Economy Builders

The Bay State Banner is an African American owned news weekly that reports on the political, economic, social and cultural issues that are of interest to African American and English speaking Latinos in Boston and throughout New England.

Black Market was established in 2017 as a nascent pop-up market with a vision to help close Boston’s $247,500 wealth gap and a mission to reignite Roxbury’s creative economy. The Marketplace was widely accepted as one of Boston’s premier spaces to gather, meet and shop, understanding the need for micro-business founders to develop the business acumen and literacy needed to move towards sustainability.

CERO (Cooperative Energy, Recycling, and Organics) is an award-winning commercial composting company based out of Dorchester, Massachusetts. CERO provides food waste diversion and pickup services for a wide range of commercial clients in the metro Boston area. In December 2019, CERO was approved for a 100,000 loan from the Ujima Fund.

Comfort Kitchen will be a cafe by day and a restaurant by night, celebrating the flavors and ingredients of the African diaspora — global comfort food — connected from Asia to the Americas. We are a Black-owned, immigrant-owned, and woman-owned business.

CommonWealth Kitchen is on a mission to transform the local food economy by strengthening capacity, creating connections, and unleashing the collective power of diverse entrepreneurs to start and grow successful food businesses.

Cupcake Therapy was founded by a foodie with a lot of allergies. They are a tree nut-free and peanut-free cupcakery that bakes made-to-order cupcakes. They bake with premium ingredients, organic when possible, and many of our cupcakes can be made dairy-free/vegan. They use oat milk in our recipes, which is dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free. Their goal: to make the best-tasting desserts that almost anyone can enjoy, regardless of dietary restrictions.

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative's (DSNI) mission is to empower Dudley residents to organize, plan for, create and control a vibrant, diverse and high-quality neighborhood in collaboration with community partners.

The Dorchester Food Co-op is a grassroots initiative to build a community & worker-owned grocery store that makes healthy food accessible and advances economic opportunity through neighborhood engagement. In March 2022, Dorchester Food Cooperative was approved for a start-up loan of $25,000 from the Ujima Fund.

Eastie Farm is dedicated to pursuing climate justice, improving food access, and fostering community resilience through the development of interactive urban agricultural spaces and environmental education programs in which residents of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to learn and take part in the production of healthy, locally-grown, and culturally relevant foods.

Fresh Food Generation is a Caribbean-American farm-to-plate restaurant, food truck, and caterer focused on expanding food justice in Boston.

Jazz Urbane Cafe is a new arts and restaurant venture planned to launch soon in Boston’s Nubian Square neighborhood. Jazz Urbane Cafe will be an urban arts venue that spotlights local and national artists. In April 2022, Jazz Urbane Cafe was approved for a 200,000 loan from the Ujima Fund.

Kidogo Productions is an early-stage tech startup with BIG DREAMS for the world's kids. Kidogo Productions offers phenomenal and diverse content for children. Their goal is to connect with and have a positive impact on children from all across the world while affirming Black people and their cultures.

The Kush Groove brand was established in 2011 by Michael Pires & Marcus Johnson-Smith. City streets, all over the world, have seen the growth of the new age urban hippie—young, fresh, and dynamic. The Kush Groove brand is a blend of style and culture, expressed through an urban fashion savvy. Kush Groove produces high-quality lifestyle products inspired by the 420-friendly movement.

Live Like A Local Tours brings visitors out of downtown Boston and into the city's neighborhoods where they'll be exposed to foods from different cultures. They have created a tour where people can explore Boston from a passionate local's perspective. They will guide you through these hidden gems to explore the food, history, and culture of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain.

Located on Dudley Street in Roxbury, Nos Casa Cafe is an inviting and intimate restaurant owned by Ana Maria and Joshua Fidalgo.

The word "Shanti" means peace in Sanskrit. Shanti hopes to transport its guests to a more peaceful place with both the ambiance and the cuisine. At Shanti diners will find more than Indian cuisine, where they can also indulge in Bangladeshi style cooking known as Bhuna. All three locations offer a wide variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Sydney Janey Design is a boutique design agency owned by Sydney Janey. Sydney holds a degree in fine art and art history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and she has honed her skills further by completing a professional certificate in Graphic Design from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. At SJ Design, we pride ourselves on our distinctive creative voice, offering fresh and clean design solutions that resonate with the modern world. They are a certified (WBE) Woman-owned, (MBE) Minority-owned business with the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Pearl at South Bay is a contemporary seafood grill and raw bar on District Avenue at South Bay. The Pearl is committed to a high quality culinary experience will serve handmade cocktails from a patio-accessible bar.

Yamacu is a West African fusion food & beverage company that specializes in locally handcrafted all natural fresh ginger drinks and seasonal meals. Made with a base of fresh ginger, pineapple and lemon, Yamacu creates unique and healthy ginger drinks that allow you to enjoy high vitamin and nutritious freshly pressed ginger. It is liquid sunshine straight out of the bottle and also adds flavor and body to anything it is mixed with such as seltzer, kombucha or any spirits and it has great digestive health qualities.