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

Hi Dr. Michael, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is vital to an entrepreneur or a person coming from the bottom looking to rise up. As the old saying goes, “No risk no reward” is totally accurate because the risk puts you in the game of competition and differentiates you from the norm. Without differentiation you have no shot at establishing a platform above the sea of competitors or the crowds confined to conservatism. Risk taking has played a major defining role in my life and career because it’s who I am, and I enjoy the excitement of it. Not knowing if something is going to work that may work makes life fun. Conversely, playing it safe is super boring to me. When bored, I’m counterproductive. I’ve been that way since I was a child.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Num Num Sauce Company is a Food Science Technology company and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand. We are the only black owned and operated company in the United States that controls every aspect of production including, growing, processing, and manufacturing the functional foods we sell. Functional food looks and tastes like traditional foods but delivers a functional health benefit when consumed. I am excited and proud of the fact that we are vertically integrated throughout our supply chain operations, therefore our control of quality is 100% grade A as we designed it to be at the onset of starting this business. We got to where we are today in business by having a vision, remaining true to the vision, not compromising on quality, not selling out for immediate money or success, and putting in the work required to maintain production of the highest quality health promoting condiments on the market. There have been challenges along the way, but we have overcome them by relying on our faith in God, asking for help when challenges arise, doing our due diligence to discover solutions to obstacles in our path and believing in our mission to bring our love and cultural inheritance to the people in the form of packaged consumer goods for them to enjoy as my family has for several generations. The lessons I have learned along the way are to put in the work to build your foundation strong so when turbulent times come you will last, never compromise on quality, stay ready so you don’t have to get ready and never take short cuts because they hurt your foundational strength in the long run. I want people to know and understand that we have built a business model that our communities can rely on and grow with to produce healthy food options to help consumers sustainably manage their metabolisms and mitigate or lower risk factors associated with metabolic disease. We have designed the technologies in such a way that they provide economic opportunities to black or disadvantaged communities across the country while catalyzing the solutions to societal challenges in the form of superior food product offerings based on a foundation of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) and cultural traditions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I enjoy sports so I would take them to an Atlanta Braves game at the Battery. They have some cool spots to eat out there and the atmosphere is great. I would visit an Atlanta Falcons game. They have some great restaurants in the Mercedes Benz stadium. We would visit a Hawks game as well and perhaps go to T.I.’s trap museum.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to recognize my grandpa Archie Faison, who trained me on producing condiments roughly 20 years ago. He was a true Food Scientist, even though his training was from hands on experience as opposed to an academic setting. Grandpa would know the properties of sauces I would bring to him for his validation and approval. He would tell me what I was doing correctly and what I needed to do to improve a particular product. He was the best mentor for my Food Science Technology company. I would like to recognize Dr. Derek Norford who served as my mentor and advisor during time at North Carolina Central University earning a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences. I would like to recognize Dr. Jon Allen of North Carolina State University, who mentored me and served as my advisor while earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science.

Website: www.numnumsauce.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/numnumsauce

Twitter: https://twitter.com/numnumsauce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100032362283330

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa2aO2aff7I6ab5SnZy6zHg

Other: QVC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITE7OOHQ1eI

Image Credits
Community engagement charity event supported by Num Num Sauce Company and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens Community engagement charity event supported by Num Num Sauce Company and Senator Raphael Warnock Community engagement charity event supported by Num Num Sauce Company and Council woman Andrea Boone Community engagement charity event supported by Num Num Sauce Company and Dj Dre Meet and Greet community engagement event sponsored by Num Num Sauce Co. represented by Mekhi Lloyd and Vince Carter sponsored by the Atlanta Hawks.

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