Philly-made "Jawndiments" sauces expand from local passion project to multi-state reach | Made in PA

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia attorney's side project has grown into a fast-spreading regional condiment brand, with bottles of "Jawndiments" now appearing in restaurants, big-box retailers and grocery stores across several states.

Jason Barr, who created the sauces, said he produces the blends in partnership with Fishtown Seafood.

"We make the gallons here at Fishtown Seafood. We take our cherry peppers, we blend them up, mix it all together," he said. "Same thing with the long hots. There's a few other things in the long hot, like some vinegar and some sugar to really balance out the flavors."

Barr said he first came up with the idea in 2018.

"I was making burgers in my apartment in Fairmount, whipped up some blended cherry peppers with some mayo, put it on the burgers and just kind of like a light bulb moment," he said.

By 2022, the brand had a name: Jawndiments. Two years later, Barr introduced a second flavor, the long hots. He said the sauces work well on sandwiches, salads and snacks.

"It's great on sandwiches. It's chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, dipping, french fries, pretzels," he said. "If you go to a Center City pretzel company, you can get a pretzel, a cup of cherry pepper mayo to dip your pretzels into it."

Production and testing take place in Philadelphia, while bottling and packaging are handled in South Jersey. Barr said the brand has grown quickly.

"We're in like 25 different spots in Philly and the surrounding area. I think we're in like 15 different states now," he said.

As the product reaches new markets, Barr said he enjoys sharing a distinctly local flavor.

"Yeah. I mean, it's kind of a dream come true," he said. He added that the name itself is part of the appeal.

"Not everyone knows what 'jawn' means. I mean, obviously we have Abbott Elementary and Creed, those kind of introduce the word into the American vocabulary. But, you know, it's definitely a Philly thing. But I love to be able to spread the flavors of Philly. And, you know, like I said, it's just it's my love letter to the Philly sandwiches and being able to send it out to places like Nebraska and other places where they probably have never heard of it before."

Barr plans to release a third flavor by this summer.