Black businesses incorporate their history, culture, ethics, representation, and care for others into their enterprises. They have a legacy, a memory, a passion, and an ideology at work. Whether by providing a cruelty-free product, empowering women to embrace themselves, or serving a memorable meal, Black Business strives to improve the lives of their customers.
Here are 5 Black businesses that make a difference in their customers’ lives and deserve to be supported.
- Hill’s Jamaican Jerk Sauce
Paul Hill, the founder of Hill’s Jamaican Jerk Sauce, was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica, before relocating to Halifax. He offers the world a taste of Jamaica with more than two decades of experience in the food and beverage industry. Paul believes using natural, fresh ingredients to create premium-quality products is essential.
When Paul moved to Halifax in 1994 from the Caribbean, he missed the climate and the food. So he turned his focus to the latter and began making jerk sauce for his friends and family.
Jamaican Jerk Sauce derives from African ancestry and has evolved over centuries as diverse cultures have contributed to its influence. Hill is proud to continue this tradition of Jerk Sauce in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Hill’s turning point came during his visit to a Jamaican marketplace, introducing him to pimento and deciding to incorporate it into his jerk sauce.
After that trip, his friends encouraged him to sell sauce, which rapidly expanded from a single product in a single store to a line of sauces sold in many stores, including Sobey’s and Pete’s, across Atlantic Canada.
- Ahinke’s Kitchen
Ahinke’s Kitchen is a Nigerian restaurant in Calgary that strives to provide tasty, good, and delicious food.
Veronica Ahinke Olalere, from Nigeria, moved to Canada a decade ago. Ahinke opened her restaurant in Calgary, Alberta, in February 2019, serving Africans, Caribbeans, and the city’s growing population.
Ahinke’s Kitchen is a Nigerian restaurant and catering service that serves the residents of Calgary, Airdrie, Red Deer, Edmonton, and a few other nearby communities in Alberta. Along with Nigerian cuisine, they serve intercontinental dishes with African flavours and techniques, serving all of Calgary regardless of region, community, origin, or religion.
Since three years ago, the restaurant has served freshly prepared afro-ethnic dishes made with ingredients sourced from Calgary farmers, an initiative beneficial to the local economy and environment.
Ahinke’s kitchen is dedicated to providing delicious, freshly prepared afro-ethnic delicacies to families, enabling them to spend more time with one another during mealtimes, creating memories filled with laughter, peace, and harmony.
- White Rhino
Claire Carreras, the designer behind White Rhino bags, is revolutionizing the fashion industry by utilizing only vegan leather and offering a cruelty-free alternative to consumers seeking high-quality products.
Claire Carreras is a vegan fashion designer who identified a void in the fashion industry for vegan bags that matched her aesthetic or ethical standards. Vegan bags lacked a variety of affordable and fashionable options. Using her art school experience, Claire conducted research and recognized the need for an ethical and affordable handbag.
Working to make vegan leather products more accessible to everyone and to shift customer preferences toward products that do not involve animal cruelty. White Rhino has always advocated for the causes that are most important to them. For example, 3 percent of their total sales (excluding jewellery) are donated to World Animal Protection to support animal protection.
All White Rhino Bags are made with materials that are cruelty-free. They consider durability, quality, and sustainability when purchasing textiles, adding value and utility to the end user’s daily life.
White Rhino Bags promises to make shopping enjoyable and convenient by providing a one-stop shop for designer handbags and accessories made exclusively from animal-friendly vegan leather fabrics.
- Adoniaa Beauty
Adoniaa Beauty is a heart-centred beauty company founded on four fundamental pillars: to uplift, validate, equip, and inspire women at every stage of life to be their best selves.
Adedoyin Omalichanwa Omotara, the founder of Adoniaa Beauty, is an electrical engineer passionate about the beauty industry and women’s empowerment. In 2014, she founded Adoniaa in the United Kingdom before relocating to Canada in 2015. Adoniaa represents her dream of empowering women through beauty.
The Greek name Adoniaa means “beautiful woman.” This brand name expresses the vision and mission of Adoniaa Beauty in a single word: to connect women to their individual beauty and empower them at every stage of life by celebrating beauty as a woman’s individuality and uniqueness.
Adedoyin authored the book, Unmask Your Beauty. It is a powerful and practical guide that will help you rediscover who you are from the inside out and reclaim your beauty by embracing your true essence and living authentically.
Using their beauty line as a platform, Adoniaa strives to create a culture that uplifts, validates, equips, and empowers women to be the best version of themselves, with a vision to be globally recognized as a one-stop beauty destination that helps women at all stages of life connect to their true, individual, and unique beauty.
- dr LIZA
Dr. Liza is one of North America’s leading experts on the body and posture. She is a well-known media expert, entrepreneur, and celebrity osteopath. She launched a collection of shoes and handbags under the brand name dr LIZA that are made of the highest quality leather from Brazil, high-functioning EVA shoes, royal blue accents, and a revolutionary design that minimizes the impact on your body.
After more than a decade of treating women with high heel-related pain in Toronto’s financial district and Hollywood’s A-list, Dr. Liza questioned whether beauty necessitated suffering. She decided to create her revolutionary comfortable, functional shoe line because she couldn’t provide suitable high-heeled options for her stylish and fashion-forward patients.
dr LIZA shoes are clinically tested with 3D gait scan technology to ensure that your weight is evenly distributed, your arches are supported to prevent over-pronation, and your feet are perfectly cushioned to prevent pressure points. The therapeutic features of dr LIZA Bags include a flat rectangular base, padded shoulder pads, shoulder pads with a textured surface, easy access, and a posture-friendly design.
Dr. Liza’s mission is to help women live their best lives by providing pain-free shoes and bags that look as good as they feel. She wishes to encourage women to prioritize their health without sacrificing their passion for fashion. dr LIZA’s shoes and handbags are becoming a wardrobe staple because of their finest materials and expert craftsmanship that bring style to comfort.
There are so many incredible black-owned businesses in Canada that it can be tough to know where to start. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out our list of five amazing Canadian black businesses to support. From fashion and beauty to food and drink, these businesses are sure to have something for everyone. So show your support and shop local!
Black businesses are engaging in a range of initiatives and business ideas. To read more about such inspiring businesses, visit our website https://canadiansme.ca/ and to get the latest updates and news, check out our Twitter page Canadian_sme.
