Sauce And Ketchup Business

3 Sauce And Ketchup Business Success Stories [2025]

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Updated: April 17th, 2025

Ketchup is used primarily in commercial fast-food shops, but its demand is increasing at the household level. The demand for ketchup is supported by the significant growth in the food and beverage industry.

In this list, you'll find real-world sauce and ketchup business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a sauce and ketchup business that makes money.

1. Huy Fong Foods ($150M/year)

David Tran’s journey to creating Huy Fong Foods stemmed from his personal experiences and love for spicy food, which began in his childhood helping his father farm chili in Vietnam. Upon arriving in the United States, Tran noticed that the hot sauces available were not up to his standards. Fueled by a desire to recreate the bold flavors he missed, he began making his own sauce in a small bucket and selling it from his van.

Tran's initial product was well-received within his community, inspiring him to continue refining it. He kept the recipe simple but authentic, using fresh jalapeños, garlic, vinegar, salt, and sugar. By observing the enthusiastic response from his growing customer base and focusing on maintaining high-quality ingredients, Tran validated his idea and gradually increased production.

One of the early challenges Tran faced was scaling up production without compromising on quality. He rented a modest space in Los Angeles to produce the sauce on a larger scale and ensured consistency by sticking to his straightforward recipe. Throughout the process, he learned the importance of staying true to one's passion and focusing on product quality, even when expanding.

How much money it makes: $150M/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
How many people on the team: 350

How This Refugee Built a $1.2 Billion Hot Sauce Empire

Learn how David Tran, a Vietnamese refugee, transformed $20,000 in gold savings into a billion-dollar hot sauce empire, selling over 20 million bottles annually by focusing on product quality, grassroots marketing, and maintaining affordability—all accomplished without any traditional advertising spend.

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2. KPOP Foods ($2.4M/year)

Theo Lee, co-founder and CEO of KPOP Foods, came up with the idea for the business based on his love for Korean food and the desire to share it with others. Along with his co-founder, Mike Kim, they wanted to create a Korean food brand that not only offered delicious products but also represented the vibrant and energetic atmosphere of Korean culture. They launched their first product, KPOP Sauce, through a successful Kickstarter campaign, which funded within the first eight hours and ended with nearly $40,000 from over 1,200 backers.

How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How many people on the team: 5

How Two Students Made $100K Bringing Korean Hot Sauce To America

KPOP Foods, a Korean food company, generated nearly $100,000 in revenue since last year through its successful Kickstarter campaign and Amazon's Choice badge; they have entered over 90 specialty stores throughout the west coast and are currently raising an investment round to expand their distribution into major retailers and are launching new sauces later this year.

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3. Trini Pepper Sauce ($27K/year)

Mustafa Mannan, co-founder of Trini Pepper Sauce, came up with the idea after his family's pepper sauce recipe from Trinidad and Tobago received much praise from friends in North Carolina. To bring the sauce to a wider audience, Mustafa launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $32,000, enabling them to import the peppers, manufacture the first batch, and distribute the sauce domestically and internationally.

How much money it makes: $27K/year
How many people on the team: 3

How We Started A Successful Hot Sauce Brand

Trini Pepper Sauce co-founder and co-owner, Mustafa Mannan, shares how he successfully imported and manufactured his family's unique pepper sauce recipe and launched it through a Kickstarter campaign, now selling an average of $3,000/month in revenue.

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