Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Privacy Policy of SauceSavvy ("SauceSavvy," "we," "us," or "our"). Our mission is to elevate your meals by delivering exceptional, artisanal sauces directly to your kitchen. This commitment to quality extends to the diligent protection and transparent management of your personal information. This policy provides a comprehensive overview of how we collect, use, protect, and handle your personal data when you purchase our products, use our website, interact with our customer care team, or subscribe to our services. Your trust is the most valuable ingredient in our relationship, and we are dedicated to safeguarding your data with the highest levels of security and integrity. This document is designed to help you understand your privacy rights and how you can control the information you share with us as you explore our world of flavor.

2. Information We Collect

To provide our e-commerce and delivery services, we collect and process several categories of information. The data we gather is essential for fulfilling your orders, ensuring a smooth customer experience, and continuously improving our products and services.

• Account & Contact Information: To create and manage your customer account, we collect your full name, email address, telephone number, and password. This information is fundamental for managing your orders, sending confirmations, and communicating important updates about your purchases.
• Order & Shipping Information: To process and deliver your order, we collect your shipping address, billing address, and details of the products you purchase (your order history). This information is critical for logistics, inventory management, and providing accurate customer support regarding your past purchases.
• Dietary & Allergy Information: To better serve your needs and provide helpful product information, you may voluntarily provide us with information regarding dietary restrictions or severe allergies (e.g., gluten-free, nut allergies, soy intolerance). This allows us to offer more relevant product recommendations and display appropriate warnings. Providing this information is entirely optional but can enhance your shopping experience.
• Purchase History & Preferences: We maintain a secure record of your past orders and any product preferences you share (e.g., through a "favorites" list). This data allows us to personalize future product recommendations, inform you about new sauces you might enjoy, and provide a more customized service.
• Payment Information: Your payment details are processed directly and securely by our third-party, PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways (e.g., Stripe, PayPal). SauceSavvy does not store, access, or process your full credit card number on our servers. We only retain encrypted tokens and transaction identifiers, which are necessary for managing your order, processing refunds, and for financial record-keeping.
• User-Generated Content: We collect information you choose to share publicly on our platform, such as product reviews, ratings, recipes, photos, and testimonials. This community feedback is invaluable for helping other customers make informed choices and for showcasing the creative ways our sauces are used.
• Communications with Us: We keep records of your interactions with our Customer Care and Partnerships teams. This includes email correspondence, contact form submissions, and notes from phone calls. These records are essential for providing consistent support and ensuring a high-quality customer experience.
• Technical & Device Data: For security, analytics, and platform optimization, we automatically collect your IP address, device type (e.g., desktop, mobile), browser type and version, and operating system when you visit our website. This technical information helps us prevent fraudulent activity, diagnose bugs, and ensure our website functions correctly across all devices.
• Platform Usage Analytics: We use cookies and similar technologies to collect anonymized data about how you navigate and interact with our website. This includes pages visited, time spent on the site, products viewed, and items added to your cart. This aggregated data helps us understand customer interests and improve the overall user experience of our store.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your data in a purposeful and limited manner to perform the core functions of our e-commerce business and to enhance your customer journey. Your information is used for the following specific purposes:

• To Process and Fulfill Your Orders: This is the primary use of your data. We use your contact, shipping, and payment information to process your payment, pack your order, arrange for delivery with our shipping partners, and manage any returns or exchanges.
• To Personalize Your Experience: We use your purchase history and any voluntarily provided dietary information to recommend new products, tailor promotional offers, and make your shopping experience more relevant and enjoyable.
• To Operate and Improve Our Website: Technical and usage data is analyzed to maintain, secure, and enhance our online store. This includes troubleshooting technical issues, preventing fraud, and performing data analysis to understand service performance and develop new, user-friendly features.
• To Communicate Effectively With You: We use your contact information to send essential service-related communications, such as order confirmations, payment receipts, shipping notifications, and delivery updates. With your explicit consent, we will also send you marketing communications about new sauce releases, special promotions, and recipes.
• To Provide Expert Customer Care: Our support team uses your account information and communication history to provide you with timely, accurate, and personalized support regarding your orders, products, or any other inquiries.
• For Legal and Regulatory Compliance: We are required to retain certain transactional and business records to comply with applicable e-commerce laws, tax regulations, and financial accounting obligations. We may also use your information to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims if necessary.

4. Data Security

We consider the security of your data to be a top priority and implement a multi-layered security strategy to protect it. Our security measures include, but are not limited to, end-to-end SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your device and our servers; secure, modern cloud infrastructure with advanced firewalls and threat detection systems; and strict, role-based internal access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel with a legitimate business need can access sensitive information. We apply heightened security protocols for sensitive data, such as payment tokens and any allergy-related information you provide, ensuring it is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Our team undergoes regular security and privacy training, and we conduct periodic vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate potential threats. All personal details are treated with the strictest confidentiality.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell or rent your personal data to any third party for marketing purposes. We only share information with essential, trusted partners who are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the purpose of providing their service to us. We provide only the minimum information necessary for them to perform their function. Categories of third parties we may share data with include:

• Shipping & Logistics Partners: We share your name and shipping address with courier services (e.g., UPS, FedEx, USPS) to deliver your orders.
• Payment Processors: Your payment information is shared directly with our PCI-compliant payment gateways to securely handle transactions and prevent fraud.
• Technology Service Providers: We work with providers for essential services like website hosting, email marketing (for which you have opted in), customer support software, and data analytics. These providers process data on our behalf and under our strict instructions.
• Legal and Regulatory Authorities: We may be required to disclose certain data to law enforcement, government agencies (such as the FDA or local health departments), or other regulatory bodies if compelled by a subpoena, court order, or other legal process. We will only do so after verifying the legitimacy of the request and only to the extent required by law.

6. Data Retention Policy

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. We will keep your order information for as long as your account is active to facilitate your purchase history. After your account is closed, we may retain certain information for a limited period as required by law (e.g., for tax and accounting purposes) or for legitimate business needs, such as responding to inquiries or for legal defense. Anonymized and aggregated data, which can no longer be used to identify you, may be kept indefinitely for analytics and product development purposes.

7. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

As a valued SauceSavvy customer, you have specific rights concerning your personal data, in line with GDPR and other privacy regulations. We are committed to facilitating the exercise of these rights:

• Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of that information, which you can typically view within your account dashboard.
• Right to Rectification: You can update or correct your personal information at any time through your account settings or by contacting our customer care team.
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You may request the deletion of your account and personal data. We will fulfill this request subject to our legal and financial obligations to retain certain transactional records.
• Right to Opt-Out of Marketing: You have full control over your marketing preferences. You can opt out of promotional emails at any time by using the "unsubscribe" link in every email we send. You will continue to receive essential service-related communications (e.g., order confirmations, shipping updates) even if you opt out of marketing.
• Right to Data Portability: Where applicable, you may have the right to receive your personal data, such as your order history, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Under certain conditions, you may have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this policy.

8. Changes to Our Privacy Policy

The world of e-commerce, technology, and privacy law is constantly evolving. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business practices, new product features, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any significant or material revisions by sending an email to your registered address or by posting a prominent notification on our website before the changes take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy will always indicate the most current version. Your continued use of SauceSavvy's services after such changes have been communicated constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.