Erika Coleman selling her sauce at the Black on the Block festival in Washington D.C.
Our partner program Catapult Greater Pittsburgh continues to impress with its ever-growing range of programs and offerings. With the Catapult Culinary incubator program, the organization is helping minority food-based entrepreneurs launch and develop their businesses. Each cohort has 15 participants who are looking to grow an existing food business or get a new one off the ground. Beyond providing mentorship and business coaching, Catapult Culinary also recently announced its partnership with the Allegheny Health Network to offer commercial kitchen space to participants and has been working with Giant Foods to help cohort members get their products placed in stores.
40-year-old Erika Coleman is a member of the program’s 2022 cohort and founder of E’s Special Sauce, a butter seasoning mix for seafood, chicken, steak, and vegetables. Her business grew out of her popular YouTube channel where she shares videos of her eating decadent seafood boils.
We spoke with Coleman to learn more about her business and how Catapult is helping her take it to the next level.
Can you give us an introduction to your business and what you do?
E’s Special Sauce is a butter seasoning mix that was created to add flavor to traditional butter sauce. It was primarily created to be eaten with seafood, but it’s also great on chicken, steak, and vegetables. I have a YouTube channel where I eat for my viewers, and they requested the sauce I would eat with my seafood boils. That is how E’s Special Sauce was born.
How did you get involved with Catapult? Why did you think it was a good fit for you?
In the summer of 2022, I came across the Catapult Facebook page and saw that they had a culinary program. That’s when I reached out to Lachelle Bell [Catapult’s director of entrepreneurship] for more information. I’m always willing to learn, and Catapult is perfect for startups or small businesses looking for mentorship and guidance.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a small business owner?
The challenges I face are around funding and getting my business to a mass audience. I would like to reach my target market inside and outside of the internet, as there are so many potential customers outside of the Instagram and YouTube worlds. Finding ways to reach those outside people has been challenging, but I am going to figure it out. I would also like to reach a wider audience through store placement and offering a variety of different food items.
How has Catapult helped you develop your business?
I have been having issues with using a home kitchen to produce products. Catapult’s kitchen was a perfect solution — having access to the Catapult kitchen will help a bunch with expanding and developing new products for my business. I also appreciate how they teach different aspects of business through the program and help businesses like mine genuinely get the help they need by providing helpful resources in the areas we struggle with.
What’s been the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur? What keeps you going?
The freedom to create and put all your time and energy into something that is yours. The best feeling as an entrepreneur is knowing that you’ll be able to pass on knowledge to others, jobs for your community, and a legacy for your family. All of these things motivate me to keep going.
Check out E’s Special Sauce via their website or Instagram page. To see the products Coleman features in her cooking, follow @erikacolecooking.
