Update: 'Chups has met its goal with time to spare.
'Chups, the fruit ketchup from D.C. residents Matt and Kori Wallace, is just $1,000 short of its $12,000
Kickstarter goal with more than a month to go in the fundraising campaign. The Wallaces will use the funds to rent space in
Union Kitchen to produce their gourmet condiments on a larger scale.
"We opened an online shop early last year," Kori Wallace explains. The couple, who married in August 2013, researched food regulations in D.C. and decided they wanted to stay in their Glover Park home while still producing their ketchups. "We found Union Kitchen, and it's a perfect fit. We want to take 'Chups to the next level."
'Chups come in five flavors, and none are tomato. Instead, backers of the Kickstarter campaign who give $25 or more can get a sample pack of peach, mango, plum, blueberry and cherry to try on their favorite dishes. Wallace says peach and mango go best on fish and poultry dishes, while the "darker varieties fit with meat dishes." Her personal favorite is "blueberry, because it's so different."
Blueberry ketchup? According to Wallace, ketchup itself didn't start out as a tomato-based condiment. We have Heinz to thank for that. Early varieties of the sauce include walnut ketchup and oyster ketchup (neither of which 'Chups plans to produce anytime soon). "It doesn't make sense that there aren't any varieties of ketchup," Wallace says. "The ketchup market isn't at all diversified. It makes sense to bring this to market. Fruits are yummy and colorful, and people can relate to them more than they can walnut and oyster."
Wallace also wants 'Chups to take a more prominent place at the table. "We want people to realize that ketchup is more than an afterthought with your meal," she explains. "It's an ingredient in a lot of recipes. We want to mobilize the restaurant and food industries," one jar of 'Chups at a time.