9 Black-Owned Vegan Businesses That Ship Nationwide

February is Black History Month, a chance to highlight the wealth of contributions and sacrifices made by African-Americans in the United States. We encourage you to shop from small Black businesses year-round, but in honor of Black History Month, here at The Beet, we want to feature some of the incredible plant-based and vegan businesses founded and owned by Black entrepreneurs. Many vegan traditions and recipes were pioneered by those in the Black community, and we are grateful for these important contributions.

Here are nine national Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs to support this February and all year round.

1. Partake Foods

Backed by icons like Rihanna and Marcy Park Ventures, the fund co-founded by Jay-Z, Partake Foods has risen to fame for its allergen-friendly, plant-based array of cookies and baking mixes. Vegan, gluten-free, and made without the top nine food allergens, Partake was created in 2016 by Denise Woodard after her daughter was diagnosed with food allergies. Partake is known for its delicious gluten-free cookies, but also makes baking easier for those with dietary restrictions with its brownie, pancake, and waffle mixes for at-home making.

One of the brand's missions is to help fight food insecurity, which impacts Black children at a significantly higher percentage. Partake partners with organizations like No Kid Hungry to help provide children who are food insecure with access to healthy options and food education. Woodward also founded Black Futures in Food & Beverage in 2020, an annual mentorship program for HBCU students to help them secure internships and careers after college.

2. Golde

Golde is a superfood wellness brand known for its clean ingredient lists and beautiful packaging. CEO Tiffany Mouzon Wofford dreamed up the brand in a Brooklyn one-bedroom with her partner and co-founder, and five years later has become one of the go-to brands for clean superfood products.

Golde initially launched with just its cult-favorite Original Turmeric Latte Blend and has since branched out to Matcha Turmeric and Cacao Turmeric latte powders and bloating aids, as well as a beauty-focused line with face masks.

You can find Golde products at Target or buy directly from the brand's website.

3. Mac & Yease

Mac & Yease founder Chef Ayindé Howell is transforming vegan cheese doubters into devotees with his vegan mac and cheese, available at Costcos across the country. Howell's recipe was inspired by his Great Grandmother Mary's Sunday dinner Mac and cheese tradition, but Mac & Yease features no dairy and all plant-based ingredients.

If the many glowing customer reviews are any indication, Mac & Yease may just be the best vegan mac on the market. The company also offers other comfort food favorites like its BKLN Bolognese and Money Greens.

You can purchase Mac & Yease at select Costco stores, or order directly from the brand's website.

4. Misha's Kind Foods

Founded in 2018 by Chef Ian Martin and Aaron Bullock, Misha's Kind Foods' dairy-free cheeses gained notoriety at LA farmer's markets. Four years later, the plant-based cheese brand has secured funding from Jay-Z's Marcy Park Ventures and ships nationwide.

Misha's Kind Foods' products are made with a cashew or almond milk base, blended with, locally sourced herbs, vegetables, and spices, and free of vegetable oils, soy, fillers, and starches.

Misha's has also created a Feed Our Family program which connects organizations with individual families to provide them with healthy, delicious food with the goal to feed one million families by the year 2030.

You can purchase Misha's vegan cheeses at select Whole Foods Markets or on the brand's website.

5. Maya's Cookies

Founded in 2015 after Maya Madsen struggled to find delicious vegan baked goods, Maya's Cookies calls itself "America's #1 Black-Owned Gourmet Vegan Cookie Company." The vegan cookie brand offers an abundance of delectable flavors, including three special Black History Month flavors: The Superhero, The First Lady, and Uncle Nearest, tributes to Chadwick Boseman, Michelle Obama, and Nearest Green, respectively.

Maya's Cookies also offers Wheat-free selections for customers with stricter dietary restrictions. You can find Maya's Cookies at its San Diego brick and mortar store, or purchase from the brand's website ,which offers nationwide shipping.

6. Hella Nuts

Mother-daughter chef duo Mieko and Kami launched Hella Nuts after they went plant-based and struggled to find soy-free meat alternatives. Made from walnuts, Hella Nuts is the answer to cleaner vegan ground meat options. The company's website explains that its mission is to "transform the stigma of how a vegan lifestyle isn’t for people of color or how vegan food is flavorless, to being delicious food for everybody."

Hella Nuts is also the name of the founders' Oakland-based restaurant, which takes online orders for plates heaping with delicious plant-based foods. You can order Hella Nuts' vegan ground meat alternative from the brand's website.

7. Atlas Monroe

As seen on Shark Tank and named Best Fried Chicken by TIME Magazine at The National Fried Chicken Festival, Atlas Monroe is redefining what vegan fried chicken can be. Founder Deborah Torres bet big on her product by rejecting a $1 million investment from Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban and now sells over one million pounds of her vegan fried chicken per year.

Crispy and golden, just looking at Atlas Monroe's vegan fried chicken will have you drooling. The brand offers vegan fried chicken breasts, thighs, and strips, as well as classics like dairy-free mac and cheese, lasagna, and cured vegan bacon.

You can purchase Atlas Monroe's vegan fried chicken on the brand's website.

8. mylkdog

Vegan nacho cheese with an 11 ingredient list? We're listening. Mylkdog founder Bethovan Enhancing took his love of cheese to the plant-based market after being underwhelmed by the current options. "I tried a vegan cheese from a commercial store [and] I was so disappointed, I thought to myself, “Man, these guys are really giving this to people?” That moment inspired me to create my brand and start packaging my work. It was time to market."

With his passion for dairy alternatives, Enhancing set out to set a new standard, and his dairy-free queso and nacho cheese which strikes "a harmonious blend of spice and creaminess" began to win over fans and accolades.

Now, you can find mylkdog in the Hillcrest Farmer's Market in San Diego, or you can buy it directly from the brand's website.

9. Egunsifoods

Founded in 2017 by Nigeria-born Yemisi Awosan, Egunsifoods looks to bring West African traditions and flavors stateside with its premade vegan soups, which can be enjoyed hot or chilled or used as simmering sauces in cooking. Featured in The New York Times, Bon Apetit, and Thrillist, Engunsifoods quickly made a name for itself as one of the few US-based brands to offer ready-made West African cuisine.

Engunsifoods' plant-based offerings include Lemongrass Mushroom Pepper Soup, Brown-Eyed Peas Gbegiri Soup, Peanutbutter Groundnut Soup, and the company's namesake Melon Seed Egunsi Soup.

You can purchase Egunsifoods vegan soups on the brand's website for national shipping.

For more great products to try, check out The Beet's product review pages, and add your own reviews to the taste category.