Yvonne Thomas is an example of what happens when someone acts on a dream, along with a talent for mixing the right blend of ingredients, and turns it into a sweet-tasting reality.

This Selma entrepreneur said even as a young child growing up near Mobile, she wanted to create her own company.

It was a goal that, from the outside, may not have seemed possible at first.

Thomas eventually went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Her first experience in the world of business came as she helped her brother at his barbecue shop, where she gained first-hand knowledge of food and sauces.

It was this time spent in the kitchen and working with family sauce recipes that lead Thomas to where she is today.

For someone like Thomas, who never let go of the thought of creating her own business, this seemed like a pretty good idea.

Working out of the kitchen in her Selma home, Thomas improved upon her sauce formula, adding and subtracting various ingredients as she went along.

Thomas created Superior Choice All Purpose Sauce, a creamy, healthy sauce that can be used as everything from barbecue sauce to a sweet and sour dip.

Thomas, along with her husband, Willie, created Vonn’s Products in 1984. The supermarket company Super Foods-Big Bear began selling the Superior Choice in their stores. Demand and popularity grew to include Bruno’s, Winn Dixie, Calhoun Foods, and Wal-Mart stores across Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham.

Thomas and her husband refused to give up. In 1999, they opened a production facility at Innovation Center and now work with six distributing companies to place their product in 1,000 stores across 17 states.

Their product line eventually grew to include smoke-flavored and spicy-flavored sauces.

Thomas and her husband hope to eventually expand their business even larger.

The Thomas family now does extensive travel to food shows throughout the country to promote Superior Choice and her Selma company.

Their work could be considered an example of what it takes to fulfill a dream and ensure a bright future.