More than 400 women from across the D.C. area, nation, Africa, and the Caribbean gathered at Eaton Hotel in Northwest D.C. April 25-26 for the third annual Black Women in Food Summit (BWIF), sharing ideas about careers in the food industry, under the theme “Limitless: Claiming Space for Abundance.”
The third annual summit, started by Dine Diaspora co-founders Nina Oduro and Maame Boakye. served as an inspiring weekend celebrating food, culture, business and the greatness of womanhood.
“The food system is expansive. When we think about how people consume and experience food, we are looking at it from the ground to the table and beyond,” said Oduro before the summit began.
Oduro and Boakye, two Ghanaian-born businesswomen, combined their food sensibilities and business acumen when creating their vision for the summit. Their hope is to inspire attendees to continue breaking barriers, pushing boundaries and making changes in the food industry.
“We are catalyzers,” Boakye added. “We need to have a space to nurture ourselves, to connect, and to be inspired.”
Food and Conversation in Abundance
On the first day of the Black Women in Food Summit, attendees flooded the Marketplace, where entrepreneurs showcased food for sampling and offered their expertise for up-and-coming explorers of the food trade.
Visitors experienced flavors that are deeply rooted in the African Diaspora, including: spices from Africa, fruits and seafood from the Caribbean, or a down-home blend of dishes common in African American families passed down from the elders.
In addition to the food, the main attraction of the Marketplace was its role as a learning environment, where visitors asked vendors about how they started their businesses.
The first vendor, upon entering the Marketplace, was “Shuga x Ice,” serving an ice cream delicacy created by Ndidiamaka Agu. She has figured out a way to infuse ingredients from her Nigerian heritage into an ice cream. Her refreshing cold treat can be found at her counter in downtown Silver Spring at the Solaire Social, a food hall.
Agu engaged visitors with full-size scoops of a light-textured ice cream. Some of the flavors were: Gbas Gbos, a milk chocolate ice cream with a kick of African peppers; Nebedaye, a dairy-free treat made with moringa ice cream, coconut Shugat cream, and tigernut milk; and Vitmo, a red grape and raspberry ice cream that was not too sweet.
“As a Nigerian-American growing up in New York, I saw a lot of the cultural foods as I grew up with,” said Agu. “I wanted to bridge the gap between the U.S. and Africa to create a new journey.”
An aisle over in the Marketplace was Yes, Ma!, a company that produces small-batch Guyanese-inspired sauces and jellies. They are produced by a woman-owned family farm in Alderton, Washington, outside of Seattle.
Adfia Bristol was staffing the vendor table for her products, which honor her grandmother and great-grandmother. It was Bristol’s mother and aunt who encouraged her to attend the summit as a first-time vendor.
“We decided to come to the East Coast to check it out and also visit with family we haven’t seen for a few years,” said Bristol. “Here at the summit, we wanted people to try what we’ve been tasting for many years.”
Early Entrepreneurs Receive Boost, Longtime Business Owners Weigh In on Importance of Summit
Dawn Kelly and her daughter Jade, who attended last week’s summit, own The Nourish Spot.
“As representatives of The Nourish Spot, Jade and I want to engage with other individuals in the food and hospitality business,” said Kelly. “I came to this summit in its first year. I was so impressed with what these young ladies were doing.”
During the summit, five women came ready to try their luck at the Black Women in Food Pitch Competition. The prize money would be a big boost to an entrepreneur’s dream of growing their business.
Competitors were vying for a first prize of $10,000 and a second prize of $5,000. Three judges— Chisom A’Marie with the New Voices Fund, Crystal Nwokorie with Constantia Ventures, and Kristina Sicard with JP Morgan Chase— heard pitches from each competitor about their start-up process, initial finance investment, current sales, projected sales, marketing tactics, and how they would use the prize money to grow their business.
Savannah Campbell won first prize for her product, Caribe & Co., an assortment of Caribbean-inspired, nonalcoholic syrups suitable for use in beverages and cooking.
The second-place winner was Alexandria “Lexx” Mills for her non-alcoholic drink product, Stursi. The drink is marketed as tasting comparable to high-end spirits.
Thanks to the New Voice Fund, Campbell and Mills will receive guidance to grow their businesses and exposure through several events in which the fund participates.
Throughout the summit and pitch competition, Kelly is inspired by watching attendees work toward growing their businesses.
With locations in Jamaica, Queens and Brooklyn, New York, The Nourish Spot is described as a neighborhood juice and smoothie bar, but it is so much more.
Like many entrepreneurs, Kelly worked in large organizations after graduating from Howard University. Her corporate communications path led her to AARP and Prudential. Then the pivot occurred, where Kelly desired to claim something more.
She started The Nourish Spot as a meal delivery service in the local community. All the while, Kelly was taking advantage of training opportunities and business connections explicitly designed for small businesses.
Kelly came to the summit with major news to exemplify the level of success that BWIF desires for summit attendees to achieve. For the fourth consecutive year, The Nourish Spot has been a concession in the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, taking place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7 in New York.
“We are the only Black-owned business from Southeast Jamaica, Queens at the U.S. Open,” said Kelly.
What’s Next?
Though the BWIF Summit ended with a “Dine-A-Round” on Saturday evening, it is not really over. Conference organizers Oduro and Boakye are developing additional ways for attendees to stay connected and inspired through Dine Diaspora.
“All Summit attendees get first access to the new online community platform called ‘The Circle’ that will enable continued connections through events, resources, and discussions beyond the in-person summit experience,” said Oduro. “We expect this platform to be launched to the public later this year.”
Keep up with Dine Diaspora programming by visiting dinediaspora.com.