Red Duck Foods in Quest for Condiment Domination

By Lorrie Baumann

Red Duck Foods started with the idea that discriminating eaters who were putting great thought into their foods, sourcing them carefully, cooking them with all the skill they could muster and setting them proudly onto the table – only to see them doused with mass-produced condiments. “We went to a local campus bar, and over a basket of Tater Tots and some beers, we recognized there was a disconnect,” says Jess Hilbert, co-Founder and Marketing and Sales Manager for Red Duck Foods. “Restaurants were calling out suppliers on the menu for their proteins, but people were happy to dump junk on thoughtfully sourced proteins.”

This disconnect was significant to Hilbert and the friends who were with her because they were fellow students in a university class called “New Venture Planning,” and they had an assignment to design a business. The assignment was to conclude with a presentation to their class. “We made the ketchup and brought in some french fries, and everybody really liked it,” she says.
The three friends who’d partnered on the project: Jessica Hilbert, Shannon Oliver and Karen Bonner, decided that they didn’t have to end their project after they’d gotten their grade – they could actually start a company and go into production. In 2013, they launched their Red Duck condiments in six stores in Eugene, Oregon. From the beginning, they made their ketchup and barbecue sauces with fresh, ripe, organic tomatoes and other organic ingredients. “We were committed to using organic ingredients. They tasted better, and we thought they were the right thing to do,” says Hilbert.

Then, last year, the company took another step forward by becoming a Certified B Corp. “In addition to sourcing good ingredients, we wanted to take the next step as a company and let people know we were more than just about making a profit,” Hilbert says.

It’s a project that the company had been working on ever since the partners heard what B Corps are all about: for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. They knew right away that they wanted that model for their business.
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But if the process showed them that they didn’t measure up – yet – it also showed them where they could improve. After a year off to regroup and recover from the disappointment, Red Duck tried again. “They’re great coaches in helping you put good practices in place to edge closer to that certification,” Hilbert says. “We use it to keep ourselves honest and grow a strong business inside and out. What has been most wonderful about joining the growing community has been the outpouring of support from other certified B Corps. They’re working with us.”

For Hilbert, B Corp certification is less a marketing tool, since consumers don’t know much about it, than a tool to improve the the supply chain for the ingredients in her company’s products, but Red Duck’s commitment to transparency goes even beyond that. We can do everything in our way to make sure that all of our practices mean that the consumer is getting an honest sauce, anThe rising tide lifts all boats. If more companies are committed to transparency, maybe we’ll see less headlines about people taking shortcuts.”

Today, Red Duck Foods is aiming at world “condiment domination.” The company’s products are distributed in 2,500 stores. Most of those are in the United States, but in 2017, the company began exporting to Canada, Australia and Hong Kong and is expecting to add more countries to that list this year. “There is a thirst for American-style sauces abroad. But the taste is also for companies with honest ingredients, transparent business practices, and a good story behind them,” Hilbert says.
The company’s product line-up includes its Original Ketchup, Smoky Ketchup, Curry Ketchup and Spicy Ketchup along with Smoked Applewood Molasses, Hot Honey Chipotle and Sweet Mustard Peppercorn BBQ Sauces and a Seafood Cocktail Sauce.

The newest introductions are a trio of organic taco sauces that can be used both as condiment and simmer sauce. They are Approachably Mild Taco Sauce, Uniquely Korean Taco Sauce and Actually Spicy Taco Sauce. “It’s been a pretty fun ride,” Hilbert says. “”We’re seeing a lot of Millennials who are willing to spend money on companies that are authentic and have social values in place. We are Millennials. We can tell that story to our peers.”