News — black owned

Lily Adeleye is a six-year-old CEO making big waves in the business world. She is the CEO of Lily Frilly Company that is into children’s hair accessories, clothing, and more. Her children’s accessory brand is launching into over 1,000 Walmart stores and on their website this month.

The six-year-old hails from Orlando, Florida. Launching on Walmart is the second of her retail launch. She and her mom had launched at Target only last year.

Adeleye’s launch on Walmart will bring a new assortment of her brand’s hair bows, exclusively designed for the Walmart partnership, and will be available for purchase, according to a statement on PRNewswire. “These new and exclusive designs include the Gold & Glitter Hair Bow, Galaxy Girl Hair Bow, Safari Party Hair Bow, and the Candy Rush Hair Bow,” the statement further noted.

Adeleye and her mom, Courtney Adeleye, are excited about their new moves. Courtney is optimistic that what her daughter has created will inspire other young girls to follow their passion. “Lily Frilly started out as a brand my daughter Lily and myself created, as I have always believed it’s important to let your children follow their passions, whether that be art, sports or in this case, growing a business.”

She added, “Now, Lily Frilly has become so much more than just that – it’s become a brand children love, as well as a symbol of inspiration and confidence for young girls as well as for the black community. It’s amazing to see what kids can do, and we’re so glad Walmart is providing this platform to give Lily Frilly the room and attention it warrants.”

Walmart’s Omni Associate Merchant Hair Accessories, Jennifer Aguirre, in a statement said the retail giant was excited and honored to work with Adeleye.

“We are excited to bring Lily Frilly to Walmart and honored to work with Lily Adeleye, as she represents the youngest founder among our Black-Owned business initiative,” she said. “We have been enchanted by Lily’s ingenuity and designs. We are certain that the assortment will captivate our young customers and inspire them to express their beauty and confidence with their hair.”

According to Lilly Frilly’s website, Adeleye loves to learn about investments with her parents. She, however, never forgets to watch Saturday morning cartoons with her older brother and sister.

According to Forbes, African-American women are among the fastest group launching and owning businesses. Despite COVID-19 forcing many businesses to close, particularly, Black-owned businesses, African Americans are still winning big.

One such entrepreneur is Tenisha Williams, who is the CEO of Elite Realty Partners, a real estate brokerage firm based in the South Florida area—Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Her firm is the largest Black, woman-owned brokerage in the South Florida area.

Williams’ story is inspirational, braving the pandemic to achieve economic success. Her company raked $100 million in sales within two years. What is more, she and her elite team are not showing any signs of complacency or slowing down. Rather, they are positioning the company to deliver more homes to families.

Williams attributes her success to God’s favor as she could not have managed a thriving business without divine favor. “I cannot attribute the accelerated pace of my business to anything but the favor of God,” she told Sheen Magazine.

“Before I sold one house, I thought of the name ‘Your FAVORED Realtor’, not favorite but favored! It was as if He told me from day one that He was going to favor whatever I touched in this business and order my steps as long as I put in the work and remained faithful. I remember in 2016 telling my former partner, ‘God is going to give us a platform so big because He knows that He can trust us with it.’”

Before venturing into full entrepreneurship, Williams was a county worker but said she did not plan to stay on the job till retirement like her colleagues, who were simply happy to land a position so they could retire and have great benefits. However, it was not until 2017 that she made her final decision not to return to work while she was on a holiday at St. Lucia with her daughter. “While there, I realized that I did not want to go back to work and made up my mind after speaking with my husband,” she said. “From there, two things happened: I found my purpose by loving real estate and made my first 6 figures part-time.”

Williams is more than a CEO. She is also a life coach and uses a chunk of her time to teach, motivate and guide others to achieve their desire goals. Nonetheless, she is sometimes under unimaginable pressure. “Sometimes I cannot sleep at night because my brain will not stop thinking of ways that I can add more value to everyone on the team. I truly am invested in their careers, so I take the responsibility very seriously,” she said.

Williams describes the reality of being the largest Black, woman-owned brokerage in the South Florida area as surreal. She however said there is so much work to be done to change the narrative and diversify the faces in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area as it pertains to real estate.

The real estate guru considers her firm a “ministry” to agents and customers. Over the years, she has witnessed an overabundance of customers and agents break through various hardships and come out on top with the help of her brokerage, she said. “My private coaching sessions sometimes turn into life-changing sessions for me and them. For example, I have had the opportunity to witness agents who did not sell ONE house at their former brokerages, then come onboard with Elite and become our top producers selling millions in real estate,” she said.

