Dave’s Partners to Re-Launch and Professionalize Viral Pink Sauce
Things are about to look a bit more rosy in the condiment and sauce set as Dave’s Gourmet partners with TikTok star Chef Pii to re-launch her viral Pink Sauce that shot to fame this summer.
Officially dubbed The Pink Sauce, Dave’s clean-label version is expected to debut direct-to-consumer this fall, priced between $5 to $7 for a 13 oz. bottle, according to Dave’s president David Neuman. The sauce company has licensed the rights to develop, manufacture, distribute and sell the product from Chef Pii, and Dave’s brand will only be listed on the back label.
What is The Pink Sauce? Created and sold by Miami resident-based individual Veronica Shaw, better known on TikTok as Chef Pii, the condiment is a thick Ranch-style topping that gets its neon hue thanks to the addition of dragon fruit. The sauce soared in popularity, with the hashtag “pinksauce” appearing 500,000 times on TikTok, according to Dave’s. While thousands of pre-orders poured in, Shaw claimed, other consumers tried to reverse engineer the product — a difficult feat given, at the time, the ingredient list was still under wraps.
Though Shaw’s videos even gained widespread mass media attention, customers who ordered the sauce from Shaw were less impressed, with reviews citing exploding bottles, product inconsistencies, lack of refrigeration and questions about the product’s safety given it was not produced in a commercial kitchen. Consumers also noted the product’s nutrition facts label said the product contained 444 one-tablespoon servings.
Soon after a Florida Department of Health inspector visited her home, at the behest of the FDA she claimed, Shaw announced she planned to cease production and sales until she could better handle the increased pace of orders and find a licensed production facility. Now, it seems Shaw is instead turning to Dave’s to take on production.
Dave’s, which was sold to Gourmerica America last year, knows something about viral popularity, with its Insanity Sauce regularly featured on Youtube series Hot Ones. Pink Sauce’s website already has 10,000 requests for the reformulated product, according to Neuman.
“Dave’s Gourmet is both innovating on our own line and also interested in supporting other food entrepreneurs with their products. Our team is strong. Our ownership is well positioned to support multiple products like The Pink Sauce. Keep an eye on us,” Neuman said. “We have a 30-year history in this industry but we have a renewed enthusiasm and creativity to support products for today’s consumers.”
While viral fame may be fleeting for some, there’s still plenty of investor interest in backing social media superstars. In the last year alone, YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mr Beast, launched snack food brand Feastibles supported by former RxBar veterans and backed with venture funding, while social media celebrity Emma Chamberlain raised $7 million for her coffee and tea company this week. Meanwhile, vegan food influencer Tabatha Brown has co-founded meal replacement company Orro with LA Libations and Shaun Neff and launched co-branded products with large CPG companies like McCormick.
