National Eat Better, Eat Together Month With The Owners of John Tom’s Barbecue
National Eat Better, Eat Together Month during October encourages families to gather for mealtimes. One company creating amazing sauces and bringing families back to the table is John Tom’s Barbecue. We had the opportunity to interview the brand’s owners and learn more about their success.
What do you define as success?
Watching your wins stack up. A series of small wins keep us focused on our goals and allow us to properly pace ourselves to reach different milestones. Success looks different to everyone, but it feels great to look back on what we’ve accomplished, who we’ve been able to inspire, and how we can continue to motivate other entrepreneurs.
What was the inspiration behind starting your brand?
John Tom Branson, our grandfather, is the inspiration behind our product. His love for barbecue was undeniable. Born in the “Deep South,” he relocated his family to Indiana, where he continued to define his barbecue passion. On most summer weekends, you would find John Tom “wood smoking” meat and selling BBQ dinners to loyal neighborhood customers. The locals felt his presence, but it was his secret sauce that made him a BBQ legend. John Tom’s eldest grandson was usually right by his side, helping prepare each batch. And while he was too young to remember the recipe, he tried to replicate the secret formula years after John Tom passed away. After nearly five years of trial and error, he still hadn’t duplicated his grandpa’s recipe, but surprisingly created his own. He rightfully called it… John Tom’s Barbecue Sauce.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
By producing a quality product. Our customers, everyday barbecue enthusiasts and executive chefs, love and appreciate the energy of our brand, the enthusiasm of the ownership team, and the fact that we consistently provide a quality product that they can trust. Our product is free of artificial additives, fillers, allergens, gluten (certified gluten-free status pending), and high fructose corn syrup. Our proprietary blend of tomato sauce, fruit juice, Italian herbs, brown sugar, and spices is distinct and memorable, even to those who are not high-consumption users of barbecue sauce.
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