Ken Davis Bar-B-Q Sauce
Company typePrivate
IndustryFast Food
Founded1969
HeadquartersSt. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
ProductsBarbecue Sauce
Website[1]


Ken Davis Bar-B-Q Sauce is a Minnesota-based barbecue sauce marketed in the Midwestern United States. The brand was founded in 1969[1]and Ken Davis Barbecue Sauce is currently sold in super markets in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

File:Kendavisicons.jpg
The iconic signature and profile that brandished Ken Davis sauce labels for more than thirty years.

History

edit
File:Kendavissaucejar.jpg
Ken Davis holding a jar of his own original recipe barbecue sauce.

In 1969, Ken Davis purchased Edina Chicken, a restaurant in Edina, Minnesota. The following year, he formed Ken Davis Products, Inc. to market his barbecue sauce. He hired his future wife Barbara Jo Taylor to help develop a consistent recipe and market the product. [2]

Barbara Davis

edit

Barbara Davis is Ken Davis Enterprises President.

Label Controversy

edit
File:Kendavisold.jpg
Classic label for Ken Davis Original barbecue sauce.
File:Kendavisnew.jpg
New label for Ken Davis Original stripped of its trademark branding.

In the fall of 2011, Ken Davis introduced new labels for their barbecue sauce lines. A campaign called "Save Ken Davis" was started and a zine released outlining the complaints about the new labels which focused on the loss of identity.

The new labels stripped away the iconic image of the smiling Ken Davis and replaced him with a generic grill.

Minnesota Twins

edit

Ken davis Bar-B-Q Sauce became one of the first Black-owned buisnesses among concessions at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins[3].



Variants

edit
  • Original Recipe
  • 2 Carb
  • Sweet and Sassy

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ken Davis Official Website".
  2. ^ "Minnesota Historical Society".
  3. ^ "Black-owned Business Finally Makes It into Twins Concessions".
edit


Category:1969 introductions Category:Barbecue sauces Category:Brand name condiments Category:Companies based in Minnesota Category:St. Paul, Minnesota