Blog

The backstory itself is inspiring. Charlie “Mutt” Ferrell, Jr., a career military aircraft and inspector who served during the Korean and Vietnam War, also had pungent culinary skills embodied in a literally secret sauce that traveled with him through Asia and eventually the States . Mutt’s sauce was a highlight of many parties or barbecues for years until Mutt died in 2005.

He never considered commercializing his sauce in his lifetime, but the recipe was a legacy Mutt left with his granddaughter Charlynda Scales, who served in the US Air Force like her grandfather. After receiving this message in 2013, Major Scales finally decided to bottle it, label the sauce with his name and face, and a company was born.

Charlynda Scales, co-founder and CEO of Mutt’s Sauce (Photo credit: Mutt’s Sauce / Facebook)

Mutt’s Sauce was a success, hummed along, received press coverage in major media … and then the pandemic struck.

“Before the pandemic, Mutt’s Sauce was getting better every year. In the fall of 2019, we opened an online Amazon shop and were promoted by CNBC and Yahoo Finance for our growth path, ”said Scales, founder and CEO of Mutt’s Sauce, during a recent email exchange with TriplePundit. “We hadn’t really embraced e-commerce yet and didn’t know exactly how to handle the online order volume.”

At some point, Amazon halted the company’s online store when the online retail giant’s algorithm concluded that Mutt’s Sauce wasn’t fulfilling orders quickly enough. The news wasn’t a huge disruption to the company as its business model was primarily centered around sales at in-person events and festivals. Summer 2020 looked promising as these months were booked for various events.

March 2020.

“I gave birth to my first child and had planned exactly six weeks of downtime prior to my trip [with her baby] – to all events ”, explained Scales. “The announcement of the pandemic came on the day I brought him home. My email inbox was full of cancellation notifications: every event I booked that year was canceled with no refund. “

She found management advice that she had received in previous years to be good; for example, many mentors who had worked with Scales had pushed them to move more towards an e-commerce business for several years. “The Amazon traffic was scary in my eyes,” Scales continued. “It is true that if you are unwilling to respond properly, too much demand is harmful.”

From March to May 2020, Scales and Mutt’s Sauce were in business remodeling mode. She has redesigned and reopened the company’s website to allow for a smoother process for receiving online orders. The entire product line has been re-priced to become more profitable. In addition, the company received some funding from the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP), which the company used to develop packaging that was both easy to assemble and could help prevent breakage during shipping.

The pivot was under way, but Scales faced some challenges. “It took time to put processes in place and reconsider all the cost of the goods being sold, and we stood under an invisible ticking clock to sink or swim,” explained Scales. “Initially, the resources offered by the government didn’t take the food industry into account, so PPP was basically anything that was readily available. In addition, we had to learn to operate our existing contracts – grocery stores – when people only wanted to buy the bare essentials. “

Fortunately for Scales, her veteran status opened a few doors. “A veteran-owned product made in the US helped during the pandemic. The support from the local community and Americans at large has been unwavering and humiliating, to say the least, ”Scales confirms. In addition to PPP funding, the company has also received grants from the local Chamber of Commerce that allow this southwest Ohio-based company to purchase new technology to help process online orders.

SCORE also advised Scales, a nonprofit that brings together volunteer mentors for small businesses in the US for black entrepreneurs.

“SCORE has always been there for Mutt’s Sauce,” says Scales. “I worked with the SCORE team to create webinars for experienced fellow entrepreneurs and they gave me a platform to talk about my journey that has resulted in higher sales as well as great recommendations for other business opportunities.”

Mutt’s Sauce is now doing well, despite the hardship the pandemic has caused for the company, according to Scales. “Our sales were higher and now we know we can be successful as an e-commerce product. In addition, we are even more closely connected to our customers and veterans, ”concludes Scales.

On July 4th, Scales, a proud black entrepreneur, Air Force veteran, TedX spokeswoman, and multiple award winner, agreed to share a recipe with 3p. Check out Mutt’s Sauce’s Facebook page and Instagram feed for more information.

Mango salsa, courtesy of Mutt’s Sauce

Photo credit: Mutt’s Sauce / Facebook