Police brutality against minorities, particularly African Americans, often dominates media discussions. Multiple advocacies to end police killings of unarmed Black men have yielded little results. 

The killing of George Floyd by the police is still fresh in the minds of the Black community. His killing led to massive protests across communities in the U.S. calling for an end to police profiling and killing of minorities.

Several tactics have been devised to capture incidents of police confrontations with Blacks but this has done little to change police attitudes towards Black men and women they arrest or engage.

In search of a comprehensive solution to make Black people feel safe when they get pulled over, arrested, or confronted by the police, a Black-owned firm, WestMason, has come up with an app for minorities to protect themselves.

WestMason has launched a mobile app called MyOneOne to provide a personal security network made up of the friends and families of its users. The app is currently available on Android and iOS, according to Black Business.

Eric Mills, CTO of WestMason, in a Youtube video, explained how the app works. “Myonone is an app to allow minorities in the underserve the ability to create lifelines where groups of individuals or a group of loved ones that you would like to contact in an emergence,” he said.

“Say, you are driving down the street and you get pulled over by the police, you feel unconformable, you feel unsafe, you are in the middle of nowhere and you do not know why you got pulled over in the first place, you can simply tap the alarm button and it will bring up a list of options for you in an emergence. One of those is, ‘I was pulled over by the police,’” he said.

He further explained that “if you feel uncomfortable in that situation, you hit the button, then your live stream is started from your phone where your love ones or your lifeline is alerted, they know you’ve been pulled over and a video automatically starts and they can view it.”

According to him, the significance of the app is that “you know you are not alone.”  The app allows users to:

• Create and maintain a lifeline consisting of friends and family.
• Alert your lifeline when in dangerous situations.
• Livestream from your device to your lifeline. Video is stored in a secure location for future review.
• Send location information to your lifeline.
• Contact emergency services with the same information as your lifeline. Coupled with health information and profile picture.

Black businesses remain largely unattractive to venture capitalists. As such, many Black entrepreneurs source funds through family and friends to launch or expand their business. Although the Black Lives Matter movement has shed some light on the challenges Black businesses experience, not much has changed.

Some social entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to highlight Black businesses through informal meetings and other formal events. Some social media influencers and Black media personnel are also playing their part by bringing to the fore Black-led businesses.

A Sacramento entrepreneur, Chris Lodgson, is also highlighting Black businesses in his region. He is the founder of Facebook pages Sac Black Biz Community, Sac Black Biz United, and Sac Black Biz Market, which are dedicated to Black businesses.

The purpose of these platforms is to bring Sacramento business owners, who are mostly African-American, Caribbean, and people of African descent, together to support one another. Also, Sac Black Biz United has become the first and only online source to finding Black Business and Event information throughout Sacramento.

In all, his group pages feature over 500 businesses and a membership of more than 10,000 people. Lodgson believes the creation of the Facebook business page, Sac Black Biz Community, is his contribution towards supporting Black enterprises.

“We measure ourselves by how well the businesses that we serve are doing and how well those businesses are serving their clients (and customers),” Lodgson tells Sacbee.

Aside from the business pages, the New Yorker has also raised thousands of dollars to support business activities for Black people in Sacramento.

Lodgson first migrated to Sacramento in 2015. “When I got here, I noticed that a lot of the same problems we were having in New York, in terms of Black folks, poverty, unemployment, our economic condition and our social condition too. A lot of the same problems that were in New York were happening here” said Lodgson. These factors pushed him to create his Facebook business pages.

In addition, he has announced a partnership with the app “Local Black Info.” The app enables users to find and support local Black-owned businesses, professionals, and events, according to news. Also, the partnership allows Sac Black Biz to market Black businesses in Sacramento and the U.S.

In the wake of protests against racial injustice and police brutality sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, there was a renewed support for local Black-owned businesses. Lodgson said he did not only help in highlighting Black businesses through his group page Sac Black Biz Community, but he was also able to provide a complete Sac Black Biz digital database of Black-owned businesses in the county.

“The database became a valuable resource for the community that was easily accessible and allowed people to find everything from Black-owned bakeries, barbershops, restaurants, floral arrangements, home maintenance and repair, plumbers and more,” he said.

Ashley Lamothe started working at Chick-Fil-A when she was 15 years old in her hometown of Atlanta so as to save money to buy a car and go to college. The young entrepreneur continued to work at the restaurant chain as a director on the leadership team while at Spelman College.

