Ken Davis was born in Omaha, Nebraska (September 22, 1923) where he graduated from high school and briefly studied engineering at Drake University. After serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II Davis played bass fiddle as a professional jazz musician and later owned and operated a commercial kitchen and a janitorial service in Omaha.
In 1967 Davis moved to Minneapolis and was hired by Dayton's as maintenance supervisor at its store in the Brookdale Shopping Center (1968). In 1969 he bought Edina Chicken, a take-out restaurant in Edina, Minnesota. The restaurant closed the following year and Davis decided to market his barbecue sauce. He established Ken Davis Products, Inc., hired his future wife, Barbara Jo Taylor, to help him develop a consistent recipe, and sold the product out of his car to grocery stores throughout the seven-county metropolitan area.
In 1972 Ken Davis Products, Inc. was incorporated in Minnesota. The company was a success and eventually increased its annual revenues to several million dollars with a varied product line and a five-state market area. Four flavors of barbecue sauce, Original, Sweet 'n Smoky, Smooth 'n Spicy, and 2-gram Carbs Original, are sold in grocery stores in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Davis and his company played an active role in community and charitable causes. This includes his service as one of the first African-American Santa Clauses to entertain in the Twin Cities, his service as honorary co-chairman of INVITE, Inc. (1989), and the firm's sponsorship of fund raising events for local food shelves. Ken Davis died of complications from lung cancer on August 22, 1991.
Barbara Jo Davis, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Taylor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, graduated from Cheyenne Central High School (1960), received a B.A. in dietetics from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, and completed a dietetic internship at Freedman Hospital, Washington, D.C. Her first job was as a research dietician for Cox Coronary Heart Institute at Dayton, Ohio (1965-1967). The program was funded by General Mills and when it ended Davis was hired by Betty Crocker Kitchens. Davis remained with General Mills for 20 years working primarily in management.
In 1988 Davis became president of Ken Davis Products, Incorporated. When Ken Davis died Barbara Jo continued with the company as its owner/president. Barbara sold Ken Davis, Incorporated to Summit Marketing in November 2010.
Davis' professional and community involvement included her service as the first national president for the Coalition for Black Development in Home Economics and her membership in the American Home Economics Association, serving as its membership chair in 1993-1994. She also served on the board of directors of the Meyerhoff Educational Internship Program and helped the Stairship Initiative in Minneapolis.
From the guide to the Ken and Barbara Jo Davis papers., 1946-2005 (bulk 1980-2005)., (Minnesota Historical Society)
