To mark this year's Black History Month, we have teamed up with Be Inclusive Hospitality to curate a gift package filled with an explosion of international flavours sourced from independent Black-owned businesses. These products come from start-ups within the Mission Kitchen community and other independent Black-owned businesses from across the UK.
Supported by Yelp, the project aims to showcase and celebrate Black entrepreneurial talent in the food sector, and has helped the founders of 10 up-and-coming brands get their products in front of hundreds of new customers across the country, generating more than £12,000 in sales for the businesses who have taken part.
Here, we're shining a spotlight on three of the brands featured in the package, who are all MK Shared Kitchen members making waves in the food industry:
1. Myristica
Myristica is the brainchild of Michelle, a Michelin-trained chef, supperclub host, and a MasterChef: The Professionals 2018 Semi Finalist. Recognising the need for high-quality spice blends that simplify the process of cooking Caribbean food at home, Michelle captures the essence of Caribbean cuisine while making it accessible to all. Hand-blended and carefully sourced, each mix of spices and herbs are curated to bring the vibrant flavours of the Caribbean islands to your spice cupboard.
Some of the award-winning blends from Myristica's collection include:
- Everyday Caribbean Seasoning (Great Taste Award-Winning 2022): A gentle heat that can be used as a marinade, a rub or in place of your salt and pepper.
- Nanny’s Grenadian Seasoning: An ode to her ‘Nanny’ who came over from Grenada (also known as the Island of Spice) in the 1960s, a non spicy, multipurpose seasoning using everyday Caribbean island ingredients to add depth to everyday cooking, perfect sprinkled over any savoury meal!
- Scotch Bonnet Fiery BBQ (Great Taste Award-Winning 2023): A tangy, spicy, and ever so slightly sweet with a zing of apple cider vinegar and punchy yellow mustard, perfect for low and slow dishes.
Michelle’s Everyday Caribbean Seasoning is featured in this year's Black History Month gift hamper.
2. The Garden of Eva
Eva, the mastermind behind The Garden of Eva, draws inspiration from her upbringing in the American South to create a range of pickles and condiments that preserve culinary traditions, while infusing her creations with innovation. We first met Eva in 2020, before Mission Kitchen even opened its doors. She became one of our founding members, and has been with us ever since! Eva took part in our Mentoring Programme, where 1-2-1 mentoring from Thomas Barton, Co-Founder of Honest Burgers, led to an opportunity to supply products for a special burger recipe and now has her products stocked in all Whole Foods Market stores!
Her standout creations include:
- Chili-Watermelon Jam: A versatile fusion of sweet, spicy, and savoury flavours. It can be eaten as a spread, a glaze, a dipping sauce, or for an added depth of flavour!
- American Southern Chow Chow: A staple throughout the American South; ideal for any beans, vegetables or as a sweet and tangy topping.
- Pickled Watermelon Rind (Great Taste Award-Winning 2022): A zero-waste rind pickled with a sugar and spice-infused brine. Great for BBQs, as an alternative to chutney, in a salad or to snack on.
Eva’s Chili-Watermelon Jam is featured in this year's Black History Month gift hamper.
3. Madeleine & Co.
Hali and her co-founder Marie have a shared passion for artisanal, hand-crafted madeleines that showcase exciting new flavours. Madeleine & Co, is a testament to a love of great craftsmanship inspired by classic French techniques and the finest ingredients. Dedicated to pushing the boundaries of flavour, these delicate cakes are baked, garnished, glazed, decorated and packed by hand.
Some of their signature Madeleine’s include:
- La Violette: Light and lemony with a blueberry and violet filling decorated with white chocolate and blueberry pieces.
- French Kiss: Natural rose flavour, filled with raspberry confit, and beautifully textured with freeze dried raspberry pieces.
- Zesty One: Infused Lemon and lime zest, filled with a lemon and lime confit and complemented by a lemon, lime, and olive oil glaze for an extra layer of flavour and crispiness.
For our Black History Month gift hamper, Hali and Marie featured exclusive Mini Orange Blossom Madeleine’s.
Supporting Black founders and entrepreneurs from other under-represented groups can't just happen during events like Black History Month. But projects like this, alongside the kind of affordable and flexible kitchen memberships we offer at Mission Kitchen, play a part in developing greater inclusivity and fostering a more equitable food industry.
Be sure to keep an eye on these pioneering entrepreneurs, as they are making big moves, and check out all of the other amazing food founders featured in the gift package below:
- Ethically Produced Cameroonian Coffee from Amero | @amero_act
- Maple Pecan and Dark Chocolate Nut & Seed Snacks from RAISE Snacks | @raisesnacks
- Everyday Caribbean Seasoning from Myristica | @athomebymyristica
- Mini Orange Blossom Madeleines from Madeleine and Co | @madeleine_and_co_london
- Black Rice & Almond Crackers from Miss Nang | @missynang
- Biscoff Brownie Fingers from Good Cake Day | @goodcakeday
- Balinese Jam from Novice Kitchen | @novicekitchen_
- Jerk Sauce from Lesley’s Sauces | @lesleyssauces
- Watermelon Chili Jam from The Garden of Eva | @gardenofeva.uk
Support The Project
Our Black History Month Gift Packages are available for organisations to order as gifts for their employees, clients and partners. If your company is interested in finding out more about this and future projects please contact us at: charlie@missionkitchen.org
