In 1986, a Seattle Creole restaurant called Thompson’s Point of View introduced a new sauce to its lineup. Part creole, part Asian, a bit of heat mixed with some sweet, savory and spice, the sauce was a unique concoction from owner Carl Thompson and his chef.
One of the first customers to try the sauce took a taste, jumped up and exclaimed, “Hallelujah!”
And that’s how a storied sauce got its name.
Fast-forward almost 40 years, and Hallelu-jah! Sauce is still going strong thanks to Gail Thompson – Carl’s wife – and her company, Junebug’s in Federal Way. Named to honor Carl, who passed away in 2010, Junebug is a traditional southern nickname for men with junior surnames. Thompson started the company in 2012. The restaurant had closed a year earlier, but customers continued to ask her for the sauce – and she delivered.
“I was making it and giving it to them, but then one day it dawned on me,” Thompson said. “You already have a have a business going. You’ve got something good here!”
Today, Thompson and her team continue spreading the gospel of Hallelu-ja! Sauce at local farmers’ markets across King County. It’s also available at area retailers and on Junebug’s website.
But Thompson is ready to take the sauce and the company to the next level.
“We’re trying to move away from being a mom-and-pop operation, and we are busting at the seams,” she said.
Gail Thompson is the owner of Junebug’s Sauce, one of 100 small businesses in King County that were selected for Comcast RISE grants this year. Madison Kirkman/Comcast photo
To help execute her plans for growth, including adding new sauces and expanding its wholesale customer list to land in more and bigger stores, Thompson recently applied for – and won – a Comcast RISE grant package. To be awarded in September, the package includes $5,000, a technology makeover from Comcast Business, creative production and a media schedule from Comcast Advertising and business consultation services.
The various components of the package aim to help small businesses with everything from technology and advertising to business coaching and funds for operations or growth initiatives. The technology piece offers grantees free computer equipment and 12 months of internet, voice and cybersecurity services. Recipients also receive a professionally produced 30-second TV commercial, media strategy consultation, a year’s worth of access to online educational resources and personalized coaching sessions.
Junebug’s is one of 100 small businesses in King County that were selected for Comcast RISE grants this year. Over the past five years, RISE has provided a total of $160 million in monetary, marketing and technology resources to 14,500 small businesses nationwide.
Thompson said the grant package will be useful for boosting Junebug’s marketing efforts and increasing inventory as the company considers additional warehouse space and new products.
“We do have quite a few ideas to expand and grow, we just need the funding,” she said. “And the business coaching, that can really open up some of the ideas around strategic planning, so that will be great to have some folks (from Comcast) come in and see how we can better leverage some of the processes we already have in place.”
Find more about Junebug’s and its Hallelu-jah! Sauce at junebugssauce.com. For more about Comcast RISE, visit comcastrise.com.
