Veronica Shaw, the budding entrepreneur who started a TikTok frenzy after creating her popular “Pink Sauce” says she’s completely broke and has been “financially sabotaged” by Dave’s Gourmet, who invested in the condiment after it went viral online.
Also known as “Chef Pii,” Shaw began her empire in 2022 when started selling the sauce out of her home. Customers quickly took to the internet to complain about the sauce spoiling in heat, among other issues.
Enter Dave’s Gourmet, a food company specializing in sauces, which decided to invest in the pink sauce. After entering into an agreement with Shaw, her sauces found themselves in national retailers, including Walmart.
But Shaw says the sauce hasn’t gained traction, causing her to launch a GoFundMe campaign requesting $100,000.
“As a young entrepreneur with big dreams, I followed my intuition and went forth toward my dreams to create something new,” the GoFundMe page reads. “I made a few mistakes on the way. Which led me to trust a company that is trying to take everything away from me. They lied to me.”
It continues: “I have been silenced and financially sabotaged,” she added. “I am a single mom and I do everything for my kids. Right now, I don’t even have enough money to buy my kids food on my own. My mom is on disability and has been giving us $20 just to get by on a daily basis.”
At the time of this writing, her campaign has raised 1% of its goal. Some fans commented on the page with words of support, with one writing: Mommy of 7 you GOT THIS FIGHT. And never give up. This wasn’t much but hope it helps.”
But others have not been so supportive, with one commenter stating: “Karma sucks huh? Be humble.” The commenter then proceeded to donate $5.
Meanwhile, Dave’s Gourmet refutes Shaw’s claims, stating that they stuck to the terms of their agreement.
“Dave’s Gourmet has adhered to the terms of the agreement with Ms. Shaw,” they said in a statement shared with Dexerto. “We disagree with Ms. Shaw’s allegations. 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. She indicated that she’s open to an amicable resolution of the dispute and the parties are in discussions.”
