- True Made Foods, maker of naturally sweetened ketchup, filed Chapter 11 with $100K–$1M assets and $1M–$10M liabilities.
- Loss of grocery distribution after COVID (Kroger, Safeway) crashed revenue despite prior placement in 5,000+ stores.
- Bankruptcy reflects wider strain on premium “clean label” food brands amid cost pressures and consumer shift to cheaper staples.
In the fiercely competitive world of condiments, where giants like Heinz have long ruled the ketchup aisle, a smaller player betting big on health-conscious innovation has hit a wall.
True Made Foods Inc., the Alexandria, Virginia-based maker of naturally sweetened ketchup, barbecue sauces, and mustards, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The voluntary filing—case number 1:25-bk-12269—lists estimated assets between $100,000 and $1 million and liabilities ranging from $1 million to $10 million, with 50 to 99 creditors.
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Among them is Teton Promotion in Motion Inc., which claims True Made owes more than $361,000 over an alleged breach of a distributor agreement.
A Veteran-Founded Underdog’s Rise and Fall
True Made Foods was born in 2015 out of founder Abe Kamarck’s frustration as a U.S. Navy veteran and dad. Spotting that traditional ketchup packed more sugar per tablespoon than ice cream, Kamarck started experimenting in his kitchen, swapping high-fructose corn syrup for real fruits and veggies like apples, butternut squash, and carrots.
“We are revolutionizing America’s favorite condiments by using the sweetness of real fruits and vegetables instead of sugar,” the company boasts on its website.
Their ketchup clocks in at just 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon—about a teaspoon—versus 16 grams in typical barbecue sauce servings.
By pre-pandemic peaks, the brand had landed spots in over 5,000 stores nationwide. It raised more than $6.9 million from investors to fuel growth and even teamed up in 2018 with legendary pitmaster Ed Mitchell and his son Ryan for a line of low-sugar BBQ sauces aimed at “saving BBQ” with real-food roots.
As of late 2021, the outfit reported $1.78 million in annual revenue and a lean team of three employees. But the COVID-19 era flipped the script. As grocery shelves reset post-lockdowns, big chains like Kroger and Safeway yanked niche products to prioritize volume sellers from established brands.
True Made’s distribution crumbled, leaving its veggie-sweetened lineup scrambling for space. Products are still on shelves at spots like Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market, and The Fresh Market, and the company’s site remains up, hawking “no compromise” flavors.
Represented by attorney Steven B. Ramsdell of Tyler, Bartl & Ramsdell, P.L.C., True Made now eyes restructuring to stabilize ops, potentially lining up fresh funding or partners through court proceedings.
Echoes of Wider Industry Pain
True Made’s tumble isn’t isolated—it’s a stark reminder of how the food sector, especially “clean label” and plant-based upstarts, has struggled to rebound. The company’s products were dropped by major grocery chains like Kroger and Safeway after COVID, leading to a sharp loss of shelf space and revenue as those grocers pivoted toward bigger brands.
Just this summer, in July 2025, iconic canned goods powerhouse Del Monte Foods—a 139-year-old name also known for its ketchup—sought Chapter 11 protection amid $1.2 billion in debt.
Soaring costs, surplus inventory from softened demand, and a consumer pivot to cheaper store brands hammered them.
“Del Monte says that consumer demand has declined, causing it to incur increased costs related to surplus inventory,” one report detailed.
These filings spotlight a brutal squeeze: Inflation-weary shoppers sticking to trusted, budget-friendly staples while premium, health-hyped alternatives fight for relevance.
For context, Heinz (under Kraft Heinz) commands over 60% of the U.S. ketchup market, its glass bottles a fixture since Henry Heinz himself clawed back from his own 1875 bankruptcy to build an empire.
As True Made navigates court, it’ll be watching how peers fare. Will veggie-sweetened ketchup find a lifeline, or is this the end of another challenger in the red-sauce wars?
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