08 Sep Black Owned Back-to-School Snacks 
Authored by Takera Gholson
A variety of Black Owned Snacks Perfect For Any Lunchbox
It is that time again, back to school for the children. We have all been there, whether we were the parents or children in the scenario. Top priorities for back to school usually start with crossing items off the school supplies list. The next priority for children is shopping for back-to-school clothes.
Supplies and clothes are the most exciting things for children to pull out, play with, and model. Children do not think about snacks until they are around the lunch table with their friends, or they run through the front door and throw down their bookbags ready for an afternoon snack.
This year be prepared with all the snacks, whether they are a treat for the lunchbox or an after-school snack. To help you prepare for this school year, we are sharing a variety of Black-owned snacks to get you off to a great start.
Misha’s Kind Foods
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If you remember that cheese stick that you would pull apart strand by strand, you know how satisfying having a piece of cheese is as a snack. These days you can get the same satisfying cheese snack without all of the extras. Mishas’s Kind Foods is a plant-based food brand offering a lactose free, paleo, keto, and 100% vegan, dairy-alternative.
Misha’s cheese comes in spreadable tubs and a wide variety of creative flavor combinations. Their cheeses are good snacks to spread on crackers or dip in vegetables for an afternoon snack. Part of Misha’s mission is to “make food that makes the world that much more inclusive.”
Yolele Foods
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If you are going for texture in your afternoon snack, try Yolélé Fonio Chips. Fonio is an ancient African grain, an alternative to white rice. They come in yassa (habanero chili, sweet caramelized onion, and zesty lime), tangy baobab (moringa leaf and citrusy baobab), and sea salt. These crispy treats will give you a savory kick to tide over you and the children until dinner time.
At the foundation of the crispy Yolélé Fonio Chips is the fonio grain. Yolélé’s products also include plain fonio and fonio pilaf flavors inspired by West African dishes like Dakar curry and jollof. Part of Yolélé’s mission is to support small farming communities and “share Africa’s ingredients and flavors with the world.” Yolélé, founded by Chef Pierre Thiam, creates opportunities for small farmers to gain global reach.
Pipcorn
Popcorn is not just a fun butter treat to enjoy during a movie, you can enjoy delicious popcorn right at home. Popcorn is especially a fun snack for children and tasty too. Pipcorn not only supplies classic popcorn dusted with sea salt, using just three ingredients, but also truffle popcorn, a variety of flavored cheese balls, and crunchy snacks.
Pipcorn works with family farms to procure their special heirloom corn kernels. Choose full or snack-size bags to fit in any lunch box. By using heirloom corn kernels Pipcorn is contributing to environmental sustainability. Each month Pipcorn highlights a Black entrepreneur on their blog to continually work toward amplifying awareness for Black-founded brands.
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Bite-sized snacks are always popular whether they are traded across a lunch room table or enjoyed after a long day of recess. Gwell makes plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free snacks. These little snack packs come in kid-friendly flavors like pineapple and coconut, orange cacao fruit, and peach and pomegranate. Gwell flavor combinations will excite even the smallest of palates.
Gwell was created to encourage better living. As much as they create great bite-sized snacks for children and adults alike, Gwell’s mission is to improve food equity. They also specifically partner with organizations that focus on improving equitable access to food. Gwell makes it easier and more accessible to live better.
Partake Foods
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Partake Foods is a line of food products that are “certified gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and free of the top 9 allergens (wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, soy, fish, sesame and shellfish).” These black-owned snacks come in a selection of prebaked cookies or bake-your-own cookies, brownies, blondies, muffins, and even pizza crusts. Flavors range from classic chocolate chip to fun flavors like birthday cake. If you choose prebaked cookies, there is an option between crunchy and soft baked cookies. For perfect portions try the snack packs, individually packed cookies. These vegan snacks are tasty with better ingredients than the cookies we all grew up eating.
Partake Foods was specifically created with children in mind. With Black children at a greater risk of developing food allergies, Partake Foods partners with No Kid Hungry and other organizations to provide children and their families with access to food, education, and advocacy. Founder and CEO Denise Woodard also gives back through her historically black colleges and universities fellowship program, Black Futures in Food & Beverage.
Author: Black Restaurant Week
Content Team
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