FAQ
Questions? Fire away.
We’re not giving away our secret recipes, but beyond that, everything you’d want to know about True Made Foods can be found right here.
Where are True Made Foods condiments and Pitmaster BBQ Sauces produced?
Currently our Ketchup is produced in Indiana. Our Pitmaster BBQ Sauces, Hot Sauces and BBQ Rubs are made in North Carolina and our Mustards are produced in California.
Where is True Made Foods headquartered?
True Made Foods is based in Alexandria, VA and Raleigh, NC.
Who are True Made Foods Founders?
True Made Foods was originally founder by Abe Kamarck in 2015. In 2018, the legendary Pitmaster father son duo, Ed & Ryan Mitchell, joined True Made Foods as founders and started developing Pitmaster BBQ Sauce and BBQ Rub recipes.
Who are the Pitmasters, Ed & Ryan Mitchell?
Known as “The Pitmaster” in barbeque circles, Ed Mitchell has been cooking traditional whole hog barbeque since he was a teenager in Wilson, North Carolina. A grandson of a small farmer, Ed was surrounded by natural, good-tasting food as a child. Thanks to a chance launch and Ed’s habit-forming Eastern North Carolina barbeque, Ed morphed his parent’s corner store, Mitchell’s Grocery, into Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & B-B-Q. As the business grew, so did Ed’s reputation.
Acknowledgement of Ed’s talents in the pit led to associations with influential writers and historians, including: Calvin Trillin, John T. Edge, Peter Kaminsky, and Michael Pollan. Peter Kaminsky, author of Pig Perfect, introduced Ed to the superior taste of free-ranging pigs raised on traditional foods. Ed was convinced that this was the taste of his youth he’d been searching for. He soon partnered with North Carolina A&T State University’s farm-raised pig program to encourage chefs to support naturally, forest-raised pigs.
Ryan Mitchell, Ed’s son, grew up in barbeque. He was prepping hogs and tending the coals alongside his dad, Pitmaster Ed Mitchell, for as long as he could remember. While barbeque is in his blood, growing up alongside it felt like a chore. The unrelenting work around barbeque pits initially made Ryan want to forge his own path.
Ryan earned a scholarship to play football at Eastern Carolina University and majored in Economics. After college, he spent eight years working in commercial and investment banking for some of the nation’s largest firms before the great recession in 2008 forced him to re-evaluate his professional life. After 2008’s major market crash and brutal lay-offs, Ryan felt it was time to leave his sixty hour a week desk job and return to his roots and pursue his passion.
As the keeper of the family legacy, Ryan is quick to roll up his sleeves and cook with his Dad, but spends the majority of his time managing the business and technological side of the Ed Mitchell brand. The special dynamic of this father-and-son team is the heart of Mitchell Family BBQ. Ryan credits his father, grandfather, and two uncles Aubrey and Stevie Mitchell for giving him the skills to lead the next generation of BBQ enthusiasts.
Lear more about the Legendary Pitmasters Ed & Ryan here.
Are True Made Foods products Gluten Free?
Yes. All True Made Foods products are lab tested for gluten.
Are True Made Foods products Non-GMO?
Yes. All True Made Foods products are NoGMO Verified.
Are True Made Foods products Vegan?
All True Made Foods products, except the Pitmaster Texas Bold BBQ Sauce and our Honey Mustard, are naturally Vegan or Plant Based. We do not put any vegan or plant based claims on our products, because our products are naturally vegan.
Are True Made Foods products Paleo?
All True Made Foods products except the Pitmaster Original BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-Style) are certified Paleo by the Paleo Foundation.
Are True Made Foods products Whole30 certified?
Yes, all True Made Foods products except the Honey Mustard and the Pitmaster Original BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-Style) are certified Whole30 by the Whole30 Foundation.
Are True Made Foods product Keto certified?
Yes, all True Made Foods products are certified Keto except the Pitmaster Original BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-Style) by the Paleo Foundation.
Are True Made Foods products Sugar Free?
Our True Made Foods Ketchup, Yellow Mustard, Hot Sauce and five of our Pitmaster BBQ Sauces have No Added Sugars, which means there are no refined or other added sugars in these products. There are natural sugars from the fruits and vegetables we use, e.g. tomatoes and carrots. True Made Foods Honey Mustard contains honey, but no other added sugars. True Made Foods' Pitmaster Original BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-Style) contains some light brown cane sugar, which is why we call it "low sugar." Our Pitmaster Original BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-Style) has 1/3rd the added sugar of the leading brand.
Are True Made Foods products allergen free?
All True Made Foods ingredients are free from the major allergens. Our Ketchup and Mustards are made in an allergen free facility (except for mustard). True Made Foods Pitmaster BBQ Sauces and BBQ Rubs are not made in an allergen free facility and could be exposed to cross contamination.
Why did the Ketchup bottle change? Did the True Made Foods ketchup change?
We launched a new, larger ketchup bottle in 2024 and replaced our older 17oz ketchup bottle with the shrink sleeve. The new ketchup bottle is bigger (18.5 oz) and reduces our environmental impact as all of our packaging is now sourced domestically and without the sleeve, the bottle can be recycled more easily. The ketchup recipe DID NOT CHANGE. We promise we are using the exact same ingredients and even the same ingredient suppliers (farmers). The new True Made Foods Ketchup may seem smoother and look and taste more like a conventional ketchup because we are now working with a bigger ketchup manufacturer with better equipment to blend and puree our ketchup.
Did the True Made Foods Pitmaster BBQ Sauce Labels Change?
Yes! In 2025 we changed the labels on our Pitmaster BBQ Sauces to better emphasize the connection with our founder, the legendary Pitmaster Ed Mitchell, and his Pitmaster BBQ Sauce and BBQ Rub recipes. The ingredients and recipes on our Pitmaster BBQ Sauces are still the same.
What happened to the True Made Foods Sriracha, also known as Veracha or "Vegetable Sriracha"?
Unfortunately True Made Foods had to discontinue (stop making) our beloved Sriracha or "Veracha." Whole Foods Market was our largest purveyor of our Sriracha and when Whole Foods decided to stop carrying the Sriracha back in 2023, we had to make the hard choice to stop making it. We just could not afford to keep it going. We loved our True Made Foods No Sugar Sriracha (Veracha) and we hope to bring it back someday.
What happened to True Made Foods Bavarian (German) Style Mustard?
Unfortunately there just was not enough demand for us to keep our Bavarian-style mustard going, so we made the hard choice to discontinue it in 2023. We also hope that we can bring it back again someday.
Why can't I find True Made Foods products in stores?
True Made Foods is a small company and post-Covid most major retailers started getting rid of all their natural and better-for-you products to focus on big brands that could save them more money. Thus True Made Foods lost a lot of our placements in major retailers like Kroger and Safeway. Most True Made Foods products are available in Sprouts, Whole Foods and The Fresh Market and you can still find True Made Ketchup in key stores like Stop & Shop, ShopRite, HEB, Raley's and some Walmarts.
Please use True Made Foods' store finder to find True Made Foods products and Pitmaster BBQ Sauces in stores.
True Made Foods Yellow Mustard, Cayenne Hot Sauce and BBQ Rubs are only available on our website and on Amazon.