Made in Arkansas: Truth Sauce

What began as a special treat for friends and family has since taken the state – and parts of the country – by storm. Keith Tucker Jr. and his 15-year-old son Keith Tucker III have made an all-purpose sauce that is vegan and gluten-free. The sauce, branded as “Truth Sauce,” is a sauce for any dish, side or person. 

 

Truth Sauce was created a few years ago when Tucker Jr. was in his kitchen playing around with different ingredients. Once Tucker III tasted it, the teenager knew that his father was on to something. Tucker Jr. started selling small batches to friends and family, but everyone that tried it knew that Truth Sauce should be enjoyed by more than Tucker Jr.’s circle. 

 

“All of those guys and my son tried pushing me further to get my business license and make the sauce a brand,” said Tucker Jr. “One of my first big breaks was when a friend used it in a wing competition and Steve Sullivan was a guest judge. My friend actually won the competition with the sauce, Truth Sauce, and Steve Sullivan said, “Truth Sauce rules, we couldn’t just get one bottle, we needed two.”’

Truth Sauce and Truth All-Purpose Seasoning can now be found in almost 40 stores state-wide with more on the way, and will soon be on the shelves of all twelve Edward’s Food Giant stores. “It was the barbeque sauce that did the trick with the brand making it to Edward’s. This barbeque sauce is the real deal and it’s going to rock the world,” said Tucker Jr. 

 

Many local favorites such as Drug Emporium in Little Rock have been major sellers of the sauce over the course of the brand’s development and growing popularity. The sauce and seasoning has been sold at vegan stores, food trucks, restaurants, family-owned grocery stores, and shipped out of state. 

 

“I just made a shipment to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and I hope that one day this sauce will go global, that’s the goal,” said Tucker Jr. What is most important to the father-son duo is that the people of Arkansas know Truth Sauce first. “I want to make sure I secure this sauce at home. There are still people in Arkansas that don’t know about Truth Sauce, so I need to continue reaching everyone.”

Coverage is quickly coming in as Tucker Jr. and Tucker III have been featured on local news channels, social media platforms, influencers, magazines, and the list continues to grow. By the end of this year, Tucker Jr. hopes to release a cookbook of his own sharing different ways to use Truth Sauce and the all-purpose seasoning. “Wings and anything fried are a favorite with the sauce, but you can really put it on anything. There are no rules or set market with Truth Sauce, it’s for everyone, truly diverse,” said Tucker Jr. 

 

Tucker Jr. has made Tucker III vice president of Truth Sauce, as back at the beginning when Tucker Jr. was bottling his sauce without the use of manufacturers, Tucker III was right there with him doing his part and has been by his father’s side with each advancement in the business. “I’m happy for the opportunities we’ve had so far and I’m grateful,” said Tucker III. “I thank God for it, and we’re going to keep pushing forward.”

 

Prior to owning his own business and brand, Tucker Jr. was a chef at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and before that he was a musician, having had a musically inclined upbringing. “My father, Keith Tucker Sr., was a member of the group Soul, Mind and Body, and they were a popular group in Arkansas back in the day. And I myself used to make music,” said Tucker Jr. His background in music is reflected in his current business. “Truth is the name I used with my music, and from there people just started calling me Truth. At the barbershop, around the city, I’m known as Truth, so it was only natural for me to use it for naming my sauce. It was a perfect blend.”

Tucker Jr. is excited for the next steps in advancing his growing business, and he is concrete in wanting to do it the right way. “Truth Sauce is my baby, and I don’t want anything to slow our growth. From the delivery to the customer service, everything has to be perfect,” said Tucker Jr. He and his son are dedicated to building a respectable platform to reach their goal of going global. 

 

New opportunities have become a constant in the Tucker household, and the brand is only becoming more popular. “We have our hands full, it’s a good problem to have. Busy is good, and we’re staying busy.”

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Images courtesy of Keith Tucker Jr.