MIEKO & KAMARI are Oakland natives who have always had a passion for food & community. Mieko was named KQED’s Black History Month Local Hero, in 2013, for being the founder of Imagine That Kids—a non-profit focused on education, nutrition, and providing resources for Black youth. Her work has also led to programs like T.U.D.A., The American Male Cascade Leadership Summer Literacy Program, & two self-run kitchens at local Oakland schools. Kamari, Mieko’s daughter, has this same kind of dedication. She has been cooking since the 1st grade. In high school, she was Chair of the Oakland Youth Commission, where her team created policies to serve fresh, healthy food at liquor stores in Oakland food deserts. In college, where she studied Agriculture Business, she also started a garden at a local charter school & taught agriculture classes to elementary students.
In 2018, they started their plant-based journey. After realizing that available supermarket vegan food was just vegan junk food, they knew there needed to be a better option. No chemicals, no fillers—just natural ingredients. So they started Hella Nuts™.
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