Why We Call It “Ugly”. The Story Behind Our Upcycled Tomato Sauce.
“ugly” slicers at the farmers’ market.
“Why do you call it ugly?”
This is a question we hear quite often, and the answer is: we call it “ugly” because we make upcycled tomato sauce. The tomatoes are not pretty, but they taste amazing. Our “Ugly” sauce uses upcycled tomatoes to fight food waste — and make your pasta proud — they’re bruised, overripe, and full of flavor. Grocery stores don’t want tomatoes that are bruised or overripe because of cosmetic reasons, mainly.
We handcraft specialty sauces and condiments with upcycled tomatoes and help prevent food waste at the same time. Our approach (and technique) is not at all new but quite old. Many cultures around the world have been doing it for centuries. Preventing food waste by using “ugly” produce in general is a technique my Italian mother taught us at the Saucery. A very old world technique that inspires our brand even today.
In terms of marketing, the name “ugly” does stand out and isn’t that the point? At the end of the day, we want to be a mission-based food brand but we want to sell products too. I still remember television commercials from the 1980’s because they stuck. Create a catchy jingle, it sticks. Create a catchy name, it not only sticks but it creates brand awareness and loyalty which many customers continue to show us after all these years.
Using the name "ugly" has its challenges, of course, especially in the pasta sauce world where every brand not only looks the same, but they all sound and taste the same too. We’re too creative in nature at the Saucery to follow the pasta sauce crowd and prefer to not use predictable sauce names so calling our signature sauce ”ugly sauce" just made sense in order to stand out in the oversaturated “pasta sauce” world.
“ugly” local roma tomatoes, the base to our signature Ugly Tomato Sauce. No added sugar and no garlic.
We’ve always believed food shopping should be a fun experience. Whether at the grocery store or the farmers market. Customers should take food shopping seriously of course, so why not inject humor in the process? People get on board a lot faster with the idea of preventing food waste when you're poking a little fun at a very serious issue. There’s no need to be so academically gloomy about it all. There’s enough brands, and organizations, doing that already.
Using the name "ugly" has been a challenge especially when dealing with food distributors. They tend to be shortsighted and prefer traditional pasta sauce names because they're only concerned with the bottom-line (no matter how many times I tell them all to think outside the pasta box). Thankfully, we found a local distributor who shares our philosophy with preventing food waste. This partnership has helped us grow into a much more sustainable sauce brand over the years.
Have you tried our Ugly Sauce yet? If you already have an open jar hopelessly sitting in your fridge with a few ounces left, make a salad dressing. Check out our no waste tomato basil vinaigrette recipe here
Ugly Tomato Sauce
The “ugly” tomatoes that are either too ripe, bruised and oddly shaped are the most delicious. We cook them down for hours and hours turning them into a delicious sauce that you can build on or use 'as is' on pasta, fish, veggies and pizza or any recipe calling for fresh tomato sauce. Ugly, but tasty!
Ugly Spicy Tomato Sauce
As fresh and versatile as the “Ugly Original” but with added heat. The addition of fresh Calabrian chilies gives this sauce the Italian kick that a fresh tasting tomato sauce should have. It’s not a hot sauce but a mildly spicy all-purpose tomato sauce. Ugly, but tasty!
People at Union Square Greenmarket here in NYC stop in their tracks when they read the word "ugly." They typically giggle and ask why the name "ugly"? Others get it right away and purchase a jar as a way of helping to prevent food waste. Consumers are understanding more and more that food is a place where everyone can participate in helping to mitigate climate change too. Do you feel good when purchasing from us? Let us know!