Lamothe later rose through the ranks to become a franchise owner. She first opened a Chick-Fil-A location in Los Angeles in 2011 at age of 26, making her the youngest franchise owner in Chick-Fil-A history. She opened a second location six years later in downtown Los Angeles.

Lamothe achieved success through hard work. She recalls balancing her entrepreneurial journey with academics. She is grateful to her operator for giving her a flexible schedule that allowed her to school and engage in extracurricular activities.

“Chick-Fil-A has been part of my life,” Lamothe told Rolling Out. She said being a franchise owner does not make her feel she is making history. “That said, it’s really cool that so many people have been inspired by my journey and that feels like a huge honor,” she said.

In college, Lamothe changed her major to economics as her aim was to own a Chick-Fil-A restaurant. The course change was to afford her the opportunity to know how the market plays out and have a fair understanding of economic fundamentals.

When she launched her second Chick-Fil-A restaurant in 2018, Lamothe felt great that everything she labored for was yielding fruit. “I love the diversity of downtown LA; there is something for everyone. I’m excited to bring the unique hospitality that we offer in a fast, casual environment,” she said.

The young entrepreneur said in an interview after the launch that she is motivated by the fact that she has 85 people on her payroll. “The responsibility I owe to them to help them reach their goals and dreams keeps me motivated,” she said.

Every successful entrepreneur goes through a period of challenges. Lamothe is quite familiar with this as an entrepreneur. Recruiting, hiring and retention have been really challenging, nonetheless, she believes building a culture inside the restaurant has helped her to keep a consistent, happy and engaged staff.

For others who aspire to be franchise owners, Lamothe said the first thing to do is to gain experience at a local restaurant. “A lot of people say they want to own a franchise but have never worked in a restaurant. It’s hard, hands-on work and you really have to know what you are getting into,” she said.

Ariel Investments, the first black-owned mutual fund firm in the nation, announced the launch of Ariel Alternatives and the Project Black initiative.

The firm is stepping into the private fund business with a $200 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase. Led by Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson and global investment manager Leslie A Brun, the fund seeks to invest and scale minority-owned businesses to close the racial wealth gap.

“It is no secret that the racial wealth gap in America continues to widen, day by day, says Brun in a release. “While we have been encouraged and inspired by the supply chain diversity commitments recently made by large corporations, we believe that it is time to accelerate these promises with real, measurable steps. Our work will aim to bring operational excellence, financial resources, minority ownership, and leadership to these companies.”

Introducing Ariel Alternatives ‘Project Black’ Initiative

Founded in 1983 by John W. Rogers, Jr., Ariel Investments has grown to manage $15 billion in assets by leveraging a patient investment philosophy. Now, the company is embarking on a new journey through the establishment of its private asset management firm, Ariel Alternatives.

The firms’ first mission: Project Black. The goal is to invest and scale minority-owned businesses that can become leading suppliers to Fortune 500 companies. The project will focus on suppliers to various industries, including transportation, technology manufacturing, and media and marketing,

Project Black Vision

According to a release, Project Black will invest in middle-market companies that are not currently minority-owned. The entities will be transformed into certified minority business enterprises, as well as existing Black and Latinx-owned businesses. The team hopes that Project Black will “forge a new class of Black and Latinx entrepreneurs” and support supply chain diversity goals.

These goals will have a trickle-down effect, boosting economic activity, increasing jobs, and providing access to opportunities for underrepresented populations at all levels.  Ultimately, the project will play an instrumental role in closing the racial wealth gap.

“Through Project Black, we plan to ultimately disperse opportunity throughout underrepresented communities. We want to change the narrative and foster true action and demonstrable change,” says Ariel’s co-CEO Mellody Hobson, in the release.

JPMorgan Chase Provides Initial Funding

According to the Chicago Tribune, Project Black was born from a conversation between JPMorgan CEO and Hobson. In 2018, JPMorgan Chase elected Hobson to its board of directors. Dimon and Hobson discussed ways to promote minority-owned businesses and the new fund was created.

JPMorgan is supporting the efforts of Project Black by providing $200 million in initial funding. This investment is part of the firm’s goals to advance racial equity. In October, the firm announced a $30 billion commitment. Over the next five years, this capital will provide economic opportunities to underserved communities.

“Systemic racism is a tragic part of America’s history,” said Dimon in a statement. “We can do more and do better to break down systems that have propagated racism and widespread economic inequality, especially for Black and Latinx people. It’s long past time that society addresses racial inequities in a more tangible, meaningful way.”

