Slice of Sauce Before Shark Tank
Slice of Sauce is an innovative way of using condiments that guarantees no mess when eating. As the name suggests, this sauce is prepared in slices, like slices of cheese. Like standard condiments, Slice of Sauce has been made to provide the same amount of tasty flavor, ensuring that each bite will have a slice of the sauce. The slices are made from ripe California tomatoes, which are converted into a puree. The substance is then combined with Kosher salt, cane sugar, distilled vinegar, fruit pectin, and garlic and onion powder to really give it a flavorful taste. This condiment comes in a pack of 8 slices and can live up to a year in a cupboard or on a shelf. Absolutely no refrigeration needed! Currently, Slice of Sauce is available in two flavors: Classic Ketchup and Spicy Sriracha. And a pack of 8 slices is being sold for $5.99 on the company’s website.
Slice of Sauce was founded by Emily and Cole Williams, although they did not always have a background in entrepreneurship. Before launching Slice of Sauce, the married pair had had entirely different career paths. Cole had a job working as a personal trainer and an instructor, while Emily started out at a clothing company. Nonetheless, she went on to work for Oppenheimer as an associate before becoming an entrepreneur. Slice of Sauce was created while Emily was helping her father, a restaurant owner, bake vegetables. The founder realized a small pile of vegetables that weren’t being used for the dish and, rather than throwing them away, Emily recreated them into a brand-new item. She ended up combining all the vegetables before grounding them to bits. She then left them to dry, leaving her with a slice-of-cheese-like slice of spices and vegetables. Thus, creating Slice of Sauce.
The condiment was launched back in 2019 after Emily had paired up with her husband, Cole Williams, in order to get the business going faster. The couple kickstarted their business venture with a Kickstarter campaign in the beginning of 2018, which ended after a month. With a goal set for $15,000 to be raised, Emily and Cole surpassed that amount greatly after receiving $30,090 from more than 600 backers. Shortly after, Emily and Cole introduced Slice of Sauce at the Anaheim Natural Foods Expo, where they were able to share the news of their creation to a wide audience. They started showcasing their Slice of Sauce condiments at a variety of food shows to gain better publicity. After a few months, the founders took part in the inaugural Pitch Slam. There, they were chosen as finalists.
Unfortunately, Slice of Sauce didn’t reach as much of its targeted audience as the founders had hoped. And they ended up never getting their condiments on store shelves even a year later. Nonetheless, they do still have a goal set to do so, along with a goal in launching new flavors such as Habanero and Barbeque flavors. Additionally, Emily and Cole are hoping to get the attention of hospitals, schools, and militaries with the hopes of distributing their Slice of Sauce condiments to those locations as a means of a healthier ketchup alternative. Given that the business hasn’t progressed like the couple had hoped, they know they will need the help of a shark’s investment to achieve their goals. With that, they’ll be appearing on the Shark Tank stage.
Slice of Sauce on Shark Tank
Emily and Cole Williams made their debut on Shark Tank to show off their Slice of Sauce condiments to the sharks. The couple is asking for a deal of $200,000 in exchange for a 10% equity in their $2 million business, Slice of Sauce. Their goal while on the show, is to gain a shark’s investment to hopefully get their products onto store shelves. Emily and Cole begin pitching to the sharks, while giving each investor a sample to try. After trying the sauce, the sharks are happy with the flavor profile; however, the price is what concerns them. Slice of Sauce is sold within packs of 8 slices and each pack is being sold for $5.99 each. The sharks believe that consumers won’t want to pay that high of a price for a few slices of ketchup. The founders reveal that they think they could hire a co-packer, which they think will decrease their spending costs.
Additionally, the William share that they already have a few investors that are interested, although the business has not gotten off the ground much yet. Nonetheless, Slice of Sauce did do $1.8 million worth of sales between the time of their launch and the time of the Shark Tank episode. Unfortunately, this information isn’t enough to keep sharks interested. Each shark drops out of the deal, except for guest shark Alex Rodriguez. Alex likes the idea and believes that Slice of Sauce could be a game changer due to it not having to be refrigerated. Given that, he offers Emily and Cole a deal of $200,000 in exchange for a 15% equity in the business once they do another $1.8 million in sales. The founders immediately accept Alex’s offer and Slice of Sauce leaves the tank with an investor.
Slice of Sauce Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Although guest shark Alex Rodriguez thought highly of Slice of Sauce and claimed it would be great for marketing, the deal he made with Emily and Cole Williams did not end up closing. In fact, not much longer after the Shark Tank episode aired, Slice of Sauce appeared to be heading on its way out of business. Although, the company’s website had been updated saying that the products were “coming to a store near you” shortly before. Nonetheless, their social media accounts began being shut down, while their website hadn’t shown any sign of inventory in quite some time. Now, in 2024, Slice of Sauce is not found anywhere online, and the business has been said to have gone out of business.