Quick Facts

• Duke’s Mayo rose from fifth to second in U.S. retail dollar sales in the mayonnaise category between Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, per NielsenIQ data.
• Active restaurant partnerships with Biscuitville and Cracker Barrel are designed to get consumers to try the product before buying it at retail.
• Private equity firm Advent International acquired Sauer Brands, Duke’s parent company, in early 2025 and installed new leadership to support national expansion.

Duke’s Mayo has climbed faster than any other scaled brand in the mayonnaise category. In Q2 2026, the brand ranked second in U.S. dollar sales among mayonnaise and sandwich spreads, according to NielsenIQ. One year earlier, it sat in fifth place.

The brand is now pushing hard into markets where it has little name recognition. Its primary tool is the restaurant menu.

Restaurants as a sampling channel

Duke’s, owned by Sauer Brands, is actively placing its products on restaurant menus to build awareness and drive grocery purchases. Brad Wile, Chief Growth Officer at Sauer Brands, framed the strategy plainly: ‘We’re really trying to drive more partnerships across the restaurant scene in order to drive more brand awareness and trial. The more we can get people to try it, the better chance we have of converting consumers.’

North Carolina-based Biscuitville Fresh Southern is featuring Duke’s on summer BLT items from July through September. Virginia locations are the first to carry Double Bacon BLTs with Duke’s Mayonnaise on the biscuit. Performance this summer will determine whether the partnership expands to all markets.

Jim McCurley, Chief Restaurant Excellence Officer at Biscuitville, said the brand connection goes beyond flavor. ‘Duke’s carries the local affinity in the South. For us, it’s not just selling a sandwich. We’re trying to sell a story.’ McCurley noted that in tastings across a dozen mayo brands, Duke’s stood out: ‘It has the right amount of fat, the right amount of acid and salt, and ultimately it holds up and it creates a good structure within the sandwich.’

Starting in mid-August, Cracker Barrel will feature Duke’s branding on four menu items. In 2025, Duke’s barbecue sauce appeared as a named dipping sauce on a Hardee’s limited-time chicken tender platter.

Market share gains

Hellmann’s still dominates the category with roughly 46.7% of U.S. mayo market share in 2024, down from 50.6% in 2022. Duke’s grew from 6% to 9% share over the same period. The global mayonnaise market was valued at $13.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $18.8 billion by 2034, growing at 3.76% annually. North America accounts for 41.2% of global sales.

Duke’s is also the seventh fastest-growing brand in the center of store across all U.S. grocery categories, not just condiments.

New ownership, new leadership

Advent International acquired Sauer Brands from Falfurrias Capital Partners in January 2025. The deal also brought Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa and Kernel Season’s popcorn seasoning under Advent’s portfolio. Following the close, Sauer Brands named E. Yuri Hermida as CEO. Hermida previously served as EVP, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at Constellation Brands.

Tricia Glynn, Managing Partner at Advent International, said the brand still has room to run: ‘Despite its long history, we believe that the Company is still in the early innings of growth.’

National advertising push

Duke’s launched its ‘Mayo Is Coming’ campaign during the 2026 Duke’s Mayo Bowl, a college football bowl game that offered national broadcast reach. The campaign formally announced the brand’s push beyond its Southern base into new kitchens and retailers across the country.

The restaurant-led trial strategy mirrors the early growth playbook used by Mike’s Hot Honey, which built credibility through foodservice before pursuing wide retail distribution. For Duke’s, the channel serves a similar function: putting the product in consumers’ mouths before asking them to put it in their carts.

Read more: How Duke’s Mayo partners with restaurants to support retail expansion