Sweet Baby Ray's

Sweet Baby Ray's is a brand of barbecue sauce based in Romeoville, Illinois.

Sweet Baby Ray's
Product typeBarbecue sauce
CountryUnited States
Introduced1986
Previous ownersDave and Larry Raymond
TaglineThe Sauce is the Boss!
Websitewww.sweetbabyrays.com

History

Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce was developed in the early 1980s by Chicago brothers Dave and Larry Raymond. They named the sauce after a nickname Dave had earned as a basketball player.[1] In 1982, the brothers entered their sauce in a Chicago barbecue competition for the first time. In 1985, their fourth year of competition, Sweet Baby Ray's won second place out of a field of 700 competitors. The following year, the brothers incorporated as a business and began selling the sauce to consumers.[2]

The Raymonds sold the business in 2005 to Ken's Foods for $30 million.[3] At the time, the brand was earning $30 million in revenue and had 21% total market share.[4] By 2008, the sauce had become the second best-selling barbecue sauce in the United States.[5]

Despite selling the sauce business, Dave Raymond retained the rights to the name "Sweet Baby Ray's",[6] and currently operates two restaurants under the name located in Chicago.[5]

After an interview with Mark Zuckerberg in 2021 where a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce was seen in the background, media mentions of the brand name were worth $2 million dollars. [7]

Currently, there are 26 varieties of Sweet Baby Ray's sauces. [8] They range from sweet to spicy, and even branch into other mustard varieties. In 2020, the brand released a no sugar added line of sauces, which was expanded in 2021. [9]

In March 2022, Mashed released the results of a survey of 695 people. Over 48% of them ranked Sweet Baby Ray's as their favorite barbecue sauce. The sauce that was ranked second in the survey was selected by just over 15% of the respondents.[10]

References
  1. "'Sweet Baby' Raymond would rather help inner city kids". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. October 16, 2016. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  2. Kornecki, Lynne (September 2, 1990). "Sauced to Sell". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. "SWEET BABY RAY'S - Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Justia Trademarks. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. Chamberlain, Chris (April 9, 2012). "Introducing America's Sauce Bosses". Food Republic. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  5. Pizek, Jeff (June 27, 2008). "Sweet Baby Ray's". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. p. 38. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. Corso, Rochelle (October 19, 2005). "Creator of famous barbecue sauce opens restaurant". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. pp. 5–2. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  7. Mac, Ryan (29 October 2021). "Mark Zuckerberg Got a Bit Meta in His Meta Presentation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  8. "All Sauces". Sweet Baby Ray's. Sweet Baby Ray's. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  9. "Sweet Baby Ray's Expands Popular "Ray's No Sugar Added" Line with Two New Sauces". PRNewswire (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  10. Struble, Cristine (March 8, 2022). "The Best Brand Of Barbecue Sauce, According To 48% Of People". Mashed. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.


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