Carolyn Brady made history as the first black woman to win the title of Miss Maine. Now, the talented violinist is using her platform to support Black businesses.

“I think if we have the opportunity to choose where we put our dollar and we can invest in a way that gives back in the long term that’s a really important thing to do,” Brady said with.

Shopping Black in February

Most people only see the glitz and glam of pageantry but Brady is a true example of how pageantry can be used to make an impact. “Each and every day, it is an honor to be the 84th representative to have worn Maine across her chest on the national stage, but the first African-American to have done so well,” Brady shared on Instagram.”I can’t wait to spend this month acknowledging our past, celebrating our present, and building.”

Data has shown that Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, Black women report dismal revenue numbers in comparison to all other demographic groups in the nation. According to a 2019 report, Black women-owned businesses earned an average revenue of $24,000 per firm.

Brady’s goal is to close the revenue gap by supporting black-owned businesses. She’s also using her Miss Maine platform to encourage others to do the same. “I have committed to buying black for the entire month of February,” Brady shared.

Rwanda Bean is one of the businesses that Brady has supported this month. Founded by Mike Mwenedata, the company gives back 50% of profits to coffee farmers every time a cup of coffee is purchased.

Pageantry with a Purpose

 As the first black woman to capture the crown in Maine’s 84-year-history, Brady sees the possibilities ahead.

“I hold the title in a state that’s about five percent African American, if that,” Brady shared with her college. “I think it really shows that we’re moving toward a more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty, which is amazing, and I just feel so fortunate to be able to represent that.”

Brady competed for the title of Miss America where she showcased her violent talents. Now, she provides educational training and motivation to students as an AmeriCorps member.

There are tea cultures in many parts of the world and the English are known to have a staunch one. With the premiere of the Regency era drama Bridgerton, many people revived their love for sipping teas in fancy cups at the comfort of their homes. LaRue 1680, a Black-owned tea brand afforded many Americans that luxury with the company seeing a spike in sales since the show hit the screens.

Stephanie Synclair, the founder of LaRue 1680 and a business coach, did not always set out to curate exotic tea blends. She was a young woman who always wanted to see the world and experience different cultures. Getting pregnant did not even stop her from jet-setting around the world, contrary to what everyone around her thought.

In 2012, Synclair, whose son Caden is now 14 years old, began exploring Asia and Europe when he was just 7. “I knew when I had him, we were gonna experience it together. I decided I was never gonna look at my child like a hindrance, but the fuel for me to do this,” Synclair told.

This was when the Alabama native first connected with the tea drinking culture in Indonesia. She and her son were swooned by the intricate tea drinking ceremonies in Bali as well as the art of making them.

Caden loved the experience so much so that for his 8th birthday, he requested a Balinese sipping class that encompassed the whole tea-making ritual where they would grind and mix their herbs, fruits, and spices to create unique mixtures.

After a year of enjoying the great outdoors in Bali and learning to curate lovely and sensual tea mixtures, Synclair and her son returned to the states, but Bali and their tea-loving culture never left them.

She continued to make the teas at home and for her family and friends. As she saw herself evolve making these teas for people around her, Synclair decided to take it up as a business and the e-commerce brand, LaRue 1680, was born. It, however, did not go public till several years later.

The single mother, determined to put out the best product for consumers, spent 2019 mostly in France conducting extensive research on teas and planned to launch in January 2020, but 2020 had a mind of its own.

The world was hit with a pandemic that to date, many lives have been lost and many businesses have collapsed. She decided to see the silver lining in having to delay the launch of her loose-leaf teas and used that time to properly structure her business module and her wares.

Finally, in October 2020, Synclair put her handcrafted teas online available for nationwide delivery and the feedback was amazing, especially because many were still at home quarantining and a little to get them by was now within reach.

“Generally, the way you see tea marketed is flat, not sexy. When it’s done right: it’s so sexy. This is not your grandmother’s tea,” said Synclair. “Listen: Grab a beautiful cup and let’s put our pinkies up.”

With Bridgerton’s premiere on Christmas Day, Synclair, as a business coach, saw the opportunity to market her teas seeing as the characters oozed the English tea culture scene after scene.

The public’s response to Bridgerton and everything in it worked in Synclair’s favor. As fashion houses were making Regency era pieces in the collections, people fell in love with LaRue 1680’s timely loose-leaf tea brand and the whole relaxed ‘stay at home and let us enjoy the series with the tea vibe.’

She posted her teas on Instagram while playing around with the principal characters alluding to which of the blends the characters could be sipping on or which ones match the personality of the characters, and it worked.

