Patrick and Bettina Cox in their sauce kitchen in Walsdorf in the Bamberg district. Since 2005, the former drummer of the famous band “Schürzenjäger” and his wife have been experimenting with barbecue sauces that taste really good. // Photo: Florian Grobbel

Bamberg – From Alpine Rock to Savory Delights

Patrick Cox, former drummer of the band “Schürzenjäger,” and his wife Bettina have been producing and distributing flavorful sauces in Walsdorf for the past four years – inspired by American-style recipes.

Things are heating up – quite literally – in a house located in a residential area of Walsdorf in the Bamberg district. On the upper floor, Patrick Cox has his domain. Cox is well known as the drummer of the famous Austrian alpine rock band “Schürzenjäger.” His office is where new music is regularly created. Meanwhile, on the ground floor, his wife Bettina is busy cooking up unique barbecue sauces that have opened a new chapter for this extraordinary couple.

For the past four years, Bettina and Patrick Cox have been successfully marketing their tasty products, both regionally and across Germany. Their motivation is clear and shared: “We want to sell sauces that truly taste great!”

With the Schürzenjäger – One of Austria’s Most Successful Bands

Bettina and Patrick met in the early 2000s, just as the era of the “Schürzenjäger” was coming to a close. Until their disbandment in 2007, the group celebrated several decades of major chart success in the German-speaking world and was among Austria’s most commercially successful bands.

Some of their greatest hits include songs like “Sierra Madre” and “Dahoam is Dahoam.” The albums “Träume sind stärker” and “Treff’ ma uns in der Mitt’n” were awarded Gold Records. Patrick Cox was drummer, guitarist, and singer in the band from 1989 until its dissolution in 2007. He is still active as a musician and, since 2024, has been playing guitar in the Bavarian band “Relax.”

Connections with Musikhaus Thomann Bring Cox to Bamberg

During the final years of the “Schürzenjäger,” performances became less frequent, and Cox began looking for a new career path. He already had a good relationship with Musikhaus Thomann in Burgebrach.
“Whenever I visited the Thomann showroom and there wasn’t a sales rep around, I would sometimes help out by advising customers,” Patrick Cox recalls.
At some point, Hans Thomann, head of the music company, approached him and said: “Patrick, if you ever need a job, come see me.”

In 2004, that opportunity came, and Cox – originally trained as a musical instrument salesperson – moved to Franconia with his partner Bettina.

Musician Patrick Cox celebrated numerous successes with the “Schürzenjäger” for almost 20 years. Today, Cox is the guitarist in the Bavarian band “Relax.” // Photo: Florian Grobbel

The Cox Couple Wants to Make Sauce Like in the Barbecue Nation USA

Shortly afterward, the first foundation is laid for the Cox couple’s sauce business.
Patrick, whose father is from the USA, has long had an affinity for good barbecue.
"On a trip to the States, I had an incredibly good sauce in a restaurant," he recalls.
Everything sold as barbecue sauce in German supermarkets doesn’t appeal to the couple.
"Many of these sauces are mostly made of water," says Bettina Cox.

In 2005, the two began cooking their own barbecue sauce — aiming to come close to the American original. With success.

With Great Creativity, the Bamberg Couple Launches a Sauce Online Shop

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bettina Cox — originally from Hesse — ended her career as a florist.
At Christmas 2020, she gave some jars of their now-refined barbecue sauce to friends and acquaintances.
"We thought we’d get feedback from our friends within the next six months, but they were already asking after two weeks: 'Do you have more of that delicious sauce?'"

This sparked the idea of launching a professional sales venture.

Then everything happened very quickly. Bettina and Patrick began developing different barbecue sauces and testing them with friends through large blind tastings.
Patrick Cox remembers: "We put about 20 sauces in front of them to try."

At the same time, Bettina Cox contacted the district office in Bamberg to find out everything important about hygiene regulations and starting a business.

In July 2021, their online shop finally opened — offering not only a variety of barbecue sauces but also a pizza sauce base.

The Cox Barbecue range. The pair from Walsdorf now offer four barbecue sauces and one pizza sauce. Further products are in development. // Photo: Florian Grobbel