About Us

Show-Me® Bar-B-Q Sauce is a simple delicacy comprised of eight ingredients that has no added water, no added preservatives, no added fillers, no gluten, and never requires refrigeration. The savory creation was first made in a small Missouri kitchen in the late 1960’s by then professor, veterinarian and retired Col. Harry H. Berrier. 

Harry recognized that most sauces at the grocery stores were “filled with junk.” He said none of them tasted good and they were all made cheap to turn as much profit as possible by adding fillers & preservatives minimize valuable ingredients and extend the shelf life. Show-Me® has only the good stuff in it, pure ingredients and nothing else. Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Salt, Liquid Smoke, Worcestershire, Horseradish Mustard, Garlic, Chili Powder.

After a few years of making it for a growing number of friends and family, he was convinced to start selling it. In March of 1975 Harry and his beloved wife Lina started Show-Me® Bar-B-Q Sauce, Inc. in the basement of their home outside Columbia. He used his knowledge of chemistry to make the sauce with a pH below 4, a crucial point below which almost no bacteria or harmful pathogens can survive. This means that Show-Me® can be left unrefrigerated for years at room temperature, even after the seal has been broken, just give it a good shake and enjoy.

They made the sauce in small batches using household kitchen appliances, then carefully poured it into glass bottles. These bottles were shipped out to anyone who would call or send a letter to their house asking for some of their incredible bar-b-q sauce. Local grocery stores gradually added it to their shelves at the request of customers eager to have Show-Me® Bar-B-Q Sauce in their homes. The Berriers turned their whole basement into the factory and office of their small business where it would continue until 2016 with the help of neighborhood kids and family friends. 

Word and love for the unique sauce spread far and wide overs the years. When Harry passed away in 2013 not a single dollar had been spent on advertising or marketing and yet Show-Me® had been sent to customers in all 50 states, 11 countries, and several military bases around the world. Lina passed away 3 years later, leaving the business to longtime friends and neighbors. 

Today we still make Show-Me® Bar-B-Q Sauce the same way Harry first did all those years ago, sourcing only the finest ingredients from trusted suppliers. While the bottle and label have changed a bit over time, the sauce inside will always be the same. 

We hope you enjoy Show-Me® with your friends and family and thank you for supporting the legacy of Harry & Lina Berrier.