Mrs. Griffin’s Barbecue Sauce was founded by Mangham Edward Griffin, born in 1899. M.E. Griffin created a special BBQ sauce that he made for his family’s Fourth of July Picnic every year. Everybody loved his sauce and his brother suggested he bottle some and bring it to his grocery store. He brought 12 bottles and his brother sold them before Mr. Griffin could even get home.
Griffin started the family-run business in 1935 with the family making sauce in their kitchen. He called his special sauce Mrs.Griffin’s Barbecue Sauce in honor of his wife, Etta Busbee Griffin, and “because a woman’s name seemed to sell better than a man’s.” In 1949 he built a plant in downtown Macon. Business quickly expanded throughout Middle Georgia and sales increased. M.E. Griffin retired in 1965.
The Company, now owned by Roland Neel, continues to run “in the tradition set by Griffin 75 years ago.” The various ingredients of the sauce are mixed — not cooked — in a 60 gallon vat. The process, which takes 4 days, includes 12 steps to combining the ingredients. The sauce is then mixed between 3 and 4 hours before being ready for bottling. Unique because it is mustard-based, this sauce comes in three flavors: Original, Hickory Smoked, and Hot. The bottles come in several sizes: 12 ounces, 32 ounces, 64 ounces, and a gallon.
Mrs. Griffin’s Barbecue Sauce is sold to wholesalers, grocery stores, barbecue restaurants, and selected food service companies. Mrs. Griffin’s continues to grow and is Middle Georgia’s oldest and most popular local barbecue sauce. The sauce is now available nationwide and as private label.
