The Story Behind Duke's Mayo and Hot Tomato Summer

After 100+ episodes, "Eat It, Virginia" finally put the focus on
condiments. And what better condiment to feature than Richmond,
Virginia-based Duke's Mayo?


Founded more than 100 years ago in South Carolina, the Richmond,
Virginia-based C.F. Sauer Company bought the brand in 1929.


Over the generations, Duke's Mayo has become synonymous with
Southern cooking.


These days, Duke's is the fastest-growing mayo brand in the
country, brand manager Rebecca Lupesco said.


"Our team is based in Richmond. We work with a creative agency
here in Richmond. We are all over the South and actually, we're
national because Kroger has just taken the brand on a national
level," Lupesco said. "But we advertise and market the brand all
over the Southeast."


The job of marketing the mayo, Lupesco said, is making it
relevant to current culture.


"We have [Duke's] diehards who literally get Duke's tattoos on
their bodies. And so it's really just celebrating our fans,
celebrating the product, celebrating the chefs that use us and
telling stories and really fun and meaningful ways," she said.


One story-telling vehicle Duke's uses is an event they call Hot
Tomato Summer.


From July 24 - 30, restaurants in Richmond, Greenville, South
Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South
Carolina will feature dishes that allow both Duke's and tomatoes
to shine.


"We started [Hot Tomato Summer] here in Richmond in 2021. It was
really just a way to, coming out of the pandemic, drive traffic
and fun back to some of the restaurants and really help our core
customers," she said. "All the restaurants who were involved in
it really liked it. So we brought it back last year, for year
two, and expanded to Greenville. And then this year, we are
expanding into two more cities."


College football is another big branding opportunity for Duke's.


This year the Duke’s Mayo Classic college football game will air
Saturday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl will air
on December 27 at 5:30 p.m.


As per tradition, the winning coach will have mayo dumper on
their head. Listen to the podcast to hear how that messy
tradition began.


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