20 years of Steel’s Gourmet Foods

1985
- The company is born.  Betty Jo Steel creates Steel’s Old Fashioned Fudge Sauce in her Villanova Kitchen. Everything is made in traditional kettles and bottled by hand. First customers include: The Great Valley Cheese Shop located locally in Devon, PA, and more prominent names such as Dean and DeLuca, Balducci’s and Todaro Brothers.

1987
- After tremendous growth and success, Steel’s Old Fashion Fudge Sauce moves its production location to Conshohocken, PA as Steel’s Sauces.

1989
- Steel’s Red Raspberry Sauce is a finalist in the Washington State Raspberry Commission.

- Steel’s Old Fashioned Fudge Sauce is honored as “America’s Best” Producers by the Chef Source Book.

- At the suggestion of a friend, Steel’s Sauces ventures into making sugar free sauces for diabetics and dieters alike, using Lycasin® as the natural sweetener. 

- Steel’s Sugar Free Fudge Sauce named NASFT “Best New Product” Finalist and also a finalist in the Outstanding Jam, Preserve, or Topping Award category. 

1991
- Steel’s Sugar Free Fudge Sauce is named number 3 on the Gourmet News “Top Ten Products” list.

- Steel’s says goodbye to its loveable Pennsylvania country look by replacing the signature blue and white checkered label and cloth tops with a more glamorous and sophisticated label with water color illustrations. The new design was premiered at the New York City Fancy Food Show.

1992
- Steel’s Vanilla Nature Sweet Sugar Free Sweetener is presented the Aisle by Aisle Award by The Gourmet Retailer Magazine.

1993
- In June, due to popular demand, Steel’s designs a line made especially for grocery stores, featuring 5 of the bestselling sugar free products as well as the top 3 sellers of the classic line.

1994
- Steel’s Sauces is presented Aisle by Aisle, “Best of Aisle” by The Gourmet Retailer Magazine.

1996
- As of March 1, 1996, Steel’s Sauces relocates once again, due to growth and prosperity, to Bridgeport, PA and is renamed Steel’s Gourmet Foods.

1999
- Hurricane Floyd washes out Steel’s plant after tremendous flooding, and brings work to a muddy halt in September. Steel’s suffers 250,000 dollars in losses including 90 pails of packaged ginger soy sauce.

2001
- In January, Steel’s starts using the sweetener Splenda® in their sugar free products.

- On May 15th, a fire rapidly spreads through the industrial park where Steel’s Gourmet is located leaving a trail of destruction behind. The fire burns well into the next day and smokes for days after. Steel’s loses 500lbs of sugar-free ketchup and has hopes of salvaging 80,000 dollars of finished product. 

2002
- On October 3, 2002 Steel’s Gourmet loses a beloved employee.  Plant manager Leroy Woods is tragically killed in a car accident.

- Business at Steel’s Gourmet flourishes immensely as the “low-carb” craze (popularized by Dr. Atkins) sweeps the nation and America becomes obsessed with eliminating carbohydrates from their diet. Avid dieters (as well as former faithful patrons) relish in Steel’s variety of sugar free sauces aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.

- The Quality Institute International awards Steel’s Gourmet with a “Certificate of Distinction” for taste for their apple, blueberry and cherry pie fillings.

2004
- Steel’s Sugar Free Country Syrup is presented the Aisle by Aisle Award by The Gourmet Retailer Magazine.

- The once overwhelming “low-carb” trend starts to crash, thus affecting business. But, Steel’s Gourmet prevails thanks to faithful patrons like diabetics who were the primary target audience way back when.

2005
- On March 16, 2005, Quality Assurance International deems that Steel’s new organic line (featuring 11 new products) is Certified Organic. This new product caters to those customers that desire the same sugar free Steel’s sauces, but that are also made with natural ingredients. All new Certified Organic/No Sugar products are sweetened with Agave Nectar 

- Steel’s receives certification as a Woman Business Enterprise from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of General Services.

- December marks the 20th Anniversary of Steel’s Gourmet. It seems like only yesterday that Betty Jo was in her kitchen making Steel’s Old Fashion Fudge Sauce.

2006
- In celebration of the 20th anniversary, Betty Jo Steel introduces a new twist to the old Classics. Classic Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce (No Sugar Added) goes Organic!

- Steel’s is flooded out AGAIN, leaving the business closed for 2 weeks in early July while cleanup takes place.

- Steel's makes the hard decision to forfit its Certified Organic status and discontinues much of the line. Products will be reformulated in 2007, still organically sweetened with Agave and still All Natural!

2007
- Steel's closes its plant and reorganizes. Manufacturing is done by Beanie's of Lancaster and fulfillment is moved to the DEC in Lancaster, PA. Steel's is approached by a number of serious buyers and we hope to be reorganized very soon.