$30K grand prize: Sisters embrace vegan comfort eats potential with Mattie’s Food’s big win
March 16, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
Arvelisha Woods and India Monique plan to use their grand prize winnings from Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition to invest in the community’s health, they said.
Mattie’s Foods won $30,000 in the second annual G.I.F.T. event, which saw 10 Black-owned businesses vying for funding to fuel their business dreams.
The winning co-founders of the vegan eats venture want to establish their own garden to combat food deserts and nourish Kansas City — all part of the sisters-turned-entrepreneurs’ years-long effort to transform people’s relationships with nutritious food through their comfort-food cafe.
“We grew up on 57th and College and there was no store like that, so to be able to have something in the city where people can go and pick produce, and learn how to garden and grow their own food, that’s our ultimate vision,” said Woods.
With the restaurant named after their late grandmother who inspired their creativity, cooking, and resourcefulness, the sisters aspire to pay that love forward in the community through food education.
“I had already decided when getting on that stage that I won no matter what name was called, because every business there is a representation of everything that people like me want to be,” said Woods.
Click here to follow Mattie’s Foods on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Karina Colvon, KC Nails and Spa, center, celebrates after being named a winner in the We Are Black pitch competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Self-starters represented
The prize pool for Friday’s competition at the Delta Athenaeum hit $60,000.
In addition to Mattie’s Foods, Karina Colvon, owner of KC Nails and Spa, claimed the $20,000 prize, while Guroux Khalifa, owner of District Biskuits, won $10,000.
Teaching more than 150 girls in the KC metro area, Colvon intends to use her funds to expand her own accredited cosmetology school for aspiring nail technicians, while Khalifa plans to enhance his storefront with new equipment and increase staffing.
Guroux Khalifa, owner of District Biskuits, embraces Brandon Calloway, CEO and co-founder of G.I.F.T. during the announcement of winners at the We Are Black pitch competition; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
The full list of Friday’s competitors included:
- Smooth Body – Tanika Campbell‘s line of small-batch body care products aims to exfoliate and moisturize skin.
- The Black Pantry – Brian Roberts‘s home goods and specialty shop exclusively offers products from Black-owned businesses.
- Duffle Bag Apparel – KeiShaun Britton‘s empowering apparel company.
- Cinns Cleaning – Cindi Corredor’s home cleaning and service business provides home cleaning, landscaping, and car detailing services in the KC area.
- AGA Productions – Corey McCartney‘s KC-based film and music production company.
- The Blakk Co. – Founded by Christina Williams and Tamela Ross, a membership-based social club & lounge for Black professionals.
- BLK + BRWN – Cori Smith’s bookstore uplifting the works of Black and Brown authors.
Cori Smith, founder of BLK + BRWN bookstore, pitches her business alongside Karis Harrington, G.I.F.T.; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Spreading the word
G.I.F.T. (Generating Income for Tomorrow), a nonprofit founded in 2020, organized Friday’s pitch competition and Black business expo as part of its ongoing mission to narrow the racial wealth gap in Kansas City. Members of the public are most familiar with G.I.F.T.’s efforts to award grants to Black-owned businesses in historically underserved neighborhoods.
“This is the one time of the year that we allow ourselves to be able to be a financial support to all of the other black owned businesses in the Kansas City area,” said Brandon Calloway, CEO and co-founder of G.I.F.T.
Unlike the grant program, which is targeted for businesses on the east side of the city, the pitch competition is open to a wider array of Black-owned businesses, beyond G.I.F.T.’s typical geographic limitations.
“This is a way for us to involve the community,” Calloway said. “Normally what we do in our grant-making process is all behind the scenes. So we’re able to introduce new people to our pitchers, even if they don’t win.”
Check out a gallery of photos from the pitch competition and business expo below.
Featured Business
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Focused on KC, the Lean Lab welcomes five new ed tech startups
The Lean Lab, a Kansas City-based education tech accelerator, is returning for its fourth year with a new approach that aims to be more community focused and sophisticated. During a Tuesday event, the Lean Lab announced the five new startups in its 2017 cohort at a breakfast at the recently renovated Corrigan Station. Katie Boody,…
Innovation coach Diana Kander: Failure is an option
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Yes, you could fail, and it would be embarrassing. People would talk about it. People you know. But let’s be honest, they’re only trying to reassure themselves about the risk-averse choices they’ve made. Yes, you could fail, and it could get you fired. I’m…
Smart City update: Living Lab set to launch, TV show may highlight KC innovation
Bob Bennett, chief innovation officer at the City of Kansas City, Mo., said Kansas City has championed itself as a leader in big data and smart city tech for years now. But now the city is reaching an inflection point to leverage the data at a significant scale, he said. “The bottom line is that…
From homelessness to national TV, Fishing Caddy founder to appear on ABC
The Fishing Caddy has reeled in a big opportunity with a national television show that will feature its device making anglers’ pursuits a bit easier. On July 16, Fishing Caddy founder Joe Pippins will hop on Steve Harvey’s Funderdome, an ABC show in which inventors compete for cash to help accelerate their businesses. The Fishing Caddy…