“St. Patrick Center’s BEGIN New Venture Center has encouraged us to pursue our business and to help someone else.”

Craig and Toni Brown are more than just your average married couple – they are also business partners. While they had been creating their own BBQ sauce for years, it wasn’t until Craig and Toni both found themselves out of work that they decided to follow their passion and pursue producing their BBQ sauce full-time. However, without the knowledge on how to launch their sauce to the public, they were stuck at a standstill.

Then, Craig and Toni heard about the BEGIN New Venture Center (BNVC), St. Patrick Center’s small business incubator which provides early-stage and start-up small businesses with the resources needed to grow. “We didn’t know anything… all we knew was cooking,” says Toni. “This program has helped us with every aspect of running our business.”

Thanks to the BNVC, Craig and Toni connected with Arcobosso, a custom sauce manufacturer, who agreed to help them perfect their recipe and mass produce their BBQ sauce line. In addition, Craig and Toni are receiving assistance with creating a marketing plan and they have access to a ready and able workforce of St. Patrick Center clients as they grow. “When we get ready to distribute, we will be able to hire clients and have them help with our catering business,” Toni states. “We want to give back to St. Patrick Center since they have been such a blessing… we want to be a blessing to other people too.”