We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Princess & Brownie Sims a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Princess & Brownie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

Our legacy and message are several things. Family can work and build together, creating wealth. Sharing family traditions with others in the hopes that others will do the same with their families. Our motto “smoke brings the people”. Our hope is that we were able to touch, encourage and fellowship with others and remember “The Final Sauce was the only sauce I needed”.

Princess & Brownie , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We are Princess and Brownie Sims, owners of The Final Sauce. A condiment company that specializes in barbecue sauces, spice rubs, marinades and vinaigrettes.

Years ago while growing up in Berkeley California, my sister Brownie and I had an Aunt who managed a famous barbecue restaurant more than thirty years ago. My Aunt was the pit master and she made the barbecue sauce for two of their restaurants. We grew up in a close family were food was important. Cooking, holidays and get togethers happened often. Barbecue was ever present at these get togethers. Many years later, when we became adults and after the restaurants had closed, my sister Brownie had already built a successful hair salon business but needed another outlet for her creativity. She was the one to carry on our family traditions as our matriarchs transitioned, sharing honored experiences with all who loved to eat great food. Ultimately, she was able learn the art of grilling and barbecue. In doing so, she developed a version of the sauce my Aunt used to make. Friends and family would say “you need to bottle this sauce and sell it”. In 2013, Brownie did just that. She began the process first researching and developing our base sauce. Located a commercial kitchen, worked with a branding company to create a logo and began to manufacture the sauce. In 2016, I joined her by moving back to California from Virginia to partner with her and run the business. In 2013, The Final Sauce started with one sauce and now in 2023, has grown to include a total of 30 sauces, rubs, vinaigrettes and marinades.

We are a condiment company with a total of 28 products that include barbecue sauces, spice rubs, marinades and vinaigrettes. We have staple items available all year and limited editions that only come out when they are season like our Blackberry Barbecue sauce that is only available during the season which starts in May. For summer, we will have our Peach Barbecue Sauce and re-release of Apple Barbecue Sauce.

The problems we solve with are our sauces are they have multiple uses. We create small batches that are handmade with love. So instead of having multiple bottles on the shelf for different type of meal preparations, one sauce can take care of it all including our spice rubs. A sauce can be used as a base, poured or dipped and used a marinade. Although our products are barbecue sauces and rubs, they are not just for barbecue. Our products can be used in many different and creative ways to spice up any meal. Great for vegans and pescatarians looking for creative ways to prepare delicious meals for their families. The Final Sauce is the only sauce you will ever need.

We are most proud that we are still here. We started very small running our business from home and participating in local festival events. When the pandemic hit and with the shelter in place mandates, festivals were no longer and option. We were able to participate with online sales events, selling from our own website, and with the ease in regulations that included safety precautions in place, we began providing food locally with bars. In order for the bars to be open and to sell alcohol, they had to provide food. Partnering with local bars by providing great food and an awesome experience allowed us to promote our sauces and to stay in business.

Brownie and I are relatable. People we encounter can see themselves in our presentation and remember a time when families got together over great food. Part of our mission is let others know that sisters/family can work together, everyone has a gift they can share with the world and that Barbecue can be healthy and sexy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

After working nearly twenty years for a large financial firm, I decided in my fifties to start my entrepreneurial journey with my sister. My sister Brownie had been a successful business owner for thirty years so that “muscle” was strong and allowed her to build a new business vastly different from her original one. For me after many years of getting a paycheck bi-weekly it took time for me to embrace my new life and give up on the old one. It was not easy and there where times I second guessed my decision. But I never gave up. There will be tough times during the journey but you will surprise yourself. We believed in what we were doing. We supported each other and we both are open to learn as much as required to take us to the next level.

Every small business that has started most likely charted a different path to get there. It is important for people who are thinking of starting a business to know and understand there are many paths to start a business. The most important part is to just start. Resign to learn as much as you can, find a good support system, understand and respect mistakes can and will be made. Stand up, brush off and start again. You can do it.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Initially my sister Brownie would make the sauce from home in the kitchen. It was an eight hour process but at that time, the sauce was made when she was entertaining and barbecuing from home. When the business was launch, she found a local commercial kitchen that had the proper equipment to cook larger quantities in a shorter amount of time. Each bottle of sauce, rub, marinade and vinaigrette has been “hand made” by our team in a local commercial kitchen. We did attempt three years ago to hire a co-packer to make our base sauce but they could not duplicate the flavor. Our flavor is our brand. We will not willing to sacrifice the flavor we are know for in order to mass produce larger quantities. If the co-packer could not duplicate our sauce, we had to continue making it until we can find a co-packer that could match our recipe. As we grow, in order to get to the next level of our business, we will have to work with a co-packer but one who will be able to properly recreate our sauce.

An important lesson to learn for others interested in manufacturing products, keep detailed records and find a mentor in a similar business that can help guide you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finalsauce.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getthefinalsauce/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFinalSauce
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/florence-sims-the-final-sauce-368874239
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SauceFinal

Image Credits
Personal photo taken by 510 Media Additional photo Final Sauce pic of Princess & Brownie Sims taken by Josh Egel Certify all images were created and taken by both Brownie and Princess Sims