Sweet Baby Ray's

Sweet Baby Ray's is a brand of barbecue sauce based in Chicago, Illinois.

Sweet Baby Ray's
Product typeBarbecue sauce
CountryUnited States
Introduced1986
Previous ownersDave and Larry Raymond
TaglineThe Sauce is the Boss!
Websitewww.sweetbabyrays.com

History

Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce was developed in the early 1980s by Chicago brothers Dave and Larry Raymond. They named the sauce after a nickname Dave had earned as a basketball player.[1] In 1982, the brothers entered their sauce in a Chicago barbecue competition for the first time. In 1985, their fourth year of competition, Sweet Baby Ray's won second place out of a field of 700 competitors. The following year, the brothers incorporated as a business and began selling the sauce to consumers.[2]

The Raymonds sold the business in 2005. At the time, the brand was earning $30 million in revenue and had 21% total market share.[3] By 2008, the sauce had become the second best-selling barbecue sauce in the United States.[4]

Despite selling the sauce business, Dave Raymond retained the rights to the name "Sweet Baby Ray's",[5] and currently operates two restaurants under the name located in Chicago.[4]

In March 2022, Mashed released the results of a survey of 695 people. Over 48% of them ranked Sweet Baby Ray's as their favorite barbecue sauce. The sauce that was ranked second in the survey was selected by just over 15% of the respondents.[6]

References
  1. "'Sweet Baby' Raymond would rather help inner city kids". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. October 16, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  2. Kornecki, Lynne (September 2, 1990). "Sauced to Sell". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. Chamberlain, Chris (April 9, 2012). "Introducing America's Sauce Bosses". Food Republic. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. Pizek, Jeff (June 27, 2008). "Sweet Baby Ray's". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. p. 38. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  5. Corso, Rochelle (October 19, 2005). "Creator of famous barbecue sauce opens restaurant". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. pp. 5–2. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. Struble, Cristine (March 8, 2022). "The Best Brand Of Barbecue Sauce, According To 48% Of People". Mashed. Retrieved March 12, 2022.


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