A business, started by a couple in their kitchen at home, has been named the fifth fastest growing food and beverage brand in the UK. Sauce Shop was started by husband and wife James and Pam Digva at their home in West Bridgford in 2014.
In less than ten years their products have gone from a local farmers' market stall to selling millions, appearing on the shelves of national supermarket chains, multiple TV appearances, no fewer than 34 Great Taste Awards and a turnover in 2022 of £3m.
Stand-out flavours, from simple tomato ketchup to love-it-or-hate-it Brussels sprout ketchup, have taken the sauce market by storm. Other condiments include original BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and the hottest sauce they've ever made, ghost pepper ketchup.
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Sauce Shop was awarded the accolade in the Alantra Food & Beverage Fast 50, which showcases the 50 fastest-growing privately-owned companies in the UK in 2022. Alumni include brands like Gousto and Huel.
This year’s list was topped by meat alternative brand 'This' who posted two-year annual compound sales growth of 246 per cent. Sauce Shop posted growth of 98 per cent (2-year CAGR) putting them ahead of the previous year’s number one brand, Gousto, the meal kit company.
Co-founder Pam Digva said: "We’ve worked hard to bring something different to an inherently traditional market. We’re both so proud to have our products in some of the UK’s top supermarkets and restaurants, not to mention our loyal independent stockists.
"We are a UK indie business through and through, so it’s amazing to have products on sale in some of the best food shops in the country. I don’t think we quite knew what we’d started all those years ago in our kitchen. Sauce Shop has grown from a kitchen table project to a full scale manufacturing business and brand. It’s been a wild ride."
The condiments can be found on the shelves of Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda. They have featured on TV programmes such as Food Unwrapped, Ainsley’s Good Mood Food and Secrets of the Fast Food Giants.
Sauce Shop, which was also recently named 39th in the Startups 100, has gone from cooking 500 bottles at home to 40,000 a week. The enterprise employs 35 staff.
Using high quality ingredients and natural flavours and no thickeners or stabilisers, sauces are manufactured and botted in units at Centurion Way, near Riverside Retail Park, in Nottingham. Inspired by the craft beer industry, they constantly strive to innovate on flavour. "We have fun being different and it shows through our products and collaborations," added Pam.
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