Emily and Cole came up with a solution to eliminating the most common sandwich problems, like dripping sauces and soggy buns, with condiment slices you can place in a burger just like a slice of cheese. They have packed the powerful flavors of ketchup, sriracha, and barbeque to make these solid slices of condiments that reduces the chance of messing up your hands or clothes while eating your favorite hamburger or sandwich.
They launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2018 that went viral within four days, and the company generated $34,000 through sales.
What Do They Make?
Slice of Sauce transformed your bottled condiments like ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, or sriracha and converted them into biteable slices, which can be placed in your burgers or sandwiches just like a cheese slice.
The Slice of Sauce is available in classic ketchup flavor, spicy sriracha, and other delicious flavors, and the dry slices of sauces are made by removing the water and converting them into a slice form.
What Makes Them Unique?
Slice of Sauce is a great alternate solution to eliminate the need for small packets of sauce that are neither enough in amount nor feasible. The company uses fine ingredients without compromising on the bold flavors of the condiments so that you can bite perfectly into your sandwiches without creating a mess or dripping sauces.
The sauces need not be refrigerated and have a shelf life of 12 months.
Are They Still an Active Company?
The company’s website only says “coming to a grocery store near you” with no contact information or a way to buy the product. Slice of Sauce is not even available on Amazon, and the social media accounts are inactive. Looks like the company is out of business now.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Cole and Emily Williams, founders of Slice of Sauce, made an appearance on the show in season 12. They were seeking $200,000 for 10% of their business.
The couple provided the Sharks with their best samples, and the Sharks were impressed with the excellent packaging and powerful flavors packed in the sauce slices. Kevin asked about the process of making them, and they explained that the water had been removed to convert the condiments into solid slices.
Kevin wanted to know about the company’s proprietary and if it could be knocked off and competed by big ketchup companies. Emily responded that they had forgotten about the patents. However, they had licensing agreements ready with McCormick, Aardvark and Tapatio, and the formula of Slice of Sauce made it an ambient product with a 12 months shelf life.
Lori observed that Slice of Sauce looked more like fruit roll-ups, and Emily and Cole agreed that their mission was to create a product just like a cheese slice. Alex also commented that the Slice of Sauce tasted good.
Barbara, however, wasn’t impressed by the retail price of Slice of Sauce and said that one packet allows only 8 slices of condiments, whereas her regular tomato ketchup bottle would serve 20 to 30 hamburgers.
Emily replied that the product was premium, and they intended to stay that way. Two years later, the company was still in pre-revenue, but they would launch their product in November of that year.
Emily revealed that manufacturing these products was hard, which is why they still made them through manual techniques. They couldn’t get proper machinery for their product, which is why they were on the show, and the help from the Sharks would bring down the cost of the product, which was Barbara’s concern.
They had invested $120,000 in the company and also raised $500,000.
Barbara was amazed at the couple’s confidence to raise $500,000 and still demand this valuation when they still haven’t sold a single bag of Slice of Sauce. She went out.
Alex asked them about their growth plans and “world domination,” Emily replied that they wanted to sell online for the first 12 months and didn’t want to go retail first because it was expensive.
Lori told them three things everyone must consider before bringing a product to market: whether it was something people needed and could be done at an affordable price. Also, if there is a genuine problem that the product solves, she wasn’t sure if there was a need for Slice of Sauce in the market, and Emily didn’t even know if it could be made at an affordable piece. After that, Lori went out.
Kevin was the first to make an offer. He would give them $200,000 in exchange for 10 cents royalty per package until he recruits $700,000, and then the royalty will go away. He would want 5% equity in the business. As Emily looked at other Sharks, Kevin said that no one else was interested in an offer that gave him leverage, and he might start asking for more equity.
Mark said that the product they were pitching needed to provide immense education to the customers, and there was no chance they would make $1.8 million that year, as Emily stated before. He went out.
Alex offered them an investment as convertible debt since he didn’t want to lose any money. He would give $200,000 as a convertible note, and when they hit the $1.8 million mark in sales, it would convert to 20% equity. Emily countered with 15% equity, and Alex agreed. Emily accepted his offer, and the couple left the show with big smiles.
Our Review of Slice of Sauce
The fact that the sauces need not be refrigerated makes it easy to carry them with you on long road trips or keep an extra packet in your bag so that you always have your Slice of Sauce nearby whenever you want a punch of flavors in your burger or hotdog sandwich.
Pros of Slice of Sauce
- Slice of Sauce has even more flavor packed in it than regular tomato ketchup.
- Less messy than using ketchup sauce on a hamburger.
Cons of Slice of Sauce
- One packet of Slice of Sauce is very expensive for a regular condiment like ketchup.
- The premium product cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Who Is Slice of Sauce For?
Their solution of creating a tasty form of your favorite condiments is mess-free and perfect for kids who like to make a lot of mess while eating their food. They are also helpful for road trips or when you want to have lunch on the go and have no room for messy sauces dripping out from your sandwiches.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Currently, no other products on the market offer slices of ketchup or other condiments in compact packaging.
Our Final Thoughts
Bringing such a unique product to the market is a big challenge for any product, and Slice of Sauce was another one of those companies that struggled with educating people regarding the use of their products, which poses significant risk for their sales and marketing of the product.
