KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Nehalem barbecue sauce manufacturer recently placed in the Top 10 for its division in the 2014 American Royal Sauce Contest, the largest commercial barbecue sauce competition in the country.

Josef Lebold and LeRoy Heppner’s company, Joe’s Bigfoot BBQ Sauces, placed eighth out of 83 commercial competitors in the specialty sauce division with its Marionberry Habanero BBQ Sauce, and 27th overall out of almost 500 competitors.

The competition was held at the end of September, and winners were announced in early November. This was the first national competition entered by Joe’s Bigfoot Sauces.

Joe’s sauces are made at Manzanita Lighthouse Pub & Grub in Nehalem. The company was started last spring by Lebold and Heppner. Besides the Marionberry Habanero, they also make a Marionberry BBQ Sauce that does not have the heat of the habanero.

Joe’s barbecue sauces employ local ingredients whenever possible, including marionberry jam made in Portland, Deschutes Brewery’s Mirror Pond Ale and Northwest honey from Nampa, Idaho.

This young company already has many placements on the coast, and can be found at the Red Hills Market in Dundee. The restaurant is also using the Marionberry Habanero full time for its pulled-pork sandwiches and the barbecue chicken pizzas. Bottles can be purchased at the M & L Manzanita Lighthouse Pub & Grub, located at 36480 N. U.S. Highway 101 in Nehalem.

In Astoria, bottles are available at Northwest Wild Products and the Portway Tavern, which uses the sauces on its pulled-pork sandwiches and burgers.

For further information, visit www.joesbigfoot.com or check out their Facebook page.