Duke's Mayonnaise
A Southern American mayonnaise brand founded by Eugenia Duke in 1917 and known for its tangy, unsweetened recipe.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Duke's Mayonnaise is an American condiment brand whose origins trace to Greenville, South Carolina, in 1917. It was created by Eugenia Thomas Slade Duke, who began selling sandwiches with her daughter Martha at YMCA-operated Army canteens to support her family. The business expanded as soldiers and other customers sought more of the sandwiches, particularly around Camp Sevier, a National Guard training camp near Greenville. The mayonnaise used in the sandwiches became sufficiently popular that Duke began bottling it around 1923. The product developed as a regional specialty before becoming a nationally distributed brand. In 1928, Eugenia Duke spoke at the Mayonnaise Manufacturer's Convention in Boston, an indication that her small food business had attracted attention beyond South Carolina. Demand eventually exceeded the family's ability to manufacture and distribute the product, leading Duke to sell the business to the C. F. Sauer Company in 1929. Under Sauer, Duke's Mayonnaise became the company's flagship product, while manufacturing was associated with the company's facility in Mauldin, South Carolina, southeast of Greenville. Duke's identity is strongly tied to its recipe and to Southern food culture. The brand's mayonnaise is described as containing more egg yolks than competing mayonnaise products, using apple cider vinegar rather than distilled white vinegar, and containing no added sugar. These characteristics give it a tangier flavor profile than many mainstream mayonnaise products. The brand has connected that flavor with the advertising expression "It's Got Twang." Duke's is commonly associated with regional dishes including coleslaw, tomato sandwiches, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and potato salad. For much of its history, the brand's strongest consumer base was in the American South. It later expanded distribution across the United States and into selected international markets, including New Zealand, Australia, the Middle East, and, from 2017, Latin America. The brand has been described as the third-largest mayonnaise brand in the United States, behind Hellmann's and Kraft, although its historical importance is more closely linked to its Southern heritage and distinctive taste than to broad global scale. Duke's reached its centennial in 2017, when the South Carolina legislature recognized the brand's hundred-year history. In 2019, Falfurrias Capital Partners acquired C. F. Sauer and the Duke's brand. Falfurrias later sold Sauer Brands, including Duke's, to Advent International in 2025. The brand remains active under private ownership. Its positioning combines regional authenticity, a recognizable founder story, and a recipe-based point of difference centered on tang, egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, and the absence of added sugar.
History
Duke's Mayonnaise began as part of Eugenia Thomas Slade Duke's sandwich business in Greenville, South Carolina. In August 1917, Duke and her daughter Martha sold sandwiches at YMCA-run Army canteens as a way to earn money for the family. Demand grew among soldiers at nearby Camp Sevier and among other customers as the sandwich operation expanded to additional selling locations. The mayonnaise used in the sandwiches became an important part of the business, and Duke began bottling it around 1923. The enterprise remained closely connected to Eugenia Duke's personal work and to the food culture of the American South. By November 1928, she was sufficiently established to speak in Boston at the Mayonnaise Manufacturer's Convention. The scale of demand ultimately exceeded what the family could produce and distribute independently. In 1929, Duke sold the business to the C. F. Sauer Company, a Richmond, Virginia-based food manufacturer. Duke's became Sauer's flagship product, and production was associated with the company's plant in Mauldin, South Carolina. After the acquisition, Duke's grew from a primarily regional product into a brand distributed across the United States. Its strongest reputation remained in the South, where it became associated with foods such as tomato sandwiches, coleslaw, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and potato salad. The brand's recipe helped preserve a distinct identity: it uses more egg yolks than some competing mayonnaise products, relies on apple cider vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar, and contains no added sugar. The resulting tang has been expressed in the brand's advertising through the phrase "It's Got Twang." Eugenia Duke continued food-related activities after selling the mayonnaise business. She followed her daughter to California and opened the Duchess Sandwich Company and Duchess Catering Company. She also participated in efforts supporting passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the constitutional right to vote in the United States. She died in 1968. Duke's was recognized as a century-old South Carolina brand in 2017. By then, its distribution had extended throughout the United States and to selected markets including New Zealand, Australia, and the Middle East. C. F. Sauer also announced plans to sell the brand in Latin America. The brand received additional public visibility through a 2011 episode of the television program How It's Made that featured the Mauldin mayonnaise facility. Ownership changed again in 2019, when Falfurrias Capital Partners acquired C. F. Sauer and Duke's. In 2025, Falfurrias sold Sauer Brands, including Duke's, to Advent International. Duke's remains an active mayonnaise brand. Its current identity combines a founder-led origin story, South Carolina manufacturing heritage, Southern culinary associations, and a recipe positioning built around tang and the absence of added sugar.
