Good Food Brands on a mission to showcase minority and woman-owned snack innovators

08-Feb-2021 - Last updated on 08-Feb-2021 at 16:36 GMT

The online subscription platform was founded with the aim to highlight up-and-coming snack startups to allow consumers to discover unique treats that might not have as yet found their way onto the shelves of retail outlets like Whole Foods.

While Good Food Brands concentrates on snacks that obviously will tickle the taste buds, founder Jordan Buckner told BakeryandSnacks its mission is also to highlight those brands that are good for consumers’ health and good for the community.

This month, the ecommerce site is offering a Discovery Box that highlights Black-owned snack entrepreneurs. The subscription box – which can be shipped to snack explorers in the US – contains eight products specifically chosen for the free from and health conscious consumer, including allergen-friendly cookies from Partake Foods; fonio chips from Yolélé; gluten-free granola from Mrs. P’ G Free, along with a craft blend from Pat’s Granola’; a side dish of Cuban black beans from A Dozen Cousins; gluten-free pretzels with a plant-based icing dip from Paradise Snax; and two coffee offerings made from sustainably sourced beans.

Partake Foods is a mom-run, minority-owned company that makes nutritious, allergy-friendly cookies designed to provide peace of mind to those with dietary restrictions. The cookies are made with simple, whole food ingredients like organic ancient grain flours, fruits, veggies and minimal sugar.

Yolélé was co-founded by Chef Pierre Thiam to create economic opportunity for smallholder farming communities; to promote biodiverse, regenerative farming systems; and to introduce Africa’s ingredients to the world. The startup’s flagship product is gluten-free chips, made from fonio and cassava in flavours inspired by cuisine from Senegal, Thiam’s home country.

Ms. P’s G Free founder and CEO Lisa Marsh has created a gluten-free granola that is handcrafted from locally sourced ingredients, based on recipes beautiful whipped by her mother and mentor, Mrs P-Youlas Patterson-Brown. Ms P’s G Free’s Granola is a blend designed for more energy, without the sugar crash.

Paradise Snax Pax are convenient, organic better-for-you on-the-go snack packs created by Emily D. Edwards. The healthy snacks contain less sugar and more plant protein – such as the dip made from pea protein powder to pair with the gluten-free pretzels – specifically designed to give people looking to lose weight a guilt-free treat.

A Dozen Cousins is a natural food brand that makes convenient side dishes inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean and Latin American foods. Their first product is a line of authentic regional beans that are seasoned with real vegetables and spices and cooked with nutrient-dense avocado oil. The brand is named after the founder's daughter and her 11 cousins.

Amani Coffee Company was founded by Claude Bambi to open trade between the US and Democratic Republic of Congo in an effort to create peace through economic development. The startup works with a cooperative of over 2,200 farmers – 850 of which are women – to source its organic, sustainability farmed ingredients, which are then shipped to its factory in Chicago to be roasted and used in its cold brew.

Laure Lemboumba founded Golden Made Kafe to bring her unique experience of coffee to the world. Born in Gabon, she moved with her family to France when she was three years old and eventually to the US. Her experience working for a coffee manufacturing plant in Texas led to her own coffee business, developing bespoke blends inspired by American, French and African cultures in one cup.

Subscription boxes cost $39.99 per month, with future boxes highlighting women-owned brands, Asian-owned brands, and Latinx-owned brands.

We chat to Buckner to find out more about this inspiring venture.