Victoria Tyson of Victoria’s Kitchen and Catering was one of the first PepsiCo Foundation grant award recipients. We created a promotional video for Victoria and assisted with revising her website. She has been a regular attendee and contributor of our Monday morning sessions. Victoria received an EDIL loan worth $1,200,000 in February 2022.
 

David Simms of Eatible Delights Catering was an original PepsiCo Foundation grant award recipient. We created a promotional video for his firm. David has since become a preferred vendor at the Community College of Philadelphia and provided catering services for 250 people at the Congressional Black Caucus this past September in Washington, DC.
 

Dawn Frazier of Ms. Dawn’s Kitchen and Catering received a PepsiCo Foundation grant in 2021. After attending a number of our Monday morning sessions, she has increased her monthly revenue by 25%. In August, Ms. Dawn’s was the sole caterer of the Second Annual Convening of the Mayors.
 

Antwain Bullock of Sweet Treat Hut sells smoothies and catering services. He was a 2022 PepsiCo Foundation grant recipient and used his proceeds to open his fourth retail location in the Fashion District of Philadelphia. Antwain is a regular attendee and contributor to our Monday morning sessions. He also partnered with the Urban League to plan and coordinate the Food Service Career Fair in August.

 

Featured Stories:

Lynette Smith of Nutz About Popcorn is a regular participant in our Monday morning sessions. We assisted Lynette with marketing and strategic planning. Also, we provided tax planning and preparation services and created a promotional video. In September, Nutz About Popcorn was featured on the Fox Pule Show. Here is link: https://www.fox.com/watch/d85e660d8c7f721adf30f8355054d2d0/
 

Kayla and Maya Johnston are twins, both former principles in the Philadelphia School District. They opened FoodChaisers’ Kitchen in December 2021 and have built a strong following. Food Chaisers’ received a PepsciCo Foundation grant, to assist with renovating their restaurant. We assisted the twins with their marketing. Recently, they were featured on the Fox Pulse Show. Here is the link to the segment: https://www.fox.com/watch/2a9953b19c4e4e7941820dfd44e95977/

 

Testimonials:

“When we started our business, it was difficult to find business owners who were willing to share information. When we joined BRAP we were granted access to a wealth of human resources. Our involvement with BRAP has given us opportunities to build and develop our business. BRAP offered resources to assist with improving our website SEO, updating our digital hardware and software, providing leads for catering opportunities, creating marketing promos, and several other benefits. We are forever grateful for these opportunities and look forward to continuing our partnership with BRAP and PepsiCo.” - Terrance and Tiffany Hopkins-Bey, Royal Zarasa

“The PepsiCo grant really helped us get our Fashion District location opened. We could pay for signage, the lease and promote all through that one grant. We hired two people for the new location. The grant really came at a great time because we would have had to push back our grand opening without those funds. We really appreciate PepsiCo!” - Antwain Bullock, Sweet Treat Hut

“The program has been an overall rare opportunity for our business. We have benefited tremendously from the knowledge we’ve received. We have made new connections with other businesses and organizations to produce quality commercials and partner with other participating businesses to do business. Being a member of BRAP has helped us increase revenue. We secured new contracts and received a grant that helped us keep our business afloat.  We also learned about new ways to keep the momentum going. We could join forces with our peer business owners and contribute money to a scholarship fund, which was a great feeling. BRAP has allowed us so many opportunities to excel as minority-owned businesses. I enjoy working with the Urban League because they care about helping us grow our business as well as our success!”  - Natasha Liggins, Msquared

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