For Makieda Hart, few things can’t be improved with BBQ sauce: pizza, meatloaf, scrambled eggs, grilled pineapples—even Bloody Marys benefit from a spicy splash. As the CEO and founder of SGT. Hart’s BBQ Sauce, Hart loves sharing her barbecue tips and recipes with customers. For her, BBQ has always been about building connections.
Though Hart runs the business today, the sauce itself was originally created by her husband, a U.S. Army veteran and the inspiration behind the brand’s name. At a military potluck while the family was stationed in Germany, Sergeant Hart whipped up a sauce using whatever ingredients he could find. It was an instant hit.
“People kept asking, ‘Ooh, can you make it again? Can you bring more of it?’ That’s when I knew we were on to something.”
After moving back to the US, Hart began bottling her sauces and selling them at local farmers’ markets. In 2019, she expanded to the Amazon store—a detail she now features prominently on the product packaging.
“I have it on the side of my label that we sell through Amazon. It’s my way of letting folks know that, yes, I’m local, but you don’t have to follow me all over Puget Sound. You can find me on Amazon.”
Since adding that callout, Hart says she’s seen a marked uptick in Amazon sales, which grow in tandem with in-person events. Today, SGT. Hart’s offers several varieties in the Amazon store, including Habanero, Chipotle, and a reduced-sugar line, making it easy for customers to find a flavor that fits their tastes.
Hart also connects with customers directly through Amazon Live, a real-time video shopping experience where fans can engage with their favorite brands.
“I love how Amazon Live allows me to engage directly with my community and show off how versatile our product is,” said Hart, who wants customers to shake the notion that barbecue sauce is only a summer condiment.
“People think that winter means packing up their grill until Spring; that attitude slows me down. So I started thinking of how I could get them to use our products indoors.”
Hart is still mostly a one-woman operation, whipping up each batch of sauce from scratch and pouring and labeling the bottles by hand. Unable to be everywhere at once, she uses Fulfillment by Amazon to handle the storing, packing and shipping of her products, as well as customer returns.
“I love Fulfillment by Amazon, because my product is already there in the Amazon warehouse when the customer is ready to purchase. They do all the work, and I don’t have to worry about it,” she said.
She carries the feature over to SGT. Hart BBQ’s ecommerce site, using Buy With Prime to give customers the same benefits of Prime purchase—fast, free delivery and a seamless checkout.
Sales have grown steadily since launching in the Amazon store, but Hart sees this as just the beginning. Her next goal is to outsource some of her day-to-day work to a co-packer, who could free up the time she currently spends making and packaging sauces and allow her to spend more time marketing SGT. Hart’s BBQ to make it a nationally recognized brand—a move that wouldn’t have been possible without Amazon sales growth.
“Amazon is the place to grow if you want to go national,” she said.