Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — At a time when nearly half of the nation’s Black owned businesses have shut their doors due to the economic setback caused by the pandemic, The Black Directory is proud to showcase four Black-owned businesses within its vast membership program that are standing strong and forging ahead through such times. These businesses include Symphony Chips, Pedilicious, Diva By Cindy and Bamenda Coffee. Like the many 100,000 Black businesses within the Black Directory, the doors to these four companies are wide open for business.
“As the largest directory comprised exclusively of Black-owned businesses around the world, with more than 100,000 within the United States, Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Canada, and in Europe, the Black Directory is pleased to spotlight strong Black-owned businesses who are not just surviving in today’s economy but thriving,” says Brian Morse founder of the Black Directory.
“Since 2014, the Black Directory has been committed to growing a community of Black entrepreneurs who not only actively do business amongst each other, but also benefit from the access to exclusive opportunities and valuable resources that the Black Directory offers to further grow their capacities and revenues. As longtime members, we’re proud to be a part of their growth journeys.”
#1 – Symphony Chips
Symphony Chips is a fast-rising Black-owned gourmet potato chips brand that is steadily capturing the appetites of Americans through their tasty, all-natural, non-GMO, no-MSG and vegan friendly potato chip flavors. The harmonious blend of 28 spices and herbs found on each chip has earned the potato chips brand features on Good Morning America and high praise from celebrity influencers such as Tabitha Brown.
Like many Black businesses that are forging their own path into mainstream markets in the U.S., Symphony Chips remains firmly attuned to its base. The company runs Symphony Crumbs, a non-profit that brings manufacturing jobs to its community by introducing participants into the company’s production process. From there, participants are introduced to other manufacturing industries, helping them achieve trained skills in sustainable industries.
#2 – Pedilicious
Black-owned Pedilicious Footwear is the brainchild of CEO and Founder, Premise Martin. The company is a fast growing wellness brand with a thriving line of natural skin care products and the immensely popular Pedilicious sandal.
After a terrible pedicure experience caused by the need to hustle after a flight in paper flip flops, Martin realized that there must be a better way to protect the feet of women (and an expensive paint job) after a pedicure. Thus, she set out to create stylish, yet sturdy footwear that will provide comfort to the feet of women while keeping their pedicures from smudging. The result was a comfortable, durable and beautifully designed pedicure sandal known as Pedilicious. Today, this sandal upholds seven U.S. Patents.
The company’s skincare products are sold under the Pretty Licious and Pedilicious brands, including a range of balms, bath salts, cuticle butter and foot therapy soak.
#3 – Diva By Cindy
Diva By Cindy is a Black-owned hair care company that focuses on providing a full suite of products that protects, nourishes and enriches the hair. The company recently became the first natural hair care brand to own automated vending machines in malls and airports, including the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The company’s range of shampoos, moisturizers, growth creams, conditioners and detangling creams are alcohol-free and deepened with all-natural ingredients including aloe, rosemary, peppermint and camphor. Diva By Cindy hair care products are renowned for stimulating the scalp to foster hair growth while keeping hair silky, shiny and bouncy. These hair care products are especially loved and preferred for their extraordinary detangling ability, which means, instead of being stuck on a comb, more of your hair can remain in place.
Moreover, the company runs a social impact program called the Diva Project, through which they support victims of domestic violence by providing them with a full day of hair and body care, ensuring they feel as beautiful inside as they are on the outside.
#4 – Bamenda Coffee
If you have ever wondered what exotic, full-bodied, 100% organic coffee tastes like, you’re probably thinking about Bamenda Coffee. The Black-owned company sources all of its coffee entirely fresh, directly from smallholder farmers in the highlands of Bamenda, Cameroon in West/Central Africa. Established more than four decades ago, Bamenda Coffee is grown at high altitudes of over 4,000 feet, in extremely rich soil. The harsh environmental conditions at these high altitudes forces the coffee beans to grow more slowly, giving it time to develop the complex sugars that result in coffee being far richer and darker than any you’ve tasted.
As a highly social company with tangible ties to its community, Bamenda Coffee established the Leshey Foundation to help growers and their families access better education and steady incomes, thereby helping to improve and diversify the output of these communities.
To discover more leading Black-owned businesses such as Symphony Chips, Pedilicious, Diva By Cindy, and Bamenda Coffee along with the benefits of joining The Black Directory business community, visit BlackDirectory.com