The History of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce got its start in 1982 in Chicago when Dave Raymond, then working as a pharmacy buyer for nursing homes, was talking to a salesman and the conversation turned to who made the best ribs. The salesman convinced Raymond to enter Mike Royko's Rib Fest that year. The following year, Raymond entered again, and this time he was joined by his brother, Larry, who was a restaurateur and created a special sauce for them to use. In 1985, the brothers placed second in the competition. Soon after, they decided to start bottling and selling their sauce. They started with just an investment of just $2,000 in 1986 and built the business together with the help of their friend, Mike O'Brien, who took care of the accounting. In the early years of the business, the brothers gave away bottles of their barbecue sauce to family and friends. In the 1990s, Dave conducted a series of in-store demos and cook-outs in grocery store parking lots so that customers could try the sauce. Eventually, it caught on and became a national favorite. But where did the name come from? When Dave and Larry Raymond were kids living on the West Side of Chicago, they played a lot of basketball. Larry was nicknamed “Ray” by the other players, a shortened version of his last name. As the younger, smaller brother who happened to be more prone to whining as well, Dave was given the name “Baby Ray.” However, after he pulled off a cool move, one of the older boys exclaimed, “That’s sweet, Baby Ray!” and the nickname Sweet Baby Ray stuck. When the brothers created their barbecue sauce, they decided to use the old nickname for their brand. Over the years, Sweet Baby Ray’s has expanded to include a full line-up of sauces, but Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce and Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'N Spicy Barbecue Sauce remain the two most popular products. In fact, Sweet Baby Ray's is consistently ranked among the best grocery store barbecue sauce brands in the country today.