10 Black-Owned Female Businesses You Should Know

In Honoring Black History Month, here are some brands you should consider supporting year-round that are founded by unapologetically Black women.

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Florae

Natalie King, Ph.D., is not your average beauty founder. Dr. King’s background is rooted in Biophysiology and Neuroscience, with experience in research and healthcare. She wanted to create a company that reflected her multifaceted identity. Combining the scientific rigor of her medical work and her hair journey as an Afro-Latina woman with textured hair. The result was Florae, a haircare brand, made with a little bit of Natalie, and made for all.

Ebony Wine & Spirits

Ebony Wine & Spirits has a mission to introduce the world to the rich culture of Africa and the diaspora. They are doing it one sip at a time. Inspired by the Congolese roots of its owner, Camillya Masunda, Ebony Wine & Spirits was created to celebrate the history and heritage of vast black cultures around the globe. Birthed from a place of love and true unity, Ebony Wine & Spirits continues to grow. The taste and profile tells a beautiful story with every sip.

Camillya fell in love with wine during her college years and began to see a pattern in the lack of representation when she visited vineyards. Her entrepreneurial spirit kicked in as she learned about the disparities in minority involvement and the severe lack of Black-Owned Female businesses in the industry. Camillya began her national tours of vineyards to learn everything about custom crushes, grape varietals, and how to use that to entice the pallets of her chosen demographic. She found her purpose to remove the veil around wine and introduce it to customers that have felt ignored in the past.

Ecoslay

Adria Marshall, the founder of hair care brand Ecoslay, saw her startup achieve its best year yet in 2020. With more people avoiding salons, going natural with their curls, and doing their own self-care at home, Ecoslay ramped up their offerings while educating consumers on the benefits of all-natural ingredients. Ecoslay’s affordable, vegan, no-filler line was meant for the times, as more consumers are looking for all-natural, cruelty-free products. For Adria, her creations start and end in her kitchen, handcrafting each order, even as sales increased immensely. Delivery time may take a bit longer now, but her loyal customers have proven it’s worth the wait.

WONDRY®

Whitney Gates is the Co-Founder & CEO of WONDRY®, an emerging beverage brand focused on disrupting the wine industry.  A true marketer at heart, Whitney has 13 years of Fortune 200 Marketing & Sales experience, dedicating her corporate career to building some of America’s beloved brands such as Coca-Cola, Nestlè, Dr Pepper and more.

Since WONDRY’s launch in July 2021 and her corporate exit in April 2022, Whitney and her husband / Co-Founder have positioned their award-winning wine collection for immediate success, distributing to Target and Total Wine after just 5 months of being in business. They have secured a deal with Mark Cuban on ABC’s Shark Tank and recently signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Southern Glazer’s, the World’s leading distributor of alcoholic beverages. As WONDRY breaks sales benchmarks and wine culture convention, Whitney looks forward to representing the less than 1% of black American winemakers and opening doors for the many more to come.

Myrrie Hayes

Myrrie Hayes is a serial Entrepreneur. Her Empire now consists of a consulting agency, a staffing agency, a training academy, and a 501c3 nonprofit business. Myrrie owns several businesses including in tax services, finance, Turo, and is an avid investor. Since her start in 2017, and through a global pandemic, her main company has continued to grow. She has seen multimillion-dollar growth and changed her family tree and the people around her. She excitedly moves into the future with hopes to show others how to duplicate what she has accomplished and make more space for Black-Owned Female Businesses.

Bouclème

Former Record Executive turned naturally-powered hair care line owner, Michele Scott- Lynch launched Bouclème over 5 years ago due to a lack of clean and effective hair brands tailored to curls, kinks, and coils. She was determined to help her daughters, and all women, love their curls. Michele battled against her hair until she was in her 30s and founded Bouclème. She started to change her views on her own curls after having two beautiful daughters. Michele quickly realized she needed to be a curly role model and show the beauty in having a head full of curls. She wanted to make sure they wouldn’t wake up every day feeling cursed, as she did for so long. That is when she began to create products that delivered healthy, frizz-free curls using plant-powered ingredients in 2014.

The Heritage Club

Nike John is the youngest dispensary owner in Boston and the first black woman to own a dispensary in a major city on the East coast, known as The Heritage Club.  At just 29 years old, Nike founded the Boston-based cannabis dispensary and its non-profit subsidiaries as a way to not only provide safe cannabis products and better support conscious consumption but to also give back to the community and create a medium to help fight back against the war on drugs.

Nike felt called to reinvent what it meant to be a black business owner in the cannabis industry. Cannabis has long been a taboo topic for people of color and there are still many behind bars for cannabis-related crimes. When she did not see many others who looked like her owning businesses in the cannabis space, she felt it was on her to change this.

Cashmere Moon

When Air Force veteran Tisha Ayers became pregnant, she searched for a safe lotion that was decadently creamy, lasts a long time, and only used clean ingredients, she came up empty-handed. This inspired her to launch Cashmere Moon. Cashmere Moon is an indie beauty and body care brand that specializes in safe, vegan formulas. Their products use the minimum amount of plant-based ingredients in order to make the biggest impact.

With their eco-conscious packaging, she has set out to change the way you moisturize. After launching in June 2021, Cashmere Moon has partnered with over 20 retail spaces in the US and Canada. You can find their products in more than 600 stores.

Creations By Kai

Chef Kai Chase of Creations By Kai is known for creatively representing her Black, Creole and Californian roots in cuisine. She started her professional career in journalism, interviewing top musicians and radio talent before discovering her passion for cooking. Kai spent her free time perfecting her hobby and creating delicious and healthy recipes. When she quit her job to attend culinary school, she had no backup plan but was ready to dive in. Since then, Chef Kai has served as a personal chef for many A-list celebs for over two decades. That including Michael Jackson, President Barack Obama, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, and more.

In honor of Black History Month, Creations By Kai will offer a 10% discount with the code CHEF2023. 

Go Girl Now

While many black women are making tremendous strides in the business world, they still face obstacles as entrepreneurs. It’s no secret that the media industry has been dominated by men for decades. One black female entrepreneur is changing that narrative. In 2017, Tomika Jackson started Go Girl Now, a Media, Events and Branding Agency. She helps bring visibility and awareness to the business & personal brands of women through digital and broadcast media. Powered by an all-female team, Tomika gives young women from local Historically Black Colleges and Universities the experiences they need to jumpstart their careers.