Always Flavored, the flavor-centric Sauce and Seasoning company from Fredericksburg celebrates two second-place honors from the 2023 Scovie Awards for its Sweet Virginia Love BBQ Sauce in the Barbecue Sauce-Unique category and Ritabeata’s Mild Hot Sauce in the Prepared Sauce-Prepared category.
“We couldn’t be more excited that our products were recognized and appreciated at such a national and international level,” Rita Witte, owner and founder, said. “It is gratifying and pleasing to know our sauces keep tantalizing and dazzling the taste buds of even some of the toughest food critics.”
The judging, which was not open to the public, comprised 80-100 top culinary experts and is usually held the first Monday between the New Mexico State Fair and Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This year’s competition had 934 entries from 151 companies across 37 states and 12 countries, which included, but weren’t limited to, England, Hungary, Germany, Canada, and Australia.
Always Flavored creates specialized gourmet sauces, seasonings, and condiments, including a growing line of hot sauce flavors, barbeque sauce, and a variety of spices and rubs. All products are sourced locally and naturally produced; their hot sauces are all-natural, gluten free and preservative-free.
Ritabeata’s Mild Hot Sauce is a fermented sauce that will make your mouth water in anticipation of its flavor! It is just spicy enough add a kick to your dish without overpowering it. The hot sauce is made with jalapeños, serranos, and long chilies which give this green sauce all the flavor while still maintaining a moderate heat level.
Sweet Virginia Love BBQ Sauce is a perfect balance of sweet and savory; this delicious sauce adds an explosion of tangy and sweet flavor to just about any meat. Perfect for all meats, poultry and fish dishes with a low heat level which won’t overpower any other flavors.
Our best-selling single items and packages include Pick 5 Seasonings, Ritabeata’s Thai Chili Sauce, Ranch Seasoning Dressing & Dip Mix, Shawarma Seasoning, Ritabeata’s Mild Hot Sauce, Ritabeata’s Sweet Virginia Love BBQ, Ritabeata’s Hot Sauce, and Ritabeata’s Wrath of Rita.
Witte’s business began almost by accident during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her family decided to start gardening; as their garden overproduced peppers Witte was inspired to dabble with all kinds of hot sauce recipes. Later, it occurred to her that she had a business opportunity allowing her to support and partner with local businesses hurt by the shutdown.
On Nov. 20, 2022, Always Flavored opened its first bistro and retail store at 1711 Princess Anne Street in downtown Fredericksburg, VA. Before opening the bistro, Always Flavored sold products through its online store at www.alwaysflavored.com and at farmers’ markets, local events and several local stores. The brand works with local farmers, business owners, and producers to create a delicious product line and a brand that donates a portion of its proceeds directly to help community outreach.
Since she was very young, Rita Witte has had a passion for food. She is known by friends and family for using everyday ingredients to create fun and exciting meals. Her career began as a general manager for many food concepts, including Applebee’s, Papa John’s Pizza, and Taco Bell. There she learned that one of life’s most incredible experiences comes from what people eat.
The Scovie Awards Competition is produced by Dave DeWitt & Emily DeWitt, Cisneros of Sunbelt Shows, Inc., producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, coming up on March 3-5. The hot food and sauce show developed from the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show’s contest originally called “The Fiery Foods Challenge.” After 1996, the competition was renamed to honor Wilbur Scoville, who invented the Scoville Organoleptic Test or heat scale for peppers.
Follow Always Flavored on Facebook (@alwaysflavored), Instagram (@alwaysflavored1), Pinterest (alwaysflavored), YouTube (alwaysflavored), and TikTok (alwaysflavored). Interested individuals will find helpful videos, news, and the company events calendar through all these social media outlets. Simple and tasty recipes are also found on the website.
Photo courtesy Rita Witte
