Foodie Gift Guide: Black-Owned Businesses

Trade St. Jam Co. is a small batch jam company in North Carolina. Owner, Ashely Rouse, handcrafts vegan jams that are low in sugar, but filled with flavor! She offers fun flavors including Black Mulled Merlot, Cranberry Raspberry Sage, and Smoked Yellow Peach! Their signature trio gift set is the perfect present for the jam lover in your life!

When their daughter was diagnosed with a severe allergy, The Woodward's were frustrated by the lack of allergy-friendly snack options. Denise left her corporate job and decided to start Partake! All of their products are vegan and gluten-free. They're also free from the 8 most popular allergens as well. But the best part is that their snacks are DELICIOUS! This variety pack includes 5 flavors of crunchy cookies - Chocolate Chip, Carrot Cake, Double Chocolate Chip, Gingersnap, Birthday Cake. If you've got a snacker in your life, they're going to love these cookies!

How did this flourishing business start? A 4-year-old got stung by a bee and then created a product for a business fair. Seriously! You can check out the full story at Me & The Bees but if you don't believe in fate, you just might after reading their story! This 10 bottle variety pack comes with 5 flavors of lemonade including classic, mint, ginger, iced tea, and prickly pear. This lemonade contains no high fructose corn syrup but does have plenty of honey and the unique addition of flaxseed!

Vicky's secret recipe is over 40 years old and was born out of necessity when the single mom of four kids had to use what she had on hand to get a meal on the table. Many years later, Vicky's daughter decided it was time to share this family recipe with the world and Vicky Cakes was born in 2019! Vicky Cakes are different than traditional pancake mixes because they don't contain powdered milk (so they're great for your vegan friends!) and they're not a "just add water" mix. These are our family's favorites for a quick and easy breakfast!

Essie grew up cooking with her mother in Ghana and her love for food led to her travel the globe. Inspired by her exotic travels, soon Essie's spices and sauces were in high demand and Essie Spice was created! Food took her The days of boring, bland dinners are over! If you've got a friend or family member who enjoys bold flavors, they NEED this Essie Spice sampler pack which includes Coco-for-Garlic, Mekko Dry Rub, Mango Chili Medley, and Tamarind OH! Each flavor is just as fun as its name sounds, I promise! My partner loves to use the dry rub for wing night. I like to add them to my pan-fried chickpeas.

I can't think of a more perfect name for this granola than Oh-Mazing. It is literally the best granola I've ever had. Handcrafted in Washington D.C., this granola does not contain any nuts, wheat, soy, or preservatives so it's great for those with dietary restrictions. But honestly for me, it just tastes great and isn't loaded with ingredients I can't pronounce. This is our family's favorite granola and we pile it high on top of our morning fruit and yogurt! If you've got a health-conscious friend or a family member with food allergies, order them a sample pack - which includes Original, Oatmeal Raisin, Cranberry Orange, Lemon Bar, and Caribbean Delight - so they can decide which flavor is their favorite!

As a serious chocolate lover, the way to my heart is through a box of handcrafted chocolates! And if you've got a chocoholic in your life you'll definitely want to check that person off your list with a 12 Piece Winter Holiday Collection box of assorted chocolates! The husband and wife team behind The Chocolate Therapy creates unique, handmade chocolates that blend the health benefits of dark chocolate with other therapeutic ingredients, hence the name! I don't know about you, but after the dumpster fire that is 2020, I think we could all use some chocolate therapy!!

Named after their two children, Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm is a family owned business in New Jersey! They were led to beekeeping after managing their son Zach's asthma with local, raw honey. They sell a wide variety of raw honeys including Wildflower-Match, Wildflower-Lavender, and Wildflower-Beetroot.

Pipcorn was born from a bag of heirloom corn kernels leftover after an apartment move, believe it or not! This family business sells a wide variety of popcorn, cheese balls, corn dippers, snack crackers, and crunchies! Their products are made with heirloom corn - yes that's a thing! - and are gluten-free and non-GMO! Our family's favorite are the cheddar cheese balls!

A Dozen Cousins, named after the owner's daughter and her 11 cousins, sells uniquely seasoned beans and refried beans with flavors that are inspired by Black and Latino dishes and are made with wholesome ingredients - so no GMO's or artificial flavors! They also give back by providing an annual grant to "non-profit organizations that are working to eliminate socio-economic health disparities in the US." Our family's favorite is the Trini Chickpea Curry!

In less than two years, the independent coffee and tea brand BLK & Bold, started by childhood friends, became the first Black-owned, nationally distributed coffee brand. They give back by donating "5% of proceeds toward domestic issues to help eradicate youth homelessness and addressing food insecurities." Everyone has a coffee or tea lover on their list and you'll be sure to find something for everyone with their wide variety of beans, medium ground, and coarse ground coffees, and loose leaf teas!

Okay so this isn't technically a food product, but it smells so good you might wish it was! Owner, Sukie, turned her passion project into a full blown business selling vegan, non-toxic, eco-friendly soy candles that come in a unique variety of scents that include Seattle Fir, Grapefruit Mint, and Cinnamon Chai! Sukie's Candle Co. offers double wick soy candles and travel size candles also. Their scents "promote peace, sensuality, & deep relaxation" and I think we all have someone on our Christmas list who could use a bit more of that!