 I guess today folks is Michelle Northrop. Michelle's the founder Intensity Academy Gourmet Sauses. We're gonna have some good hot sauces out here today folks. Intensity Academy Gourmet Sauses is an all-natural hot sauce and spice company. The company's won 55 awards so far, big number. Michelle's was named Tampa Bay Business Woman of the Year in manufacturing. She's also an ardent supporter of local businesses. Michelle, welcome to TFNN. Hi, thanks so much for having me. Absolutely love. Thanks for being on. Look at that. Look at that hat. What is that? Is that all chilies? Is that hatch chilies? What do you get on that? Chili chili peppers, hot, hot, hot. Hot, hot. You know what I just got at my house? I just got 45 pounds of hatch chilies. No way. Yeah, totally. What do you think, what are you doing with them? We already grilled them down and Bridget will use them all went along by cooking. I know, I couldn't wait to have you on. So first up. Oh yeah, hatch chili season, man. That is the best time of year. It is, it is. I love that hat. Oh my God. So tell us about your business. Tell us how you get going. Sure, sure. So I'm known as the Saucy Queen and throughout the Tampa Bay area and beyond. And we create all-natural hot sauces, spices, dips. And we've been doing it for about 15 years. And if anybody needs to get sauce, I'm the person to ask about it. And the website, folks, is IntensityAcademy.com, okay? So it's a great, and so let me ask it. When you were naming the company, it's just the intensity, I guess, of the great taste that you have, right? Right. And so I started the company because I was inspired at the garden of my children's school. Okay. So the full of the week was carrots. So I brought a basket of carrots home, whipped it up with some peppers. Yeah. And I came up with a kickin' carrot hot sauce. I love it. Yeah. Okay. That started the business. I figured, hey, let's just take a risk. Either everybody was gonna get a gag gift for Christmas or it was gonna take off. Yeah. And it's been doing great. That is awesome. So is there a special sauce that people like more than another sauce? Well, our most popular is our garlic goodness. I see. Okay. 100 pounds of fresh garlic and we slowly roast it for a few hours until it's that beautiful caramelized effect. Yes. And then we burn it. So it's like a garlic puree mixed with habanero, Thai pepper, red pepper, a beautiful blend of flavor. I happen to have one right here. Look at that. Yeah. It's how thick it is. It's like a garlic puree. And nice and healthy for you, right? Oh, yeah. All healthy. And the number one ingredient is garlic, not a filler or water. So it's a pure product and everything is made locally right here in Tampa Bay. So tell us, you know, I know you got businesswoman of the year for manufacturing. So tell us about the manufacturing process because that's a big deal. Yeah, it is a big deal. So to take a product that you have a recipe for and have to expand it to be able to create a hundred gallons or 200 gallons at a time. Yes. That's a huge process for sure. And talk to me about the, how do you get the glass versus the product and the product into the glass? How does that work? Right. So right now because of our pandemic there is a glass shortage throughout the United States. Okay. So I'm currently waiting to produce five products until the glass comes in stock. It's really hard now to source versus when I started 15 years ago. Yes. There is a glass manufacturing company in the Tampa Bay area. So we use them. I do produce my labels locally, my glass locally. Okay. I'm fresh from Florida. The ingredients are local. So if it's local, it's in the bottom. And which is pretty cool. I mean, we have a lot of, you know, going up north a little. We have a lot of great, you know, basically soil that you can get some great plants, right? Right, absolutely. Yeah. So what is your favorite sauce? So my favorite is the saucy everything. It is- Oh, interesting. Mayo. Okay. And it is good on everything. So you think of like, I make my own version of our sriracha and then I make the mayo and put it together. Yeah. Bam, it's great on shrimp, on street tacos, on sandwiches, dip chicken tenders in it. It is literally good on everything. So you must have been pretty excited. Like, I've done a lot of shows when I was a kid, you know, I used to be in the food business and you're in a tough business and everyone wants to be, you know, the saucy queen but you are the saucy queen. So tell me about the breakout. How did you break out? Sure, sure. So first of all, it's not easy being the saucy queen. Let's just say that. You're gonna live up to that reputation. That's right. Right. It's a 24 seven job. When I started the business, like I said, I had decided, okay, I'm gonna take chance. I had literally enough money to just do one batch. I love it. It was gonna work or it wasn't gonna work. And so from that batch, the next time I was able to do two batches. Wow. And so on and so forth. So I never borrowed a penny. I just had the initial batch and I just grew it from there. And the way I grew it in the Tampa Bay community was by collaborating with other small businesses. Nice. That had nothing to do with sauce or food, even. For example, one of the companies I partnered with was an eye doctor. Okay. And he thought that because carrots are good for your eyes, he gave away a free bottle of carrot hot sauce with each appointment. So collaborating with other businesses in your community was a great way to get the word out. Oh, this is fabulous. Well, listen, congratulations. Thank you. I guess what you're doing. You get that kitchen, you started with zero. But guess what? You started with a great idea and a great cook and a great smell in your kitchen. So that's, yeah. Absolutely. That's a big number, man. Well, listen, Michelle, this is a pleasure and I look forward to having you on again. Congratulations, man. This is just awesome, man. Sauce isn't where it's at. So the website, folks, is IntensityAcademy.com. Get over there and order some sauce up right now, baby. Have a great one. Have a safe one. We look forward to having you on again. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle. Okay, bye-bye. Stay right there, folks. Come right.