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photo by steed media service
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Founder, Lawdy Miss Clawdy
People love sweet potatoes; people love cookies. Like chocolate and
peanut butter, the two delicacies were popular separately, but what
would happen if they joined forces? That was the nexus of Lawdy Miss
Clawdy’s Sweet Potato Cookie. Company founder and rock ‘n’ roll legend
Lloyd Price was the brains behind this unique confection.
“I had put together this food product company and didn’t have a niche
product that would be different,” says Price. “[When I was a kid], my
father used to bake all the desserts in our house, and the sweet potato
was one of his favorites. I had to come up with something that had a
hook, and since it’s a root vegetable, it was very easy to make it a
soft cookie.”
Price wrote and recorded the R&B standard “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” and
named his burgeoning company after the hit, which has been recorded
over 169 times by legendary artists like James Brown, Elvis Presley,
Wilson Pickett, and Paul McCartney. “That was my first record, and so
many people have recorded it and never changed the melody,” says Price.
“I love that – I love the brand, I love her up on the shelves and I
love the sweet potato cookie!”
And Price isn’t alone. Wal-Mart picked up the Lawdy Miss Clawdy brand
for their stores, making Price’s company the first African-American
owned company to grace Wal-Mart’s shelves.
“Not only do they love the product, but they love the idea,” explains
Price. “You must deliver a unique product to be chosen; you just can’t
go out there with something that you made in the kitchen and think it’s
going to sell. It’s got to be special.” – todd williams
