The creator of the viral Pink Sauce is now claiming that she’s broke after a “deal gone wrong.”
As reported by Blavity, private chef Veronica “Chef Pii” Shaw went viral with her bubblegum-hued creation. Her TikTok videos, ending with Shaw slathering whatever she cooked in the sauce, left followers craving to try it for themselves.
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Shaw began selling bottles of the Pink Sauce for $20 a bottle, which sold out almost immediately. However, backlash would follow just as quickly, with complaints about packaging and contamination.
In January 2023, Delish announced a partnership between Shaw and Dave’s Gourmet to sell an FDA-approved version of the sauce at 4,000 Walmart locations and on the store’s website.
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However, it appears that the seemingly sweet deal has gone sour.
On August 17, Shaw announced on social media that she has launched a GoFundMe, saying that the deal left her in financial ruin.
“I made a few mistakes on the way, which lead me to trust a company that is trying to take everything away from me,” she writes. “They [Dave’s Gourmet] lied to me. They are not paying me and are not being transparent about records.”
She also claims that she was “silenced” and “sabotaged” by Dave’s Gourmet. She hasn’t received any royalties from the sauce and all of her marketing ideas have been ignored.
Shaw is seeking $100,000 for legal help and living expenses, saying that she has been getting by with $20 payments from her mother.
At press time, she has raised $931 of her goal.
In response, Dave’s Gourmet has released a statement:
“Dave’s Gourmet has adhered to the terms of the agreement with Ms. Shaw. We disagree with Ms. Shaw’s allegations,” the statement reads. “Dave’s Gourmet has paid Chef Pii over $120,000 to date and it continues to make all payments as due and on time based upon the terms of the contract.”
“We’ve offered to reimburse Ms. Shaw for her lawyer’s time to go over the terms of the agreement and how it relates to the payments that were made to Ms. Shaw,” it continued. “She indicated that she’s open to an amicable resolution of the dispute and the parties are in discussions.”
Viral “Pink Sauce” Creator Says Distribution Deal Left Her Broke was originally published on hiphopnc.com
