From Fortune · Catherina Gioino · · 2m
Alison Roman's $12.99 tomato sauce keeps selling out
The food writer relaunched her sauce as Roman's in October, betting her loyal audience will pay premium prices for quality she stakes her reputation on.
In brief
The food writer relaunched her sauce as Roman's in October, betting her loyal audience will pay premium prices for quality she stakes her reputation on. Alison Roman relaunched her tomato sauce as Roman's at twelve ninety-nine dollars a jar in October, selling through independent stores nationwide via Faire, with…
From recipes to retail
Alison Roman built a loyal food media audience through bestselling cookbooks, viral recipes and a widely read newsletter.Now she is selling her own tomato sauce at twelve ninety-nine dollars a jar to that same audience.
Priced above the premium
Roman's sauce costs twelve ninety-nine dollars a jar, above what many see as premium: Rao's, which Campbell's bought as part of a two point seven billion dollar deal in twenty twenty-three, sells for about eight…
The price is intentional
Roman told Fortune the high price is a deterrent, but she stands by it. "If anything, I think it's a deterrent," she said. "But I also think it's a different product."
“If anything, I think it's a deterrent. But I also think it's a different product.”
Relaunch through Faire
Roman relaunched the sauce as Roman's on October twenty-first and began selling through Faire, its exclusive wholesale partner.
From online to one hundred stores
The sauce started last fall as A Very Good Tomato Sauce, sold online and at First Bloom, Roman's grocery store in the Catskills.
Why she put her name on it
When Roman first launched the sauce, fans kept asking why her name wasn't on the label.She initially felt it was tacky, but people were already calling it Alison Roman's sauce.
Scaling beyond writing
Roman said she can only write so many books and recipes, but businesses let her reach more people."I can open a store.
“I can open a store. I can put sauce in 100 stores around the country with other people.”
Quality and reputation
Roman said if she puts her name on tomato sauce, she must ensure it is really good.
“My reputation is really important to me.”
Selling out and expanding
The first batch sold out online within twenty-four hours, and the sauce ran out again after its latest launch.
Here's the gist
Alison Roman relaunched her tomato sauce as Roman's at twelve ninety-nine dollars a jar in October, selling through independent stores nationwide via Faire, with initial batches selling out within twenty-four hours.