LaRue 1680 saw a growth rate of around 500% comparing their revenue in October after the launch through to December when the series premiered.

The teas go for $10 to $19 per 3-ounce bag (about 40 to 50 cups) and many want her to get a tea shop they can come and relive all their own romantic era story but Synclair wants to give it time.

The tea-entrepreneur intends on celebrating the anniversary of her launch with lavish pop-ups and tailored garden experiences for her consumers to enjoy their teas.

Racial discrimination in the housing system in the United States is a systemic problem with several reports over the years exposing the significantly huge gap between Black and White homeowners.

Though the reasons for that, including redlining, challenges with securing home loans and undervaluing Black-owned homes aren’t hidden secrets, efforts to mitigate these setbacks have moved at a snail’s pace.

In California, a Black Bay Area couple shared their story on how their home was undervalued by a White appraiser despite making significant renovations amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. They believe race played a part.

Speaking to ABC7, Paul and Tenisha Tate Austin said they purchased their Bay Area home in 2016 after initially struggling to close deals on properties they were interested in due to challenges including being outbid. They said they eventually became homeowners thanks to another Black family that wanted to sell their property off to a Black couple.

The couple said when they moved into the 1960s-built home, they invested heavily in renovations, spending $400,000 in constructing new floors, a deck and a fireplace. They said they also installed new appliances and added 1,000 square feet of space as well as a whole new floor.

When their massively-renovated home was subsequently appraised, however, it was far below their expected valuation. “I read the appraisal, I looked at the number I was like, ‘This is unbelievable’,” Tenisha Austin told the news outlet.

The couple said the appraiser – an older White woman – used coded language including “Marin City is a distinct area” in her appraisal. She valued the couple’s home at $989,000 – $100,000 more than its previous estimate before their $400,000 renovation, reported. The Austins said they believe race played a part in the White appraiser’s estimation of their home.

“It was a slap in the face,” Austin said.

Dissatisfied with the estimate, the couple said they complained to their lender and requested a second appraisal. They were granted that after a month of following up. Before the second appraiser came in, however, the couple said they had a White friend pretend to be the owner of their home.

“We had a conversation with one of our white friends, and she said ‘No problem. I’ll be Tenisha. I’ll bring over some pictures of my family,’” Austin said. “She made our home look like it belonged to her.”

That plan worked as the second appraiser valued their home at $1,482,000 – almost $500,000 more than the first appraisal. The couple said their home being initially undervalued is a stark manifestation of the much broader issues pertaining to systemic racism in the United States.

“There are implications to our ability to create generational wealth or passing things on if our houses appraise for 50% less than its value,” Tate Austin told.

Glaring Reality

Racial discrimination in the housing system in the United States continues to persist, with Black Americans usually struggling to secure home loans compared to their fellow Whites, The New York Times reported in 2020. The former are also subjected to redlining, where they are denied mortgages in some neighborhoods. This practice further devalues homes in Black neighborhoods. Black homeowners also reportedly claim their properties are usually appraised far less than that of their neighbors in mixed-race and predominantly White neighborhoods.

A 2018 report by researchers at Gallup and the Brookings Institution also shed some light on the devaluation of properties in Black neighborhoods compared to similar homes in White neighborhoods. According to the report: “Owner-occupied homes in black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 per home on average, amounting to $156 billion in cumulative losses.”

Speaking to The New York Times, Andre Perry, one of the writers of the Brookings Institution report, said Black homeowners still continue to bear the brunt of their homes being devalued – irrespective of the neighborhood they find themselves in.

“We still see Black people as risky,” Perry said. “White appraisers carry the same attitudes and beliefs of white America — the same attitudes that compelled Derek Chauvin to kneel casually on the neck of George Floyd are shared by other professionals in other fields. How does that choking out of America look in the appraisal industry? Through very low appraisals.”

A report by Redfin also revealed only 44% of Black Americans managed to own homes in 2020 as compared to 74% of White Americans. President Joe Biden has proposed financial reforms to make it less cumbersome for Black Americans to purchase homes.

Ulta Beauty wants to invest in Black-owned beauty brands. The beauty retailer announced that it will invest $25 million into driving more access to the industry for BIPOC brands as well as provide more Black-owned brands on the store shelves.

The company has also appointed Tracee Ellis Ross to serve as its new Diversity and Inclusion Advisor. In her new role, the actress and hair entrepreneur will “provide counsel and insight, and drive accountability to Ulta Beauty–with a specific focus on BIPOC brand development, diverse leadership development, and supplier diversity.”

