We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Reynolds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Well starting Sauce Goddess began organically from a family recipe my Dad created when I was a little girl. He hated the liquid smoke in store-bought BBQ sauce, so he created his own. Then as my folks were leaving for retirement, I had to get the recipe. That was a fun day of him using measuring cups for the first time. I began making ribs and chicken for my friends. They fell in love with the sauce. Then one fateful day on the beach, they threw down a challenge- “don’t get old and wonder what if you’d ever done something with that sauce recipe”.
I created a sample jar and took it to a gourmet cookware and food store. They loved it and were ready to order. I had a business. Sort of.
That was 23 years ago. We’ve added so many products since then. Made mistakes along the way. This was the start. I didn’t have a plan, I had an idea. I had a love of food. I had a recipe that turned into a business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As the owner of Sauce Goddess what sets us apart is the flavors of our products themselves. Nothing is the usual flavor. Everything has a uniqueness to it. All our products are also free of any flavoring or junk. So it’s just real food. That’s shouldn’t be unusual but it is. Even with all the certifications, people still buy our products because they taste amazing.

We use co-packers to do the manufacturing of all our products. It allows us to be creative and let someone else deal with the food manufacturing side of things.

A lot of people don’t know that we hire adults with special skills to perform the handwork required for a few of our products. It’s such a wonderful way to give back. They process all our orders big and small.

Our business growth has been very grassroots and a lot of face-to-face contact with customers. I like to get feedback, so I did a lot of demos personally to get that feedback. It’s interesting that Covid actually helped our business a lot. We grew a lot during that time. Sauce Goddess grew without the face-to-face demos that I thought were essential. It was a fantastic lesson. There is no way we could be the size we are now without me stepping away from in-store presentations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I live in an area of San Diego known as PB, short for Pacific Beach. It’s full of life pretty much year-round.

One of the things I love to do and show visitors is the low tide beach walk. I watch the tide charts and when it’s a negative tide, I head out to walk on the hard-packed sand. It’s  especially great when the tide is at a -1.5 or lower, you are walking where you normally would be swimming.
When I’m not doing that, I love to head to Kono’s for coffee and quick bite. For brunch, there is a cozy restaurant call Crushed that has the best mimosa flights. They have great small plates brunch, so you can nosh on little bites of breakfast fare. My favorite place for a more gourmet meal is either JRDN or Water Bar. They both have an amazing view of the water and delicious food.
When I’m not at the beach, I can head downtown or to Little Italy for a bite, using the trolley. They extended the line making it easier than ever to get around without a car.
There is always golf in San Diego too and I love playing at Torrey Pines. What a lot of visitors don’t know is that you can walk on at Torrey if you get there to line up around an hour BEFORE sunrise. It may be a 2 hour wait to play but it’s easy for last-minute golf on a very beautiful and challenging course.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have helped our company grow along the way. From that very first customer to the buyers that said yes because they understood what we are doing.

I am very grateful to everyone who has had a piece of advice, a product critique, a rave review, or a complaint because all of it got us to where we are now.

To be specific there were some good-sized retailers that really gave us a boost. Whole Foods has been a customer for over 15 years. The Sprouts Farmers Market has been a very good retailer-partner. There are a few individuals who really helped me as the owner learn more and be a better business owner. LeShaun Smedley was incredibly helpful guiding me through the process of gaining the business with Kroger. Rex Howell-Smith took our products on at Central Market, a store known for high-end unique products. Then there was the reality TV show episode Rooster and Butch. That was a fun adventure in Alpine TX.

I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my family and friends that threw down that challenge, they know who they are. My friends have been my advisors, taste testers, label design reviewers, and fun-loving “staff” at events like the Garlic Festival or Fiery Food Show.

Website: www.saucegoddess.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesaucegoddess

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/sauce-goddess-gourmet-llc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/saucegoddess

Facebook: www.facebook.com/saucegoddess.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/thesaucegoddess

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