Brew & Sip The Cafe and Roastery
Brew and Sip The Cafe and Roastery, founded during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest, was born out of a desire to create safe space for Black and Brown communities. Latoya Cook-Bradley, its founder and a chef by trade, already owned a catering company but felt the need to pivot to better serve the community during unstable times.
“I love feeding people and bringing people together and I just like connecting people. I wanted to open up a cafe and I kept being told no because Louisville had so many foodie places, and so the perfect storm was COVID because I had the catering company already and I just had to pivot it enough to make it for everybody,” Bradley said.
Although the cafe has grown into a beloved local spot, the journey has not been without its challenges.
“Funding has been our biggest challenge. We have self funded for the five years that we have been in existence. Making everything align is the final piece and we should be able to grow it more,” Bradley said.
Despite the obstacles, Bradley finds immense reward in serving her community. From satisfying customers’ food and espresso cravings to seeing them return and refer others, she feels fulfilled by the smiles she brings to people’s faces.
As a black-owned business, Brew and Sip plays an important role in Louisville’s local economy by creating jobs, reinvesting money into underrepresented communities and motivating other minority entrepreneurs. Their success promotes more inclusive economic growth, ensuring a large range of voices and experiences are reflected in the business community.
“We have our own swagger,” Bradley said, emphasizing that black-owned businesses often cater to unique needs within the community or bring something meaningful from their own experiences to life.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple yet powerful.
“I always tell people do it anyways, so if you’re gonna do it afraid, do it anyways. Just make sure you have a plan and you’re ready to pivot,” Bradley said.
Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Co.
Founded with a heart for community, Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Co. is a unique business with a dual mission: to sell delicious pies and to support its community, by uplifting families and children.
The company began in 2017 when Dawn Urrutia and her husband Deyago Urrutia had a strong desire to make a positive impact in the community.
“We started it because we wanted to start a non-profit to give back and help families and children in our community,” Urrutia said.
After launching a bakery selling pies to support this goal, they eventually decided to keep the company as a for-profit business, but supporting literacy in underserved communities.
At Georgia’s, they distribute free books to children, adults and families in their local community—and even ship books to people who request them.
They believe that no matter the circumstances, whether that be financial constraints, transportation challenges or residential location, books should be accessible for everyone. Through this mission they have partnered with several businesses to build over 8 Promise Libraries and donate over 5,000 books.
The rewards of owning and operating the business are not just financial, but personal.
“When we just get to go out in the community and actually network with different community partners that we have, that’s really rewarding,” Urrutia said.
The company works with various schools, community and childcare centers. Through these partnerships, they’re able to mentor youth and engage with their local community in meaningful ways.
Additionally, embracing diversity and inclusion is essential to community resilience and growth.
“I think all minority businesses are important because I feel that diversity needs to be accepted and needs to be celebrated and needs to be visible,” Urrutia said.
Supporting local, minority-owned businesses, especially small “mom and pop” shops, creates a sense of connection and strength in community.
“Make sure you are passionate about what you’re doing, and have a mission tied to it so that you’re giving back to your community,” Urrutia said. The sense of purpose that comes with knowing your business has a positive social impact can be just as valuable as profits.
Through their pies and mission-based initiatives, Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Co. exemplifies how a small business can have a lasting, positive effect on its community while striving to create an inclusive environment for all.
Kizito Cookies
Many Louisvillians know and love Kizito Cookies. It is common to see Elizabeth Kizito, the founder of the company, balancing a woven hat full of cookies on her head at a Louisville Bats Game or other local events. But how did this business come to be?
Kizito was born in Uganda, Africa, and moved to the U.S. in 1972. She settled in Louisville in 1983 and got a job waiting tables at a restaurant downtown. Kizito baked cookies at her house and brought them to work to share with her co-workers. They enjoyed her baking and encouraged her to start selling her cookies.
“I just had a baby and I didn’t have a job and everybody liked my cookies and I said well I’m going to start selling my cookies on the street like people in Africa,” Kizito said.
However, starting a new business wasn’t easy.
“I ran into a lot of challenges because a lot of times I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kizito said. Running a business was new to Kizito, but encouragement from the public helped tremendously.
“They would buy my cookies, and sometimes I feel like my cookies didn’t turn out good, and they would say oh they’re so good and it’s like ‘okay, I keep going’,” Kizito said.
Kizito believes that Black-owned businesses like hers are important to the community.
“Black business means a lot of things to people because they have a lot of different things to offer,” Kizitio said.
While Kizito’s journey hasn’t been easy, Kizito Cookies has become a well-loved Louisville institution. Kizito has been nicknamed “Cookie Lady” and has her own Louisville Bats bobblehead.
“Whatever you want to do, don’t let nobody discourage you because of what you want. You have to try,” Kizito said to aspiring entrepreneurs.
