Black-Owned Food Brands You Should Buy Year-Round

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If you aren’t commemorating Black History Month by trying Black-owned food brands, you are depriving yourself of some of the best food you’ll probably ever taste in your life. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but I’m 100% serious. Of course, there are many ways to pay homage to the rich history and culture of the Black community, but this is a food website after all. February may only last 28 days, but we’re hoping these products—from brands like Soul Food Starters, A Dozen Cousins, and Sweetkiwi—will earn a permanent spot in your homes and hearts year-round.  

Soul Food Starters

Husband and wife team Claude and Crystal Booker turned their family recipes into curated seasoning mixes for your favorite Southern meals. We mentioned Soul Food Starters in a previous article about the cutting-edge food brands gracing the shelves of Kroger, and for good reason. These soul food kits are a stroke of genius. If you’re anything like me—a spice goblin who hoards seasonings but never actually knows what to do with them—these are going to seriously up your flavor game. Right now, they’re selling seasoning packs for mac and cheese, collard greens, and candied yams, plus a peach cobbler filling mix. You can find them in certain regional grocery stores or order from their website, which ships nationwide.

A Dozen Cousins

Growing up in a melting pot of Creole, Caribbean, and Latin American foods, founder Ibraheem Basir named A Dozen Cousins after his big family and their love of sharing hearty meals. This should be your go-to stop for instant rice and beans. Full-stop. Their products are inspired by traditional Black and Latino recipes throughout the Americas, ranging from bone broth rice to an array of beans (here at Sporked, we particularly love their pouches of refried pinto beans and black beans), and reflect the diverse team behind the brand. You can become a “Second Cousin” by signing up for their mailing list, which I’m pointing out solely because I think the name is adorable and brilliant, and I would like it on a T-shirt. 

Sweetkiwi

You may have seen Sweetkiwi and its founder Ehime Eigbe on Shark Tank last year, but her line of artisan frozen yogurt actually started in Nigeria in 2011. Sweetkiwi’s products use real milk sourced from local farmers as part of their dedication to supporting the Nigerian dairy industry. Packed with prebiotics and superfoods, this stuff is yum on the tongue and purports to be great for your gut, too. You can find them at major U.S. supermarkets like Sprouts and Walmart, or order online from their website.

Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm

Am I a huge softie for honey bee farms? Yes, yes I am. So the idea of supporting Black-owned businesses and saving the bees? Say less. I’m in. Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm is a family-run bee farm in New Jersey that crafts unique honey products. They harvest wildflower honey and infuse it with flavors like lavender, blueberry, beetroot, matcha, and more. The family started beekeeping so they could produce raw honey to help with their son Zach’s allergies and asthma—and they swear by the benefits. Embrace the magic of bees, everyone. (Honestly, I might run away to start a honey bee farm.) 

Hiatus

Say it with me: Cheesecakes. See, don’t you feel better now that I’ve reminded you of something lovely that exists? The origins of Hiatus, a Baltimore-based cheesecake company founded by Matthew Featherstone, go back to the first bite of cheesecake Matthew ever had (such is the power of cheesecake) from one he baked with his mom. His enterprise spread locally and eventually hit the mainstream market once Whole Foods started stocking the brand in the Mid-Atlantic region. These scrumptious cheesecakes come in a variety of flavors, from popular favorites like Oreo and Strawberry Crunch to unique novelties like Mojito and Drunkin’ Pumpkin.

Bell’s Reines

Founded by mother-daughter duo Teneisha and Angel, Bell’s Reines creates small-batch, baked-by-hand miniature gourmet cookies. These small treats will so easily brighten your day—a sentiment that was surely part of the inspiration for Angel, a chemical engineer and chemist who founded the food blog Dulcet Scintilla and started baking as a creative reprieve from her research. Bell’s Reine’s cookies come in an assortment of classic and specialty flavors (like Matcha White Chip—yum!), and they have gluten free options, too. 

Jetta’s

Like all of the Black-owned companies mentioned here, Jetta’s Gourmet Popcorn has the kind of story I wish came with everything I’ve ever bought. Born and raised in Detroit, founder Magita Barbee, aka Jetta, turned her passion for fun food and tasty concessions into a full-time career by starting an ice cream food truck in 1997. Over the years, she shifted her focus to artisan popcorn, which you can find seasonally throughout Detroit, in select retail locations year-round, or on her website. 

Other Black-owned brands we love: Partake, The Cracker King, Eleni’s Kitchen, Michele’s, Yolélé, FH Jerk, Iya Foods

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About the Author

Ariana Losch

Howdy! I’m a Sporked writer based in L.A., and you can find me overstaying my welcome at just about any coffee shop with free wifi, no matter the speed. Sadly, I can never move back to my home state, Florida, because even if the seafood is totally unmatched, there aren’t enough Mediterranean or Korean restaurants to keep me sane.