Community Wealth Building Accelerator: Cohort I

Majestea is an all-natural health and wellness beverage company founded by Cynthia Adeyeye and located in Atlanta, where we produce a variety of small batch artisan teas. We started our tea company with the birth of our youngest daughter, whom we elected to have at home with a water birth. During the pregnancy, our midwife passed onto us an old tea recipe that has amazing benefits for pregnant and postpartum mothers. This tea blend was the start of our tea company. We currently have three teas including a Lemon Ginger, Wellness, and Sorrel Tea. Outside of the bottled teas that are sold at a variety of stores around Atlanta, we also sell loose leaf teas and tea accessories.

“Building community wealth means that we create a culture of working together and developing strong businesses and educational systems that work with one another.”

Mouthfeel is an award winning catering company based out of the Westside of Atlanta. Founded in 2013, we pride ourselves on using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients sourced from urban farms in the area. We specialize in weddings, private events and corporate events. Mouthfeel is headed by Owner/ Executive Chef Enita Thomas, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, food historian and culinary arts mentor with 20 years of industry experience. Mouthfeel is the type of business that supports the community by hiring from within the neighborhood, supporting local food causes, working with local food causes and providing a great experience with food.

“Building community wealth means offering opportunities, options and assurance to those who need it the most”

Shay Latte Coffee is a local brand created by former NFL Atlanta Falcons’ Cheerleader Shayla McNair, whose stomach health challenges sparked the craftsmanship of premium volcanic coffee beverages. To promote wellness, Shay Latte Coffee produces a proprietary beverage solution that is vegan friendly, stomach friendly, naturally nutrient rich filled with tantalizingly bold flavors.

“Community wealth building is the cornerstone in fostering resilient communities”

95th St. Tacos® mission is to bring authentic, fresh flavors that emphasizes the rich diversity and culture of Authentic South LA. Founders Tracee and Demayne Anderson want to nurture a sense of local community by partnering with local farmers and providing a strong entrepreneurship model for the community to build upon. We serve Authentic South LA Street Tacos and have been voted number 14 in Eater Atlanta for the best places to find tacos in Atlanta. Our business is rooted in a strong sense of community engagement and social responsibility. We intend to have 95th Street Tacos be an extension of our neighbors’ front porches, living rooms, kitchens, and back yards, giving them a place to gather, be neighborly and build community.

“Building community wealth means providing the infrastructure to turn dreams into reality, and enabling the community to build together”

Tassili’s Raw Reality is a fast casual restaurant located in Atlanta, Georgia founded by Tassili Ma’at. We specialize in raw vegan cuisine inspired by Tassili’s international palate. We provide a unique variety of raw vegan entrees like spicy kale salad, kale wraps, and more. We cater to a wide variety of people from flexitarian to vegetarian, vegan transitional, raw experts and even hardcore carnivores.

iwi fresh is a Farm-to-Skin spa that partners with local farms to handpick fresh fruits, veggies and herbs. The Skincare Chef Yolanda Owens juices them at our spa’s in-house kitchen to handcraft raw skincare products using her grandmother’s home remedies. Our spa services utilize our products and include veggie facials, veggie manicures and pedicures, herbal massages and organic men’s grooming. iwi means “it is what it is”. No chemicals or toxins; just raw, local ingredients. Through sustainable self care we treat the whole body, using eco-conscious skincare and practices.

“Building community wealth provides the resources and opportunities for community members to achieve wealth transfer throughout generations”

Founded by Abbas Barzegar and Basel Nassri, Ebrik Coffee Room is an independent, specialty coffee shop serving basic food fare, pastries, alongside high quality fresh roasted coffee beans (in-house). Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment to all customers and to support Atlanta small businesses and social projects. In doing so we introduce specialty coffee to new communities that are typically excluded from third wave coffee. Our next phase of growth is to retail and wholesale our roasted coffee to area businesses and nonprofits. We also serve as a community space for teach-ins and events and have always intended that the shop be a space of community gathering and social connection as much as it is a place to get a cup of coffee.

We are a bicycle shop founded by Michelle and Kris Dunbar. We service, repair, sell and rent bicycles. We promote cycling and options for all individuals including those who can’t ride but want to learn. We support and attend quite a few annual cycling events that raises money for different organizations.

Founded by Adia Dightman and Rachel Jackson, FLR PLN is a retail concept that adopts the imagery of Instagram, reinvents periodically (as trends do) and sells as a curated store; while providing an opportunity that allows unique brands to collaborate and co-activate. FLR-PLN connects merchants, property owners and consumers to create and execute effective pop-up concepts. We merge one-of-a-kind visual elements together to produce shared retail experiences that deem themselves unforgettable.
Every 4-8 weeks, FLR-PLN reinvents itself (from its design aesthetic to the merchandise) to present an ambience that conveys the brand senses of each product cohort (from its creator to the consumers they wish to gain brand loyalty from).

“We believe that our community can create wealth if there is a number of business that thrive off one another”

Founded by Asim Walker, Negril Village and Ms. Iceys kitchen are minority-owned full-service restaurants specializing in Caribbean and Southern fare. Both have grown to popular staples in the city of Atlanta.

