Stories

California Bay Area condiment company gets a boost from U.S. Bank and Working Solutions CDFI

Princess and Brownie Sims were dressed as twins by their mother during their childhood even though they were born 21 months apart and, the sisters say, were anything but identical. As adults, their blend of personalities makes their partnership work, much like the spicy-sweet kick of the small-batch sauces made by their condiment company The Final Sauce.

Princess Sims said she is all business, spending more than 20 years in a corporate career, with a knack for tackling paperwork and an aversion to grilling. Brownie Sims said she loves to be innovative, nurturing her artistic daring and entrepreneurial spirit as both a salon owner and a condiment creator, and she hopes to enter her first grill master competition later this year.

The Final Sauce, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the result of three generations of family members working together. It began when Brownie’s son, who was 12 at the time, wanted a job and spending money, and Brownie wanted to keep him in a safe environment.

“Every program I found for him was directed toward ‘at-risk youth,’ and I thought that sent the wrong message,” Brownie Sims said. “So, I asked my auntie Marion if she would allow us to make, bottle and sell her signature barbecue sauce. She agreed, I found a commercial kitchen here in Richmond, and all three of us piled into it. My elderly auntie with her walker, me and my son, whose 6 foot, 2 inch height came in handy for lifting a lot of heavy stock pots.”

The sauce that emerged from auntie Marion’s days of culinary training became a community favorite in 2013, and Brownie convinced Princess to move across the country from Virginia in 2016 to manage administrative side of the business.

In 2020, the sisters faced supply chain struggles and other pandemic-related challenges, which left them unable to acquire bottles for their sauces.

It was through their relationship with local Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Working Solutions that they were able to find a community of knowledgeable advisors and like-minded local entrepreneurs who rallied together to help each other. The Sims sisters were introduced to Working Solutions by U.S. Bank Business Access Advisor Will Jackson.

“Working Solutions has been the single best resource we’ve had for our business,” Princess Sims said.

Jackson and his Business Access Advisor peers across the country serve as ambassadors of U.S. Bank Access Commitment®, the bank's long-term approach to help close the wealth gap for underserved communities, including communities of color. The program launched in 2021 and expanded to include bilingual Business Access Advisors in 2024.

Jackson serves as a Working Solutions board member and active volunteer, teaching financial literacy within the Bay Area community along with Working Solutions chief program officer Titi Ikhile.

“Will is a motivator, he’ll get you going, so if you’re stuck, you’re going to come out of that,” Princess Sims said.

Brownie agreed, adding, “Will and Working Solutions got our minds right. He asked us, ‘Are you in it for the long game or the short game?’ and I liked that, because we needed that perspective shift. Whenever you’re dealing with not having money or resources it can be scary, but Will and Working Solutions helped us to step into the unknown and become comfortable with being uncomfortable as we grew the business.”

Working Solutions offers loans of $5,000 to $100,000 to start-up and early-stage businesses in California, with a mission to assist people who often face barriers to capital access, including entrepreneurs of color, women and low-income individuals. Working Solutions also guides businesses like The Final Sauce through the loan application process and provides free business consulting, financial education and access to a network of advisors for the life of the loan.

U.S. Bank has supported Working Solutions with $225,000 in corporate contributions over the past two years and a history of partnering together in the Bay Area and beyond.

“The most rewarding part of being a business owner is encouraging women that it is never too late. There is a mission, and a purpose for what we’re doing,” Brownie Sims said.

“We hope The Final Sauce will bring family, friends, and communities together,” Princess Sims said. “The barbecue smoke brings out the people, and when we get together to eat, we’re in fellowship with each other. We want to help create memories. Yes, that is what we hope.”

To learn more about the Sims sisters and The Final Sauce, watch the video below.