From Food Apartheid to Delicious Abundance

In West Oakland – an area with deep roots in Black art, food, and community – access to fresh foods and economic opportunities were deliberately withheld through decades of redlining and disinvestment. For 21 years, Mandela Partners has worked alongside Black and Brown communities to change this legacy. They collaborate with residents, farmers, food entrepreneurs, and organizers to strengthen the work already in motion, and create a just and abundant food system in Oakland and the Bay Area. 

Each year, Mandela reaches more than 10,000 community members through:

–Distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms to local families

–Wellness programming that goes beyond nutritional health and supports holistic well-being 

–Paid culinary training and internships for community members facing barriers to employment

–Workshops, mentorship, and direct capital for new and upcoming food entrepreneurs. 

“We’re not just addressing food access,” explains Chuck Brown, Fund Development Director at Mandela Partners. “We’re creating economic self-determination for communities.” As both an entrepreneur himself and someone passionate about creating opportunities for others, he understands the unique challenges facing food entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds.

Mandela Partners started supporting food entrepreneurs in 2013; since then, they’ve supported over 250 early-stage entrepreneurs to launch and grow small businesses through their Food Business Pathways program, which gives entrepreneurs the knowledge, resources, and network they need to succeed. The majority of these entrepreneurs are Black women and women of color. Some are immigrants, some come from families who have been in the Bay for generations, all of them creating individual and community wealth by starting up food businesses.

One of Mandela’s most successful projects is East 14th Eatery + Kitchen, a food hall that serves as both an incubator for their entrepreneurs and a community gathering space. Here, three incubated entrepreneurs operate food kiosks in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, supported by Mandela Partners’ sweeping programming that includes workshops, coaching, practical support like covering vending site fees and providing kitchen space and equipment, and direct financial support through seed funding.

Success stories abound. Diana Ramirez successfully ran a kiosk at E14th Eatery + Kitchen for four years before opening her own brick-and-mortar restaurant in Unincorporated Alameda County, Yoyo’s Botaneria.

“She is now becoming an anchor of economic revitalization in that community,” notes Brown. The ripple effects are visible – the neighborhood’s first new supermarket in years opened across the street from Yoyo’s, and another new café is opening nearby. “What Diana has made possible is the dream we have for every entrepreneur we get the opportunity to work with.”