True Made Foods Rebrands, Launches Three New BBQ Sauces

ALEXANDRIA, Va.– True Made Foods and their Pitmaster, the legendary Ed Mitchell, are ushering in a new era in BBQ. Their new BBQ Sauces and new label design are turning True Made Foods from a niche player in the food industry to an emerging powerhouse that could change how condiments and sauces are forever made in America.

In today’s ever-changing food-landscape we have cauliflower in our pizza crust and chickpeas in our pasta and now, thanks to True Made Foods, we have butternut squash and carrots in our ketchup and bbq sauce! Yet, unlike a cauliflower pizza, True Made Foods sauces don’t require any sensory sacrifice to help you feel healthier. How do we know? For one you can just try the products or you can trust in the fact that the famed Pitmaster Ed Mitchell does not just put his likeness on any bottle. Ed might be the most respected living Pitmaster in the United States. He has been acknowledged by influential writers and historians including Calvin Trillin, John T. Edge, Peter Kaminsky, and Michael Pollan. His ‘cue has been hailed as the “Most Authentic in the South,” by the Southern Heritage Society and Ed’s BBQ has been featured at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

Together, True Made Foods and Ed recently launched three new BBQ Sauce flavors to compliment their current Low Sugar, veggie-sweetened Kansas City-style sauce. Staying true to Ed Mitchell’s BBQ heritage, True Made Foods’ first new BBQ Sauces are all from the Carolina’s – an Eastern Carolina-style, a Carolina Red and a Carolina Gold. All of their new sauces have no added sugars, artificial or refined sweeteners of any-kind and use the same mixture of carrots and butternut squash to add any needed sweetness. Each of the recipes are authentic, regional recipes that are true to the heritage and traditions of their particular BBQ region.

Along with the launch, True Made Foods has changed its labels. These new labels start to hit shelves in February 2020. The new sauces will also all be featured and sold in Ed Mitchell’s new BBQ restaurant in Raleigh, NC. The restaurant, called “Preserve,” is set to open in May/June this year (2020).

True Made Foods founder and CEO, Abe Kamarck, explains the thinking behind the new labels.

“We always knew we needed to update our labels and start creating brand “families,” with a common theme to tie everything together. The new BBQ Sauces helped push that forward. For our new visual identity, we were lucky enough to work with the famed branding agency JKR when we were part of the MARS Seeds of Change Accelerator last year. JKR immediately identified True Made Foods’ potential to be the next “American Icon,” and they probably know what they are talking about since they are responsible for some of America’s most classically iconic brands, like Budweiser and Dunkin. With that charge, we worked with Austin-based design firm, Brandarella, to create a new iconic look for the 21st century. We needed a visual identity that was very Americana but also modern and we wanted to make it personal and tie in our founding story. The shield outline on every bottle was influenced by the shield on the front of Navy Wings. I was a Naval helicopter pilot, so the shield ties in my service without overshadowing the real star – the sauces. The new labels tie in our dedication to serve and demonstrate how True Made Foods is just the next extension of that service.”

Ed Mitchell also served in the Army and is a Vietnam Veteran. Abe and Ed both feel that there is no higher service than bringing people together around a table and feeding Americans amazing, healthy food.

NEW BBQ SAUCES & LABEL DESIGN

KC-STYLE less sugar BBQ sauce

This is True Made Foods original BBQ Sauce, naturally sweetened with carrots and butternut squash and 1/3 the added sugar of the leading brands. As the most ubiquitous style of BBQ Sauce, Kansas City-style BBQ Sauce is what most Americans think of when they think BBQ. KC-Styles are traditionally thick, smoky and very sweet because this sauce was designed to be slathered on ribs. In traditional KCStyle Sauces, the sauce is made from a tomato or ketchup base and then sweetened with brown sugar or molasses. Over the years, the sweetness of these BBQ Sauces grew to the point where the leading brands are mainly corn syrup and have over three times more sugar per fluid ounce than a soda (14g vs. 4g). True Made Foods revolutionized this American classic by making a delicious, sticky, sweet BBQ Sauce with 1/3 the Added Sugar and Protein and Fiber from real veggies in every serving.

CAROLINA GOLD no sugar BBQ sauce

South Carolina is famous for its gold…its gold BBQ sauce. The German heritage of the region between Greenville and Charleston influenced the local BBQ adding mustard to the recipes. In recent years, Gold BBQ recipes have become sweeter and sweeter with more added sugar and preservatives and moving away from the original recipes. Ed Mitchell and True Made Foods resurrected a true Carolina Gold recipe and naturally sweetened it with their signature blend of real apple, butternut squash and carrots. The result is an extremely healthy, no sugar added, Paleo Gold recipe that deserves a Gold Medal for its flavor.

CAROLINA RED no sugar BBQ sauce

Most Americans aren’t aware of the strong division in North Carolina between the Eastern and Western part of the state. A line runs down the state, going through the Capitol City, Raleigh, and the division has been known to cause divorces and fights. In the West, BBQ Sauce is red thanks to the added tomato and the pulled pork is only made from pork shoulder. These Carolina Red BBQ Sauces are also known as Lexington or Piedmont-style. Carolina Red sauces use apple-cider vinegar, red and black pepper and tomato to create tangy and spicy sauce ideal for pulled pork sandwiches. Again, Ed Mitchell and True Made Foods resurrected a classic recipe and turned away from the corn-syrup / sugar trend. Ed and True Made Foods kept the complex sweet-spicy-tangy flavor of a real red sauce and naturally sweetened their Red with butternut squash and carrots instead – vegetables grown right in North Carolina.

EASTERN CAROLINA no sugar BBQ sauce

In Eastern North Carolina, the BBQ Sauce is made from Apple-Cider Vinegar and they cook the whole hog. This BBQ Sauce may look strange to Americans who are used to the thick Kansas-City-style, but it is the secret behind some of the most amazing BBQ recipes America has ever produced. The Eastern-style is made from apple cider vinegar, red pepper, sage and turmeric. You can be forgiven for thinking that ingredient list sound like something a wellness guru would encourage you to do shots of everyday…but instead, this is a +100 year old BBQ recipe from Wilson, NC.

An Ed Mitchell classic. this is the recipe that helped Ed beat Bobby Flay and helped him win multiple global BBQ awards. Ed’s original recipe called for just a tad of sugar, but when Ed was diagnosed as prediabetic, he had to wonder if that “tad” of sugar was hurting him and his family. Working with True Made Foods, we used our blend of North Carolina grown butternut squash and carrots to add that tad of sweetness to Ed’s otherwise spicy, vinegar sauce – creating a new classic that takes our BBQ “back to its roots,” literally and figuratively.

TRUE MADE FOODS NEW LABELS

True Made Foods new labels started shipping in February 2020. The new visual identity is the result of months of work that came from True Made Foods selection and participation in the MARS Seeds of Change Accelerator, close work with the Whole Foods Category Manager and work completed by Austin-based design firm, Brandarella. The goal was to position True Made Foods as the next American Icon and represent culinary traditions of the past as an icon of the future.

True Made Foods new visual identity will start on shelf and the rest of their assets, like their website, will be updated over the course of the next few months.