Nicole DiTommaso (left) and Victoria Hyder (right) hosting a hot sauce tasting event at Due Amici restaurant in Downtown Columbus. Credit: Courtesy of Victoria Hyder
A new female and minority-owned business, Sauce Boss Gang, has been finding ways to navigate a COVID-impacted economy and break into the Columbus restaurant community.
Taking risks is all too familiar to the Sauce Boss head honchos. Nicole DiTommaso and Victoria Hyder said they joined forces in 2019 to develop a hot sauce built on confidence and culture, setting out to create a product that highlighted their Mexican and Italian roots as well as their feminine strengths.
“We were able to blend our ethnic culture into the product, but also the culture of who we are and the messages we send,” DiTommaso said.
DiTommaso, CEO of Sauce Boss Gang, has been working in operations and building businesses throughout her entire professional career. Now, she said she wanted to embark on a journey to create a more personal and powerful brand with the help of Hyder’s multimedia journalism experience.
“I do the visual curating and voicing, Victoria does the multimedia side,” DiTommaso said. “It’s really just a big collaboration that is constantly evolving.”
This company’s identity of empowerment can be felt in the individual descriptions of their four hot sauces: “Tongue-Tied,” “Coffin,” “Granada” and “La Jefa.”
“The story of our sauces is relatable to everyone, whether it comes to overcoming relationships or overcoming obstacles at work,” Hyder said.
DiTommaso said “Tongue-Tied” was based on partners trying to keep her quiet, while “Coffin” came from people telling her to bury her dreams. “The Granada” –– grenade in Spanish –– is taglined “her force became explosive” and “La Jefa” –– boss in Spanish –– represents taking back one’s confidence.
“The whole collection is a story, told through graphics and flavor titles, of a metamorphosis to gain confidence and become a strong and confident leader,” DiTommaso said.
The obstacle of COVID-19 was unprecedented and unpredictable, Hyder and DiTommaso said. However, the Sauce Boss duo found a way to mutually benefit other businesses.
“We had to go back to the drawing board and think about what we’re going to do to keep this company going,” Hyder said.
Hyder and DiTommaso said they have hosted socially distanced tasting events for their hot sauce at various restaurants over the last year. Events include a curated menu with food and cocktails that complement their products.
By holding these events, Hyder said Sauce Boss Gang was able to expand their reach while also bringing business back to restaurants in a COVID-19 economy.
“We never planned to do these events, they came about due to COVID,” Hyder said. “And it’s really cool because we got to help the restaurant community at the same time.”
Another way the pair has communicated their brand is through content marketing. Hyder said she was able to use YouTube and TikTok to market their hot sauce in a way that appeals to audiences generally found on the platforms.
“Something innovative we’ve done with YouTube is making recipe videos with the hot sauce,” Hyder said. “For TikTok, we’ve been coming up with challenges and creative ways to personify the bottles.”
Sauce Boss Gang’s newest mango scotch bonnet sauce “Don Juan” will be launching this May.
Individual bottles can be purchased for $10 on the shop’s website and a collection of all of the sauces is available for $40 or $20 for a travel-size version. Students can use the code “OSUGANG” at checkout for free shipping on the full- or travel-size collections.