Founded by Kirsten Daniel, Ateaelle (Pronounced A-T-L) is an urban lifestyle company known for creating apparel and brand experiences that blend messages rooted in black excellence, pop culture, hip hop, and the entrepreneurial reverence of Atlanta, GA. Our goal is to create a sense of nostalgia while evoking conversation and continued adoration throughout the city.

Founded by Jasmine Wilde, Hey Baby is an elective ultrasound boutique, providing families with a private luxury ultrasound experience. Being that insurance only covers 2 ultrasounds per pregnancy, mothers go for long periods of time without seeing their baby. Additional ultrasounds cost thousands of dollars. We provide a safe, calm, & soothing experience for a mother or family to connect with their little one for a few moments.

“Building community wealth equals generational wealth and financial literacy; it equals freedom and the ability to choose.”

Co-owned by Patricia Williams and Cherita Kempson, Endulge Cupcake Boutique is a retail bakery establishment in East Atlanta. We are a bakery that is equally owned and managed by two partners. We were both former educators that decided to create delectable pastries for a loyal customer base in a close knit community. We have expanded our customer base to include patrons from other states and countries! All our products are baked fresh daily in small batches to maintain quality. We are committed to our environment and customers by implementing systems such as using only natural ingredients, no preservatives and organic/ locally grown products when possible.

“We envision building community wealth as a business owner by hiring locally, providing opportunities for children in the community and offer support and empowerment to other local businesses.”

Co-founded by Jeannette Flores-Katz, Kosher Guacamole Group is a food service company with a restaurant named Buenos Dias Cafe, which has been open since 2013. We provide the downtown area with fresh and nutritious Latin food with a healthy focus. We have a terrific team that helps us serve breakfast and lunch with vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. We are now starting a market/restaurant in the West End called La Bodega. It will also offer healthy Latin food with a market focus of prepared food and staples for the West End neighborhood. We are also starting a smaller retail component for specialized products that we think we can develop further.

“I believe building community wealth starts by creating an ecosystem of sustainable makers that are able to grow with the support of their own community.”

MOKIPOPS is a commercially licensed all-natural popsicle company started by three kid siblings (and mom Amber Khan-Robinson as Managing Partner) in 2016. We have sold more than 45,000 popsicles around the Atlanta area at a plethora of events. Our ingredients are fresh, local and vegan.

Founded by Brittany Love, Free Birds Vegan Bakery is a full service, online bakery boutique that specializes in vegan, gluten free, and soy free desserts. Our mission is to educate, heal, and inspire people around the world to live a plant-based lifestyle, and our vision is to be an international vegan food company that transforms the way the world thinks, eats, and lives. Our customers love attending our cooking and baking classes, booking private dinner parties with us, utilizing our cookbooks for quick and easy meals, watching our kids cooking show, and sharing our dessert catering options with their friends and family during the holidays. Every sweet treat that leaves our bakery is made from scratch with love, and is packaged with care.

“Building community wealth means creating win-win opportunities for the producers and consumers of your neighborhood. It’s what develops a thriving, bustling ecosystem and keeps people of all backgrounds engaged and dedicated to truly making this world a better place, together!”

We’re a gourmet bakery featuring 15 cake flavors, offered by the chunk, whole dessert or decorated cakes. Co-owners Nicole McDonald and Kina Morgan believe building community wealth is a version of “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Owned by Kemi Bennings and a spin on an American Classic, Carrot Dog offers a plant-based alternative to nostalgia. “Our signature vegan “carrot dog” is a whole, organic carrot that is whittled down into a hot-dog shape and marinated in a blend of approximately 15 spices. The end result is a hotdog-like consistency with an unbelievable taste nostalgic of an American classic that vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters can enjoy! Food For Thought Cafe’ is a vegan restaurant group creating nostalgic, creative and fast-casual culinary experiences in plant-based cuisine. Our mission is to inspire healthier communities and an overall culture of health though awareness, powerful conversations, and fun, creative vegan food.

“To me, building community wealth means cultivating, restoring, strengthening and building equity in communities, particularly underserved communities, by investing in its people, businesses, community-based initiatives and creative ecosystem in order to revive an overall sense of value for the community.”

Owned by Dionne Fraser-Carter, Zinah Artistic Retail is a boutique-style gallery featuring high quality, unique and original works of visual artists, apparel & accessory designers and local artisans. Zinah is a fusion of art, fashion, & home décor. It is also a creative space where art enthusiasts and art creators can connect.

“Community wealth means everyone who is a part of my community is doing well, financially, spiritually, mentally and physically. Consistently working towards achieving success reflective in one another and our direct environment. Us operating as a collective whole to reach greatness.”

Co-owned by Christie Peters, Rapid Recovery and Restoration is a licensed general contracting firm that provides design, construction services including ground up construction, historic renovation and disaster related services. We also offer home furnishings and accessories through our subsidiary, Home Grown Furnishings. Our firm believes that every company should be committed to improving the neighborhoods where they conduct business. As part of that philosophy, we strive to hire and train local talent so that the community continues to thrive.

Co-owned by Michael Lloyd, Dope Coffee is a retail coffee company (not a coffee shop). We use the commodity of coffee to create premium products inspired by black culture. We seek to disrupt the coffee industry by placing Black culture front and center in an industry that hardly recognizes our existence.