Little-Known Facts About Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce
NEWS
BY EMILY M ALEXANDER
Beginning
Larry Raymond created what would become Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce from a family recipe in 1982. They then started the brand with just $2,000.
Founders
Larry Raymond started the company with the help of his brother, David. Later on, they formed a partnership with Mike O'Brien, a long-time friend of David's from school.
While Larry invented the sauce and David helped promote the brand through cooking demos and more, O'Brien filled in the gaps by taking care of paperwork and accounting.
Name
Legend has it that the name Sweet Baby Ray’s came before the actual sauce. The term was a nickname Dave Raymond picked up playing basketball on Chicago's West Side as a kid.
Cook-Off
In 1982, Larry and David entered Sweet Baby Ray's into Mike Royko's Rib Fest, a massive barbecue competition. After failing to place, they continued to perfect their sauce.
The fourth year the brothers entered into Mike Royko's Rib Fest, it came in second place, beating out about 700 other entries. This made the company really start to take off.
Tabasco
Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce gets its touch of heat from Tabasco sauce. Its blend of two different kinds of peppers gives
the sauce its distinct, tasty flavor.
