Meet Michael Roberson | CEO Savannah Sauce Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Roberson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Savannah Sauce Company as a result of being fired. A month or so before I was given the act I was visiting Jekyll Island, Georgia, and I happened to attend a Shrimp and Grits Festival and there were some people selling their Caribbean based sauces. In my former job, I was responsible for DWMBE participation, which is Disadvantaged Women and Minority Business Enterprises and I recruited DWMBE companies to participate in construction projects, which had participation goals. To support this small company I bought some of their products and thought they were rather nice so I bought a distributorship and later I would get their products into Whole Foods market. Upon getting their products into Whole Foods Market their quality quickly declined, and I was forced to remove them from the shelves. I then literally begged my buyer to allow me two weeks to come up with my own signature brand sauces, and the rest is history…

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Again, I started my business out of some very dire circumstances. I lost my job and looked for a job for almost a year and I only found one in the Seattle area. I bought a house and it turned out that the house was in horrible shape, but I come from an engineering/construction management background. I was able to assess the damages and direct the work myself. I went down to the building where I was to be working to get a septic tank permit. I went upstairs to see my new boss, and I was told by the administrative assistant that he was in a meeting, so I left and went downstairs in the cafeteria to wait for my permit. Not five minutes later, he comes be bopping through the door and our eyes make contact. I get up walk over and advise him that I will not be taking the job. I jumped on a standby flight and came home to Savannah and prepared to start a business with the Caribbean sauce distributorship that I purchased while vacationing in Jekyll Island. This was the birth of Savannah Sauce Company.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had friends visiting Savannah and they were staying for a week, on day one we would visit The Beach Institute Civil Rights Museum. Then we would visit Leopold’s Icecream on Broughton Street, Then we’d take a boat ride to Daufuski Island Crab Company and spend the evening under the low country stars. The next day we’d have breakfast at The Funky Brunch in downtown Savannah and we would lunch at the Vault and have dinner at Belford’s. The following day I’d give my guests a home cooked breakfast and then we would rest after digesting that meal. For lunch, we head to Zunzi’s and take a walk in downtown Savannah and enjoy the beautiful and unique architecture and stop by Leopold’s again and get a couple of scoops of ice cream. Then we’d probably head to city market where we would visit the Prohibition Museum- the only one of its kind in the United Staes. We’d head back to my house. I’d cook them a very fine meal using my products as the main ingredients. The next day we’d have breakfast at the Pancake House and we go crabbing on Moon River, and our catch would be our dinner. The next morning we head to the Westin on Hutchinson Island for breakfast and lunch at Geneva‘s. Then on Sunday, we’d have Sunday brunch at 520 Wings on Waters Ave. and more than likely have the lobster and grits which are are unbelievable! This would wrap up my guest stay with me and Savannah.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I was fortunate to have many mentors among them are the late the late JL Roberson, the late William Elliot Stiles, the late Howard Morrison, Patrick Monahan, Jenny Gentry and Chef Joe Randall. All of these folks made a difference in my life and I owe them much gratitude.

Website: www. savannahsaucecompany.com

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