The success story behind Uncle Dell’s Mambo Sauce is one of a Washington, D.C., boy who transitioned into a businessman.
Andy Burton, now 19, was 5 years old when he started his business, Thrillist reported.
The young entrepreneur has always had a knack for working alongside his family. His passion for business earned him a six-figure self-employment as CEO of his company Andy Factory. He does get help from his mother and older brother, Nyles, in running his sauce business.
A Family Affair
“Since I was a kid, my mom has always told me I have an entrepreneur mindset,” Burton told AfroTech. “It started when I was five and began selling cookies to my family and friends. A couple years later, I started a snow shoveling business with my older brother to make some extra income.”
His business mindset and cooking skills led to the creation of his original recipe, Uncle Dell’s Mambo Sauce. In 2019, his hard work paid off — he officially made a return on profit to the tune of $100,000 or greater.
From Invention to Business
Uncle Dell’s Mambo Sauce sauce has a somewhat spicy ketchup-like texture with a hint of mango flavors to balance it out. When Burton came up with the recipe, people seemed to like the sauce. The question was how to make it into a business.
“I began to brainstorm how I could make more profit and finally decided I would bottle the Mambo Sauce recipe I created,” said Burton. “The reactions I would receive for years from my family and friends who all told me they loved it really gave me the courage to turn this into a full business.”
Burton managed to sell 500 bottles of his sauce and his business took off due to word-of-mouth marketing via his supportive friends and family.
“The people in our community would tell their friends to check our product out and would always bring an extra person when we were hosting a pop-up shop,” Burton said. “The support we received from family and friends definitely played a big role in our success.”
Now, according to Burton, the business has reached $100,000 in sales.
“My overall goal is to bring the creation that Washington, D.C., birthed to the hands [and mouths] of the nation. I want our sauce to be the product people think of when they want great sauces to cook with and jazz up their dinner,” he added.
“I also plan to expand the Andy Factory with more sauces in the future.”
