Trilby's History

Necessity isn’t the only mother of invention.
Sometimes it’s Mom herself.

Trilby Wiedman had developed a part-time catering business while raising her children in Silverdale, Wash. Her specialty was barbecued meatballs, but there was a problem.

“She didn’t like any of the sauces out there, so she made her own,” says her daughter, Laura (Wiedman) Joseph.

This led to another, but quite different, problem. When Trilby eased out of the catering business after 30 years, friends and neighbors kept asking for her sauce. That’s when Laura came to the rescue of barbecue chefs across the country.

Laura and husband Mark Joseph began producing Trilby’s BBQ Sauce in 1997. They started with two varieties, Mild and Spicy Hot, and later added a barbecue rub of dry seasonings to their product line.

The sauce’s popularity with caterers and every-day cooks stems from its sweet-and-sour flavor, plus its versatility. Trilby’s BBQ Sauce is used for basting, mixing with ground beef, and even dipping appetizers.

“It’s goes with anything!” Laura exclaims. “A lot of people replace their ketchup with it.”

With help from the production facility of a Bellingham friend, Marti Jones of Marti’s Dressings & Marinades, the Josephs began commercial production. They started selling their sauce to friends and co-workers, and then going to craft shows and the Bellingham Farmers Market. Their big break came in 1999 when Jack Bishop, manager of the Fairhaven Red Apple supermarket in Bellingham, tasted the sauce on some barbecue sandwiches and asked to sell it in his store.

Two years later, Bellingham-based Haggen, Inc., began selling Trilby’s BBQ Sauce at most of its Haggen and TOP Food outlets in Washington and Oregon. Now the sauce can be found at 30+ retail outlets, as well as select craft shows in Western Washington.

For Laura Joseph, the sales growth is nice, but Trilby’s daughter beams while recalling “the calls and letters from people saying this is the best stuff they’ve ever had. It’s satisfying to know you’re part of something that people love.”

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