Black-Owned Sustainable Brands Focused on Doing Good

In recent years, more businesses have embraced sustainable practices. Food and drink sustainability emphasizes responsibly sourcing ingredients, employing ethical labor, practicing sustainable farming (including regenerative methods), and operating energy-efficiently with a focus on water conservation and waste reduction.

Black-led food and drink businesses are integrating sustainability into their operations, from innovative packaging to eco-friendly sourcing. Here are ten Black-owned sustainable brands leading this movement.

Black-Owned Sustainable Brands for Tastes and Sips

1. Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks. Siblings Jen and Jeff Martin and Jeff’s wife, Teresa, established Pipcorn to reduce its carbon footprint. It uses open-pollinated (promoting agricultural biodiversity) heirloom corn crops from farmers using agriculturally sustainable practices and eco-friendly packaging that is compostable and recyclable. Pipcorn offers a variety of crunchy snacks, such as cinnamon twists, cheese balls, and fiery cheddar or truffle fries.

2. Red Bay Coffee. In 2014, Keba Konte, a successful food artist and entrepreneur from San Francisco, California, founded Red Bay Coffee. Konte aimed to elevate coffee while maintaining environmental sustainability, and he achieved this through direct sourcing. This approach allows Red Bay Coffee’s sourcing model to connect with farmers in specific regions where unique climates and elevations yield exceptional specialty coffee beans. Red Bay offers coffee grounds, whole beans, cold brews, drinkware and apparel.

3. Mike’s Vegan Fudge. Michael Jones is the creator behind Mike’s Vegan Fudge, a revolutionary take on traditional protein bars. “We use hemp protein,” Jones says. “Hemp is not only highly sustainable but also offers exceptional nutritional benefits for the body, while its versatility extends to eco-friendly applications like hempcrete used in insulation.” Mike’s Vegan Fudge is available in reusable jars and aligns with Jones’s sustainability commitment. “Our jars are recyclable and perfect for repurposing,” he adds, emphasizing a holistic approach that caters to consumer health and environmental responsibility.

4. Equitea. When Quentin and Erin Vennie learned that their son had ADHD, they opted for a holistic approach to manage it. Acting on their neurologist’s recommendation, they investigated green tea as a natural alternative to medication. Unable to find what they wanted on the market, the Vennies crafted their own blends of loose-leaf green tea, leading to the creation of Equitea. Equitea features lavender green tea, spicy hibiscus tea, peach ginger white tea, and black tea lemonade. Interested in more options? Explore their subscription service to receive Equitea delivered biweekly, bimonthly, or quarterly.

5. Oh-mazing. Stephanie Williams, wanting to provide from-scratch, all-natural, healthy meals, came up with Oh-mazing granola snacks. Products are all-natural and contain nutritious ingredients like gluten-free oats, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and cinnamon. Granola flavors include original, lemon bar, Caribbean delight, oatmeal raisin, and cranberry orange. Buy Oh-mazing granola snacks individually, try a sampler, or order the case.

6. Me and the Bees Lemonade. When she was four years old, two bees stung Mikaila Ulmer twice within a week. Fearful of anything that buzzed, Ulmer’s parents encouraged her to confront her fear by learning about bees. Upon discovering the alarming rate at which bees were dying, she felt compelled to take action. Drawing inspiration from her grandmother’s flax lemonade recipe, Ulmer replaced sugar with honey and introduced her honey-sweetened flax lemonade at Austin Lemonade Day and the Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas. Her lemonade was a tremendous hit. Now, over fifteen years later, Me & the Bees Lemonade continues to prioritize quality ingredients, fruit pollinated by bees, and the absence of preservatives. Their flavors include classic lemonade, prickly pear, passion fruit, and very berry, all packaged in aluminum cans to minimize ecological impact.

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7. Healthy On You. Samantha Binkley created Healthy on You, an organic, fresh spice and salt blend that Binkley shows how to use in her cooking classes. Binkley’s creations are USDA organic certified, meaning no harmful toxins, pesticides, and fertilizers, and source herbs from Southern California farmers. Healthy on You offers a sustainable seasoning refill program. “Our seasonings come in glass bottles,” Binkley says. “When they run out, we send refills, which come in compostable packaging. Healthy on You offers savory, spicy, salt-free, and salt blend options. Choose between individual seasonings or get a variety pack.

8. Sol Cacao. Founded by brothers Dominic, Nicholas, and Daniel Maloney, Sol Cacao is the first bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the South Bronx. It collaborates with small family farms worldwide to source the beans for its dairy-free organic single-origin dark chocolate. Sol Cacao sells chocolate bars from Madagascar, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, using only cacao beans and raw cane sugar.

9. Berhan Teff Flour. Teff, the world’s smallest grain, derives its name from the Amharic word for “lost,” likely because of its tiny size, which makes it easy to misplace. Berhan Teff, founded by an Ethiopian-Canadian family, sources its product carefully from high-quality farming practices, exclusively partnering with certified farmers and suppliers in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Africa. Naturally gluten-free and certified non-GMO, this finely milled grain is rich in fiber, protein, iron, and calcium.

10. Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm. Named after their two children, Kam and Summer Johnson founded the Sweet Bee Farm after researching natural homeopathic remedies when Zach struggled with allergies and asthma. Their wildflower honey brand uses raw and unfiltered superfood-infused honey with no pesticides or additives, packaged in reusable glass jars. Zach & Zoë Sweet Bee Farm sits on five and a half acres, housing three million bees, which the Johnsons manage with help from local beekeepers. There are a ton of flavors of wildflower honey, including raspberry, blueberry, and lemon.