When it comes to being business owners, there's no limit to the industries entrepreneurial Black folks find themselves in. Black-owned businesses
account for more than two million companies in the United States, ranging from fashion and beauty to technology and consulting and everything in between, including the robust coffee industry.
According to a 2015 report by the National Coffee Association USA, Americans spent $74.2 billion on coffee that year. The industry also made up for a total economic impact of $225.2 billion. While Black-owned coffee shops may not exactly be a new trend among such businesses, early risers may have noticed more and more people are quite literally taking their coffee Black these days. And, with an industry that is booming, it just makes sense for Black folks to engage the market and serve up steaming cups of culture, advocacy and social impact.
Here are seven Black-owned coffee shops across America for you to support.
1. Black Coffee Atlanta
Located at 1800 Jonesboro Road SE in Atlanta, Black Coffee Atlanta, opened in the thick of the COVID-19
pandemic, is a storefront property of Black Coffee Company.
The Black Coffee Company was launched in 2018 by five Black men who befriended each other in high school. Overall, the company offers fair-trade coffee beans, apparel and branded merchandise.
According to its website, they "direct a percentage of all profits to [their] educational fund, which provides high-impact educational and financial resources for minority youths within [their] local communities."
2. Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health
Located at 944 W. North Ave. in Chicago, Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health is a nonprofit organization that features a coffee shop. The organization focuses on normalizing therapy, especially in the Black community. According to its website, the mission is to educate people about the importance of mental health.
"We want to step into high-poverty neighborhoods to remove financial and systematic barriers that prevent individuals from receiving mental health support. To do this Heart Work, we provide free group and individual therapy and do our best to meet people where they are," the website reads.
3. Franny Lou’s Porch
Franny Lou's Porch, located in the Kensington section of Philadelphia at 2400 Coral St., brands itself as a radical cafe and community space. Last January, the shop raised more than $80,000 through GoFundMe to avoid a pandemic-related closure, as Blavity previously reported.
"We are a window and catalyst for the Black community, as well as other marginalized peoples. We build rich community members by educating and voicing our human experience, as well as how we are designed to grow & support one another. Our hope is to continue to be a space where people can connect, rest and mobilize," its website reads.
4. Southern Cofé
This Baton Rouge coffee shop opened its doors in 2018 at 8418 Scotland Ave., in a long-forgotten part of town near Southern University and A&M College. The business later branched into downtown at 501 Main St. The two-location shop offers coffee, smoothies, juices and select food items. The original location is being renovated to serve as a co-working space for entrepreneurs, specifically Black creatives.
According to an info packet, Southern Cofé, the latter word a combination of the words coffee and cafe, was founded to "unapologetically inspire, while creating a space for creative disruptors, start-ups, small companies, freelancers, consultants and remote workers."
5. South LA Cafe
Labeled as coffee with a cause, the Black family-owned South LA Cafe, located at 1700 Browning Blvd. in Los Angeles, has its coffee shop, a nonprofit affiliate, South LA Cafe Foundation and a community grocery initiative, South LA Market.
"We're on a mission to fight racial, social, economic and food inequity through coffee, community and connection," its website reads.
6. Brooklyn Perk
Brooklyn Perk, located in Brooklyn at 605 Flatbush Ave. and 450 Nostrand Ave., spreads love the Brooklyn way through its mission of serving up "peace, love and unity." The shop will soon open a third location at 1330 Flatbush Ave.
7. Groovin' Bean
Miami's Groovin' Bean, located at 801 Northwest 3rd Ave., is a full-service cafe that serves food and beverages. According to its website, it transitions into a lounge on Friday evenings, showcasing live performances and serving adult beverages.
Black folks invented woke, so why not stay that way with a cup of coffee as Black as you want your dollars to remain. Of course, there are many, many more Black-owned coffee shops to support across the country. Hopefully, you've got one in your city that you love and you're able to encourage others to check it out.
