Celebrating Black History Month
Brand development, the people behind the brand, and a brand’s passion are important factors shoppers consider when purchasing their products. With diverse demographics behind each brand in the marketplace, consumers want brands that represent them. KeHE is proud to work with several minority-owned companies through our DIVERSEtrade™ supplier program, which identifies and helps grow women, minority, disabled, Veteran & LGBTQ certified suppliers better navigate distribution and remove barriers in a highly competitive marketplace.
Throughout February, we are celebrating Black History Month which honors the achievements and significant contributions of African Americans in the United States.
We are proud to recognize several Black-owned brands in KeHE’s portfolio and share their stories:
Venice Beach Beverage:
Stefan and Michele Freeman began Venice Beach Beverage after their trip to Bali. They recognized the important nutrients in a healthy diet and how difficult it was to maintain that diet. With their industry knowledge, they decided to make a change. With responsibly sourced ingredients and a full range of vitamins, Stefan and Michele introduced Venice Beach Beverage.
Containing 100% of daily vitamins with award-winning flavor, Ceylon Black Tea, Venice Beach Beverages are organically cold-pressed and naturally refreshing for everyone in the family to enjoy!
Spice King Seasonings:
Spice King Seasonings founder, Keith Lorren discovered his brand after traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East. By infusing spices with aromatic essential oils and over 72 trace minerals, these spices are 10x more flavorful and healthier than traditional blends. With the unique flavor of his spices, he created cooking videos that taught others how to make Soul & Caribbean fusion dishes.
All of Spice King Seasonings’ products are geared towards preserving the authentic culinary legacy with each sprinkle. With over 14 herbs and spices in each bottle, the spices are all-natural and low in sodium.
Currently, Spice King Seasonings are sold in over 5,000 stores and they have been featured on Food Network, Travel Channel, NBC’s Today Show, and TV One.
JUST Water:
Co-founder Jaden Smith discovered JUST Water when he was 10 years old. After noticing the harmful effects to the environment caused by plastic, he decided to make a change in how water is packaged, making it environmentally friendly.
With a mission to empower a cleaner and healthier world, Jaden’s vision came to life by creating sustainable products for everyday use. With sustainable and plant-based packaging that is 100% recyclable and refillable, JUST Water utilizes 88% of renewable materials such as FSC-certified paperboard & BonSucro-certified sugarcane-based plastic. JUST Water packaging also has 74% lower carbon emissions compared to similarly sized plastic bottles.
Vibrant Health:
Established in 1992, Founder and Clinical Nutritionist Mark Timon had a vision to create a strong, general nutritional product that would make consumers feel just right on the inside. In 2007, former natural product retailers and health advocates Ted and Paige Parker acquired Vibrant Health. With Mark’s vision and continuing his legacy, Ted and Paige are committed to providing the highest quality and most effective nutritional supplements.
Leading the way in plant-based nutrition, Ted and Paige value quality ingredients, doing the right thing for consumers, and use their passion for well-being to guide them to ensure overall success.
Vibrant Health offers an award-winning portfolio of plant-based, superfood powdered mixes for enhanced nutrition and functional wellness as well as a range of dietary, vitamin and mineral supplements. They also have the most comprehensive formulas and effective potencies on the market, and the company’s long-standing commitment to quality and full transparency is what makes Vibrant Health a trusted choice.
Me & The Bees:
After being stung by two bees in the same week, Mikaila Ulmer discovered the importance of bees in our ecosystem and wanted to help them. She re-created her grandmother’s unique flaxseed lemonade recipe and included a new twist by adding bee’s honey to the recipe. At 4 years old, Mikaila founded Me & the Bees Lemonade in 2009.
Mikaila’s mission is to inspire our community to help secure our food supply by saving bees. Mikalia invests a portion of the profits from her sales to organizations that protect honeybees, such as Heifer International, Texas Beekeepers Association, and the Sustainable Food Center of Austin. In 2018, she launched the Healthy Hive Foundation, an organization dedicated to saving bees.
After landing a deal with Daymond John on ABC’s Shark Tank, Me & the Bees has continued to grow. Mikaila’s award-winning lemonade is now available in retail stores such as Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Cost Plus World Market and online.
Discover KeHE’s DIVERSEtrade™ Program
KeHE customers can support these DIVERSEtrade™ brands by ordering on the KeHE CONNECT® Retailer platform.
Learn more about KeHE’s DIVERSEtrade™ program at https://www.kehe.com/diversetrade/.