 2020, when the Ford-Kentucky Truck Plant I work for shutdown and unemployment was messed up for everyone, I needed a way to make some kind of money to make sure my kids were fed. It was suggested that I should start making my homemade BBQ sauce to sell to the neighborhood people. After continuing to get a great buzz with positive feedback, it was suggested that I get my product on store shelves. After continously researching and asking around, I found a local manufacturer to produce, print and bottle my product to start moving along with the shelfing process. After numerous amounts of hours working building trucks to fund my business, in Spring 2024 we officially began to appear on the shelves of several local grocery stores within Kentucky. As we are currently in the month of September, Sassy Sauce BBQ products, citrus-based BBQ sauce, Spicy BBQ sauce and Sassy’s All-purpose Citrus Seasoning, can be found in 9 retail store locations across 3 counties in our Kentucky Proud certified state, with Kentucky Derby Museum Store being our feature location inside of Churchill Downs.
The problem that Sassy Sauce is solving that sets us apart from others, is being a minority owned brand that provides diversified flavors infused into citrus-based products that everyone enjoys!
I am proud to be a minority woman with a vision of a brand that brings families together to enjoy meals, while I continue to work and build this brand from the bottom with little to no support, we will prevail.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I started out manufacturing my product at home in my kitchen during COVID in order to make some money. After the COVID lock down lifted and the demand for my BBQ sauce increased, I wasn’t able to keep up with the demand while still working my full-time job. After researching and meeting with a manufacturing company to produce my product, I had to provide them with the exact recipe and they had to sign a NDA to keep my recipe confidential. I have been working with this vendor a little over a year and we are 3 products in. There are a lot of ins & outs that you learn along the way while manufacturing such as approvals, being FDA compliant, label sizes and prints, UPC printing, state certifications.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

As I am just getting started and running, so far the best source of new clients for me has been the diversity of people that I meet and come in contact with at vending events where I setup and retail my products directly to consumer. These events allow me to more personally interact with customers and potential clients while answering questions firsthand, providing samples and overall building rapport.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sassysaucebrands.com
• Instagram: Sassy_saucebbq502
• Facebook: Sassy Sauce BBQ, LLC