The opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to launch their vegan businesses have never been better. People of color are reducing their consumption of meat faster than other demographics, according to a poll conducted by Gallup in 2020. Black hip-hop artists and other celebs are investing in businesses that align with their meatless lifestyles. It’s safe to say that the Black vegan scene has reached its renaissance. No longer the novelty establishments they once were, Black-owned vegan businesses are not content to merely exist in the world – they’re here to thrive.
To honor and support the growing list of vegan Black-owned businesses, we’ve rounded up a few you can help during the holidays and into the new year. These companies are mainly food, beauty, and clothing brands that produce products free from animal cruelty, testing, and ingredients.
1. A Dozen Cousins
These slow-cooked, ready-to-eat beans make use of one of our favorite plant proteins. Inspired by Black and Latino recipes, they come in flavors such as Cuban Black Beans, Trini Chickpea Curry, Mexican Cowboy Beans, and classic Refried Beans. Plus, because many Americans in underserved communities don’t have access to healthy food, A Dozen Cousins provides an annual grant and volunteer support to nonprofits working to eliminate socio-economic health disparities in the country.
2. Good Girl Chocolate
Dr Tabatha Carr created Good Girl Chocolate to support her healthy lifestyle and sweet tooth. Good Girl Chocolate is gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally sweetened. The good-for-you product line ranges from vegan milk chocolate to caramel cake truffles. Plus, 5 per cent of sales support underprivileged orphanage children in Haiti.
3. Mac & Yease
Mac & Yease founder Chef Ayindé Howell is transforming vegan cheese doubters into devotees with his vegan mac and cheese, available at Costcos across the country. Howell’s recipe was inspired by his Great Grandmother Mary’s Sunday dinner Mac and cheese tradition, but Mac & Yease features no dairy and all plant-based ingredients. The company also offers other comfort food favorites like BKLN Bolognese and Money Greens.
4. Partake Foods
Rapper Jay-Z backs up this Black-owned, vegan cookie brand. Created in 2016 by founder and CEO Denise Woodard when her daughter was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, Partake exists to offer a selection of delicious, allergy-friendly foods that those with and without food restrictions can enjoy and share with confidence. All offerings are certified gluten-free, non-GMO, and vegan and are free of the top 9 allergens (wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, fish, sesame, and shellfish). Passionate about getting safe food into the hands of food-insecure families, Partake partners with organizations like No Kid Hungry to provide access to the food, education, and advocacy these families deserve.
5. Hella Nuts
Mother-daughter duo Chef Mieko Scott and Chef Kami Quiñones are making a name for themselves with their acclaimed plant-based restaurant in the Longfellow neighborhood of Oakland, California. As a Black-owned and women-owned business, Hella Nuts aims to transform the stigma of how a vegan lifestyle isn’t for people of color or how vegan food is flavorless, to being delicious food for everybody. Hella Nuts’ patent-pending walnut meat resembles traditional ground meat. This pre-seasoned, preservative-free & oil-free product can be used for tacos, pasta, burgers, Shepard’s pie, pizzas, burritos, stuffed bell peppers & an array of other dishes.
6. Doubledown Cosmetics
Founders and husband and wife duo, Marvin, and Kristen Speller founded and created Doubledown Cosmetics in 2017. Doubledown Cosmetics is an organic, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and sustainable brand where all products are made, produced and packaged in the USA. You can recycle their containers repeatedly, as well as their glass packaging. They believe in the circular system, where nothing goes to waste. The founders also created the Los Angeles Domestic Violence Glam UP Program, where free makeovers are provided, survivor assistance, and court advocacy. When you buy from Doubledown Cosmetics, you are supporting the women and the mission of whom they serve in their community.
7. Candy x Paints
Shardae Layfield is the creator behind, CANDY x PAINTS. After discovering how harmful and unhealthy nail care can be and how porous your nails are that absorb these toxins, she was determined to create cleaner, safer, and effective products for herself and her community with diverse and inclusive representation at the forefront. CANDY x PAINTS chooses to develop conscious, quality products that are non-toxic but also cruelty-free & vegan, 21-free nail lacquer formulas. While offering over 40+ shades and additional self-care luxuries, their continued goal is to create an elevated experience that embodies culture, wellness, and inclusive representation.
8. The Lip Bar
Melissa Butler founded the Detroit-based cosmetics company in 2012 after being frustrated by beauty standards. With the help of her high school friend, Rosco Spears, Butler left her career as a stockbroker on Wall Street to create a vegan, cruelty-free, and all-inclusive line of cosmetic products. A rejection on Shark Tank only fueled Melissa’s tenacious spirit and The Lip Bar is in over 1,000 stores nationwide. Intentionally safe formulations power the brand.
