ULTIMATE 2019 GIFT GUIDE FROM BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES: Food and Drink

Brooklyn Tea

Tea is significant in world history, health, culture and spirituality. For billions of people all around the globe, tea is an aspect of daily life. Brooklyn Tea wants to be a part of that. Brooklyn Tea seeks to create an authentic and accessible escape for our customers through our love of tea. Brooklyn Teas are of the highest quality, organic, and fair trade whenever available.

Red Bay Coffee

Red Bay Coffee Roasters was founded in 2014 by Keba Konte, a renowned artist and successful food entrepreneur with deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area specialty coffee and hospitality industry. Red Bay Coffee has a firm commitment to ensure coffee production is not only high quality and sustainable, but a vehicle for diversity, inclusion, social and economic restoration, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability.

Chicago French Press

Freshly roasted in the Windy City, Chicago French Press produces premium, organic coffee that is single-origin, and flavored by hand. CFP offers a variety of coffee selections in several grind options including Auto-Drip, French Press, Espresso, Keurig, Whole Bean. Purchases of the five signature blends – Original, Maple Pecan, Chocolate Blueberry, Peach Nectar and Coconut Crème. CFP offers single-bags, subscriptions and merchandise online.

Village Tea Company Gentle Organic Lemon Ginger Green Tea

The morning after a late-night party is brutal for everyone, but especially for the hostess, who has clean-up duty, on top of everything else. Give her something to look forward to, with a treat from Village Tea Company, whose tagline is “slow sips for the fast paced.” Choose from organic whole leaf green, white, black, and herbal teas–all sustainably sourced.

BLK & Bold

Pernell & Rod, created BLK & Bold with a desire to make purpose popular. They welcome the obligation to equip young people with tools to live their best lives and overcome familiar unfortunate circumstances by turning a daily ritual, enjoying a cup of coffee & tea, into a means of giving back. Tangibly, BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its profits to initiatives aligned to sustaining youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth homelessness.

Chocberry Kreations

Know someone who is always here for chocolate-covered strawberries? Chocberry Kreations allows them to become their own chocolatiers with this DIY chocolate dipping kit.

Capital City Mambo Sauce

Capital City Co. is a  family-owned company based in the Maryland suburbs, owned by Charles and Arsha Jones. Mambo sauce originated in the D.C. area, according to the company’s website. Pick up the sauce is D.C. or have it shipped via ordering online.

Not Just Tea

Not Just Tea offers “hand-blended teas and whimsical tea accessories.”

Longevity Wines

This family-owned winery is located in California’s Livermore Valley wine region. From their website, “We handle everything from bin to bottle,” says winemaker Phil Long. Current production is around 2000 cases, with plans to increase production to max out at around 2500 cases. “At 2500 cases it’s still more fun than work”. All of the wines are produced in small batches to keep a hands-on approach to quality control.”

Finally Ginger

Finally Ginger founder Carol Emeruwa started baking ginger cookies 30 years ago to please the finicky taste buds of her child when chocolate chip cookies weren’t cutting it. Now her artisanal cookies, baked with three kinds of ginger, are available in five flavors: original ginger, lemon ginger, orange ginger, chocolate chunk ginger, and oatmeal cranberry ginger. All of the flavors were hits at the Black Enterprise office; there was literally nothing but crumbs left in the reusable metal git tins. They’re sold in select stores in New York and Ohio and online as gift boxes (1 or 2 dozen cookies), snack packs (individually wrapped in sets of two), and subscriptions (for three or six months).

Just Add Honey Tea Co. 

In business now for 12 years, the husband-and-wife founders of the Just Add Honey Tea Co. are serving up more than tea at their café in Atlanta, Georgia. They sell extensions of their brand online as well as tea gift sets and accessories.

My Chocolate Soul 

Mathematician turned pastry chef Ramona Thomas created My Chocolate Soul to share chocolates made from simple all-natural ingredients with the world.

Live Alkaline Water 

Live Alkaline Water is 100% natural alkaline spring water was founded by Dr. Shayla Creer and Robert McCray whose family owned the spring for more than 100 years in North Carolina. It is available in Walmart and online.

 Sweet Dames Artisan Confections

Not only has Sweet Dames Artisan Confections landed in Bloomingdale’s stores, the mouthwatering gourmet macaroons were voted one of the Top Five Desserts in NYC PopMarkets by MetroNYC and are available online.

3 Some Chocolates

Everyone loves chocolate, but what makes 3 Some Chocolates so different? They blend three chocolates everyone loves—milk, white, and dark—combine it into one bar, and name it a “3 Some.”

 Sanaia Applesauce

 Sanaia Applesauce is for applesauce-loving adults.

Flaky Bakes

Flaky Bakes ships “piekies” – miniature pies in delectable flavors including pecan, cinnamon apple, and sweet potato.

Tummy Yum-Yum

Tummy Yum-Yum makes gourmet candy apples including Snickers, S’mores, and cheesecake candied apples.

JONES BAR-B-Q SAUCE

Since their appearance on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, business has never been better for Deborah “Little” Jones, and her sister, Mary “Shorty” Jones. Both are Kansas City barbecue pitmasters and owners of eating establishment Jones Bar-B-Q. The sisters also bottle their own sauce and are said to have sold over 70,000 bottles. Order a bottle of their sauce for the barbecue lover in your life.

Please note: Black Enterprise makes a small commission when you purchase one of these products via the embedded Amazon links.