“I look forward to formalizing an already existing dialogue and partnership around diversity and inclusion with Mary Dillon and the Ulta Beauty team,” the black-ish star said in a press statement. “This work requires commitment and accountability from Ulta Beauty to ensure measurable goals are achieved. I am hopeful and optimistic our work together will create foundational change.”

Ulta also announced that it will feature more inclusive branding in its marketing campaigns with dedicated beauty initiatives geared toward different marginalized communities.

“As the country’s beauty retail leader, we believe we have the power to shape how the world sees beauty and as such, we have a responsibility to inspire positive change and drive greater diversity, inclusivity, and equity. We are deeply committed to leading purposefully with and for underrepresented voices across retail and beauty on our D&I journey,” said Mary Dillon, CEO, Ulta Beauty in the statement.

“Authenticity as an inclusive brand with welcoming experiences for all and an approachable assortment are tenets of how we champion diversity at Ulta Beauty,” continued Dillon. “We have mapped these commitments to impact every facet of our work. We look forward to sharing more as we continue on this journey with steadfast commitment from our teams and our newly established advisory Tracee Ellis Ross, who brings passion, experience, and perspective to this important work.”

Netflix’s historical romance series Bridgerton has become the most successful show on the streaming platform’s history, exceeding expectations by gaining more than 80 million views worldwide since its release. The massive popularity of the Shondaland drama, which is set in Regency London, has inspired fans with the characters’ fashion and their love for tea time.

Stephanie Synclair is the founder of LaRue 1680, having created the brand inspired by her own love of Victorian paintings she had seen growing in Alabama. After traveling to various countries in Asia, learning about the different types of tea, she created her own tea rituals at home as a form of self-care.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit nearly a year ago, Synclair noted the spike in sales thanks to more people being at home. Another sales boom came with the Christmas Day 2020 arrival of Bridgerton, whose imagery of tea time inspired many Black fans of the show to flock to her site.

“Perhaps the best effect of us spending more time at home during the pandemic and watching shows like Bridgeton, is that we have experienced a much-needed reminder that we can be fabulous in our own homes, take care of our appearances, get dolled up, and sip tea with our pinky up,” Synclair said in a press statement. 

Their introductory collection features a classic twist on favorites like India Street Vanilla Chai, Italian Cream Earl Grey, Moroccan Mint, Yerba Mate, and Hibiscus.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe and particularly in America, Black businesses have been found to be the hardest hit. Also, COVID-19 has delayed the opening of many Black businesses, thereby affecting the economic power in the Black community.

Despite the intensity of COVID-19 in the United States and its consequences on the ability of people to continue with business operations and raising new businesses, two Houston brothers have defied all odds to open the city’s newest Black-owned coffee shop called Day 6 Coffee Company.

Day 6 Coffee Company, founded by Ricardo “RJ” and Ian Wilson, has a divine connotation, driving its foundation from the biblical word of God. According to Ricardo, it was founded on the Bible verse, Genesis 1:31, that God created coffee.

“On the sixth day, God gave us coffee and so much more,” he explained, according to Chron. “Although plants, trees, and animals were created on the third day, God actually ‘gave’ us those creations when he created us on the sixth day. And the sixth day is said to be when God finished his creations.”

Besides the divinity informing the naming of the coffee shop, the establishment of the company is in part a tribute to their late brother whose dream was to open a restaurant.

“One of my brother’s dreams was to open a restaurant. RJ and I and our family decided that we would fulfill his dream, firstly with me taking up the mantle as a chef and then ultimately using Day 6 Coffee Co as a stepping stone into making our mark in the food industry,” Ian said.

The coffee shop, located at 910 Prairie Street, also offers a range of flavors, including Texas latte, cheesecake latte and pumpkin latte. In addition, the menu includes items such as boudin kolache, brisket kolache, florentine quiche, cheesecakes and sandwiches.

Ricardo said he learned how to make coffee while he was studying in Barcelona. He was introduced to it by his house mother as she prepared coffee for the family on a daily basis.

“Waking up each morning to the smell of coffee with the combination of watching the sunrise was meditative and spiritual. We want everyone to have that same experience when drinking our coffee,” he said.

Although the coffee shop is less than two months old, it has become one of the most famous beverage shops in Houston. Its first day of operation was an instant hit and has since recorded a respectable stream of patronage.

“We want to be known for providing that type of energy,” Ricardo said. “A business and networking kind of environment. When we provide value to others, others provide value to us.”