San Francisco Bay Area business owner Reign Free has launched the Black Culinary Collective in partnership with the Oakland Black Business Fund and Oakstop Alliance. This initiative aims to provide a creative, collaborative, and nurturing environment for Black-owned food and beverage producers.
In addition to access to a fully-equipped commercial kitchen, the Collective offers members business consultation and mentorship services, as well as opportunities for financing through the Oakland Black Business Fund's network.
An Ohio native, Free relocated to Oakland where she launched a successful one-woman catering business, The Red Door Catering, which has grown into a multi-million-dollar company serving clients like the Obama Foundation, AfroTech, Facebook, Louis Vuitton, the Super Bowl, and Blue Shield of California.
"The challenges brought by COVID-19 forced The Red Door to change its business model, shifting from catering in-person events to providing healthy and locally-grown food to our neighbors as they worked from home," said Free, in a statement. "With restaurants shutting down and pivoting to take-out, I could see that other Black chefs and entrepreneurs were struggling, with many of them lacking access to kitchen space and expertise on how to scale their businesses. I recognized that not only could I offer these entrepreneurs a place to cook, but we could create a space where emerging culinary entrepreneurs could grow beyond their current station."
In order to minimize the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs looking to join the Collective, OBBF has committed to funding the first ten members, equaling more than $50,000 in funding for the project. OBBF is the only Black-led fund providing business grants and larger investments that address the historical lack of access to capital and control of real estate, according to the BCC.
"We've seen studies that show 41 percent of Black-owned businesses closed between February and April 2020, and PPP loan data shows that only 130 restaurants listed as Black-owned received payments of $150,000 or more. These numbers reflect historically weak lending to people of color, which makes community-based funds essential to creating a new economic trajectory for Black businesses," said Damon Johnson, director of community relations at OBBF and executive director for Oakstop Alliance, in a statement. "The Black Culinary Collective is one example of how OBBF's unique approach to building peer-to-peer relationships between Black business owners and service providers offers a sustainable growth model for under-funded businesses."
The Black Culinary Collective is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses, ranging from home-based operations to full-scale commercial production. The West Oakland facilities feature more than 5,000 square feet of combined commercial kitchen and pop-up market space. Members will also receive access to free consultation on topics ranging from certification, licensing, and insurance to production, branding, and distribution.
Related: Heinz, The LEE Initiative Support Black-Owned Restaurants; Target Commits $2 Billion to Black-Owned Businesses.
Image: Black Cullinary Collective