Put ketchup on everything...again.
When was the last time YOU were excited about ketchup? We were thinking the same thing this past October as we sat around a basket of cajun tater tots. There was just something wholly unsatisfying about the ketchup we were mindlessly dunking those precious potato nuggets into. That conventional ketchup seemed flavorless compared to the incredible spices we had just enjoyed on a recent trip to China, and the consistency left something to be desired...to say the very least. But when it got down to it, we just weren’t even totally sure what we were dipping into. So we decided to make our own ketchup, with real organic ingredients and fun flavor combinations, and Red Duck Ketchup was born.
Hi, We’re Red Duck Ketchup.
Hailing from Eugene, Oregon, we’re four MBA students at the University of Oregon. When we came up with this idea to make flavored organic ketchup, we had no idea where it would take us. We discovered that ketchup is something we all love, but we’re bored with what’s out there. That’s about to change!
After testing over 20 recipes, we landed on three flavors:
Classic- Our classic flavor is a twist on traditional ketchup that marries a hint of sweet balsamic vinegar with a trace of smoky spices. We drew our inspiration for this recipe from the delectable heirloom tomato salads we enjoy every summer - delicious balsamic reductions, tomatoes, and the smoke of the grill in the background. It’s perfect on French fries, burgers, hot dogs, and meat loaf. But with this one, the sky is the limit.
Curry- You’ve never had ketchup like this before. Though Karen is the only person on our team who’s been to India, we’re all big curry fans and we’re even bigger fans of this curry ketchup. With this flavor, you’ll notice a peppery spice that’s calmed by the warm flavors that Indian food so masterfully blends. Put it on fish, stir-fry, roasted vegetables, or even mix it with plain rice. Trust us, it’s that good!
Spicy- This puppy has a kick. We take our proprietary Latin-infused spice blend (we call it the Latino Charmer) and combine it with a few other secret ingredients to complement some of the incredible Mexican flavors that Kurt grew up with near the border in San Diego. This is our most popular flavor, and we know you’ll soon be clamoring for another jar. We love to put our spicy flavor on sweet potato fries, fried chicken, veggie burgers, and even drizzled on top of cheese pizza. But we bet you have some great ideas too.
Our ketchup is different. This is why.
Flavor - We have three awesome flavors that are sure to please even the most discerning palate.
Consistency - Our ketchup isn’t something you just dab on; you pile it on! The consistency of our ketchup adds an incredible layer of texture to everything you put it on.
Organic ingredients - We didn't even want to work with stuff like high fructose corn syrup or stabilizers, so we just put in ingredients that are sourced as locally as possible and taste real.
Rest assured that all of our products are also:
- vegan,
- gluten-free,
- preservative-free,
- contain no high fructose corn syrup; and
- contain no artificial flavors or colors.
This is how we do it.
We currently handcraft every single jar of ketchup. It’s the Karen, Kurt, Shannon and Jess Show - we endure ketchup splatter burns and lovingly combine our proprietary spice blends for your enjoyment. We’re currently working out of a local commercial kitchen where we can only manufacture ten-gallon batches at a time. While that may sound like a lot, ten gallons barely even covers our webbed footprint here in Eugene. So we want to make the leap to a larger production facility that will increase our production batches to 50-75 gallons! That way, we can get our ketchup to the countless fans across the country banging down our doors for more. The sooner we get into a bigger facility, the sooner we get onto your plate.
We need your help!
With $20,000, we would be able to make that big jump from our local commercial kitchen to the Sweet Creek production facility down the road. Sweet Creek is a family-owned production facility that specializes in helping food businesses scale up their recipes while retaining the integrity of the flavor. Your contributions will mostly go towards the ingredients, bottles, lids, and packaging – it takes a lot of stuff to make three 50 gallon batches. The rest will go towards the apparel in the rewards section and shipping costs. Prepare yourself for some addictive ketchup, sweet swag, and lots of love!
Red Duck truly appreciates your time and contributions. Thanks!
Learn more about Red Duck at: https://www.facebook.com/RedDuckKetchup
Check out what some of the SWAG looks like below:
Risks and challenges
There is a potential risk that the recipe will not scale up properly to 50 gallons. We've been mitigating this risk already by scaling up from 1 gallon batches and taking notes on the differences in flavor. We've gone from 1 gallon batches, to 5 gallon batches, to 10 gallon batches. Now it's time for the big move to 50 gallons, and we're confident nothing too funny will go on.
Scheduling time with the Sweet Creek facility could potentially take longer than expected. If this is the case, the project could get delayed for a few weeks or a month. Anything longer than that, and we'll find ourselves a new production facility.
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Funding period
- (30 days)