Learning from mistakes has turned out to be a great way to start a business.  The turning point in the design of the P&K BBQ sauce that has entered the BBQ scene was based on an unplanned inventive moment in the kitchen.  Although I labeled it my “mistake” batch, it turned out to be my genius moment! The P&K taste of today was born that day in my kitchen.
   The sauce had a life before the transformation during that creative time in my kitchen.  Years before, my friend, Kevin, was making a remarkable BBQ sauce in his spare time.  I urged him for many years to get his sauce on the market.  One day Kevin shared the recipe with me on a napkin and he told me that he wasn’t going to do anything with it.  He said “do what you want with it; it’s yours!”

   I was excited to have the recipe and immediately felt the pressure to market the sauce. I began producing the sauce in my kitchen, bottling it in canning and jelly jars, and distributing it to my family and friends.  Everyone loved it!  The more I made, the more they wanted.  Making the sauce became a hobby for me, but after awhile it became very expensive to make and just give away.  That’s when I decided to try to make larger batches and increased production to four batches at one time.  Each batch would now yield about fifteen 10 oz. jars.  Making the sauce became routine for me until the day it happened!  

    One day I was cooking away, adding ingredients, and did not realize until later that I had doubled one ingredient.  I began to taste the sauce and noticed it was definitely a different taste.  Did I like it? What would I do with this large batch of expensive ingredients?  I considered throwing it away and then tasted it again and again.  The more I tasted it, the more I really liked the newly developed taste. The bottles were hot, sauce was hot, and the decisive moment was upon me. So I bottled it.  The next phase was to introduce the “new” sauce to my family and friends.  I presented the original sauce along with the “new” sauce to see which one was the winner for their taste buds.  The results were that they all liked the new sauce better than the original version.  After that fateful day in the kitchen, the “mistake” batch became the P&K Private Stock BBQ sauce that is on the store shelves and used by many customers and restaurants.

The winning recipe was ready to hit the road.  The marketing efforts were next.  I had never owned a business where I had to market a product.  Where to begin?  The journey on the marketing trail involved many helping hands along the way.  Decisions about logos, labels, nutritional statements, sauce containers, manufacturers, and so much more needed to be made quickly as the grilling and outdoor cooking season was fast approaching.  I made friends with people that were already in the BBQ business and they helped direct me to contacts so I would get a good start with my new business.

The first shipment arrived at my door step (400 gallons/2,844  18 oz. bottles)—now what?  That is when we began our campaign to get the sauce to as many people as we could.  From grocery stores to hardware stores to summer festivals and craft shows, we have been there giving everyone a taste of the best sauce they would ever taste.  We have been meeting some great people on our marketing outings and have gained many new “P & K” fans.

 After the sweet BBQ sauce had been on the market for a short while, many of our customers were asking for a spicy version of the sauce.  Back into the kitchen I went. Less than one year from launching the business, the spicy sauce was on the shelves.   What’s next?  The kitchen awaits…..talk to you later.  Thanks for your support!

 - Pete