9. OBIA Naturals
The OBIA Naturals journey began in 2012 when Obia Ewah decided to use her dual bachelor’s degree in both Chemistry and Biology to start a hair and skin care line that addressed her sensitive skin needs. The mission of OBIA Naturals is to produce pH-balanced, vegan, and herbal-based natural hair and body care products for women and men. Their eco-friendly line of hair care products works in all hair textures. OBIA Naturals was a finalist for Small Business of the Year by Amazon in 2019.
10. NoPigNeva
NoPigNeva was founded by two vegans with two different reasons for consuming plant-based foods. NoPigNeva is an online grocery store with the highest quality cruelty-free and animal-free products. CEO and co-founder Stephania Bernard turned vegan after learning about the mistreatment of factory-farmed animals while her partner became a vegan after realizing the significant health benefits. Both founders have realized the tremendous frustration with grocery shopping as a vegan and seek to make that experience far more straightforward, so they launched the online grocery store in 2020. NoPigNeva aims to defuse the stereotypes and break barriers associated with a plant-based lifestyle by providing products that make exploring and enjoying delicious vegan food more convenient.
11. Trio Plant-Based
Minneapolis resident Louis Hunter overcame adversity to open one of Minnesota’s only Black-owned vegan restaurants. He spent two years fighting unjust charges that could have landed him in prison for two decades. In 2018, after the court dismissed the case against him, Hunter opened Trio Plant-Based, a 100 percent Black-owned, plant-based restaurant. Hunter has a background in food science, which has helped me understand how ingredients combine on a molecular level to produce everything we love about food. His philosophy is to be healthy and balanced in your diet. The healthier versions taste better than their original, less healthy counterparts.
12. Gangster Vegan Organics
Vegan restaurant franchise Gangster Vegan Organics opened a fifth location in Riverdale, Maryland. The Black-owned vegan restaurant serves organic and mostly raw hip-hop-inspired dishes. Co-owner Taneea Yarborough says healthy vegan foods are needed now more than ever. “I think there is a need for vegan food right now, particularly when we talk about immunity. People are interested in boosting their immunity and they are longing for a more plant-based meal option,” she told The Hyattsville Wire.
13. JusRédor
Created with modern-day “go-getters” in mind, JusRédor is a collection of beautifully designed bamboo athleisure wear that is eco-friendly. All of the clothing is created from bamboo fabric that is sustainable, breathable, hypoallergenic, and luxurious. Their Bamboo clothes are the number 1 natural choice recommended by doctors to wear for sensitive skin while indulging in physical and daily activities. Bamboo is breathable and hypoallergenic. This provides versatility, comfort, durability, odor resistance, and sweat-wicking features. JusRédor’s range is ideal for workouts in the gym, running errands, or simple leisure time. Justine Parker, the CEO of JusRédor Collection. JusRédor was founded in September 2018. It was initially a course project for Parker’s Entrepreneurship curriculum at Hofstra University.
14. Nubian Skin
This vegan-friendly, Black woman-owned brand offers organic cotton bras and panties in nude shades for women of color. Nubian Skin also carries a men’s line, which includes t-shirts, briefs, and boxers. From their COCOA by NS Bralette to their organic cotton high waist briefs and Organic Cotton Thongs, they’ve got the basics you need. Nubian Skin was founded by Ade Hassan who was inspired by trail-blazing women, Eunice W. Johnson and supermodel Iman, who created Fashion Fair and Iman cosmetics. In 2017 Ade was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace for services to fashion. The award was made in recognition of Ade’s commitment to her mission to redefine nude, and the impact she has consequently made on the fashion industry.
15. Jo-Anne Vernay
Rooted in slow fashion practices, Jo-Anne Vernay is a luxury vegan footwear brand using fruits to make its high-end collection of ethical footwear. Their certification from Remake Our World reflects a transparent and traceable supply chain, ethical sourcing practices, ensures that the brand uses safe and fair working conditions and works to reduce its environmental footprint and that all of its products are entirely vegan and cruelty-free. Founded by Dyandra Raye, this line was born after a lifetime of sketching shoes mixed with her 12-year retail/fashion career and a vegan & sustainable lifestyle. Dyandra set out to create shoes that weren’t mainly made of harmful materials like leather and polyurethane.
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Boitumelo Masihleho is a South African digital content creator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes University in Journalism and Media Studies and Politics and International Studies. She’s an experienced multimedia journalist who is committed to writing balanced, informative and interesting stories on a number of topics. Boitumelo has her own YouTube channel where she shares her love for affordable beauty and lifestyle content.