- 2025
Advent International acquires Sauer Brands
[1]Advent International acquires Sauer Brands, including Duke's Mayonnaise, from Falfurrias Capital Partners.
- 2019
Falfurrias Capital Partners acquires the brand
[1]Falfurrias Capital Partners acquires C. F. Sauer and Duke's Mayonnaise.
- 2017
Duke's reaches its centennial
[1]South Carolina's legislature recognizes the brand's hundredth anniversary. The company also announces planned Latin American distribution.
- 2011
Mauldin production is featured on How It's Made
[1]The Mauldin, South Carolina, facility appears in an episode of How It's Made focused on mayonnaise production.
- 1929
C. F. Sauer acquires Duke's
[1]C. F. Sauer purchases the Duke's products after demand becomes too large for the original family operation to handle.
- 1928
Eugenia Duke speaks at a mayonnaise industry convention
[1]Duke speaks at the Mayonnaise Manufacturer's Convention in Boston, reflecting the growing profile of her business.
- 1923
Duke's mayonnaise is bottled
[1]Growing demand leads Eugenia Duke to begin bottling the mayonnaise used in her sandwich business.
- 1917
Eugenia Duke begins selling sandwiches
[1]Eugenia Duke and her daughter Martha begin selling sandwiches at YMCA-run Army canteens in the Greenville, South Carolina, area.
Products and positioning
A Southern-rooted mayonnaise brand differentiated by a tangy flavor, a higher egg-yolk formulation, apple cider vinegar, and no added sugar.
Mayonnaise · 1923
Duke's Mayonnaise
The core Duke's product is a mayonnaise associated with Southern American cooking. Its documented points of distinction include more egg yolks than other mayonnaise products, apple cider vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar, and no added sugar. These choices produce the tangy flavor that the brand promotes through the phrase "It's Got Twang." It is traditionally used in coleslaw, tomato sandwiches, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, potato salad, and other mayonnaise-based dishes.
Controversies
2019
Duke's Mayonnaise sues Duke Foods companies over branding
Sauer Brands, which owns Duke's Mayonnaise, filed suit against Duke Sandwich Productions, DFP Sandwich Shops and Duke Brands, alleging trademark infringement and other claims. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants' Duke sandwich-spread logo resembled Duke's Mayonnaise labeling and could confuse consumers.
Marketing campaigns
- It's Got Twang
United States
Duke's advertising uses the expression "It's Got Twang" to communicate the brand's tangy taste and Southern character, linking its marketing language to the recipe's apple cider vinegar and lack of added sugar.
Brand decisions
2025
Advent International acquires Sauer BrandsM&ABackground
Sauer Brands owned Duke's Mayonnaise and other Sauer food brands.
Action taken
Advent International acquired Sauer Brands from Falfurrias Capital Partners.
Aftermath
Duke's became part of Advent International's private portfolio.
2019
Falfurrias Capital Partners acquires C. F. SauerM&ABackground
Duke's was part of C. F. Sauer's branded food portfolio.
Action taken
Falfurrias Capital Partners acquired C. F. Sauer and the Duke's brand.
Aftermath
Duke's continued as an active brand under new private ownership.
1929
Sale to C. F. SauerM&ABackground
Demand for the bottled mayonnaise had grown beyond the capacity of Eugenia Duke's family business.
Action taken
Eugenia Duke sold the Duke's products to C. F. Sauer, which made the mayonnaise its flagship product.
Aftermath
The transaction moved the brand from a family-operated regional business into a larger food-manufacturing company while retaining production ties to South Carolina.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Duke's Mayonnaise sues Duke Foods companies over branding[2]
Reported:
Sauer Brands, which owns Duke's Mayonnaise, filed suit against Duke Sandwich Productions, DFP Sandwich Shops and Duke Brands, alleging trademark infringement and other claims. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants' Duke sandwich-spread logo resembled Duke's Mayonnaise labeling and could confuse consumers.
Sources3 sources
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