DARIEN, Conn. — Proud Puffs, a new vegan-friendly, chocolate, cereal company based in Darien is gaining national attention for being the first Black-owned company of its kind.
The owner and founder, Nic King, spoke with FOX61 as the nation celebrates Black History Month highlighting those making a difference.
In his interview, King says he got the idea for the cereal company during the Black Lives Matter protest this past summer.
The idea leading him to shape the cereal with a fist in the air, a proud symbol well known in the Black community.
Proud Puffs hopes to change the narrative of the African-American community and all people of color by providing much needed diverse representation and healthier options.
King said, "I want to make sure what I am putting back into the community is healthy, I didn't want it to be an overly sugary cereal, so plant-based, vegan friendly... it was definitely the avenue I wanted to go."
King said over Zoom his idea sparked at a time where a cultural shift was inspiring new Black ownership.
King said, "A lot of things on social media, was like Black-owned, shop Black there were companies talking about their Black initiative they were going to implement going forward, so you know just really cultivating the idea and realizing that at the time there was nobody else in that space. I said this is perfect timing to build out the company and make a big cultural impact."
King says that's what lead to him to Proud Puffs, a Legacy Cereal brand displaying a Black, vegan friendly, chocolate fist showcasing the pride of the African-American community.
Now more than ever, King says representation matters explaining that brands like Aunt Jemima pancake/waffle mix, may have had a Black face on the cover, but it was never intended to provide a positive representation of the community.
"I think the overall goal is to show the world, especially in today's climate that representation matters. I think everyone should you know have pride and take pride in their culture and to be able to announce it out loud and share it out loud,” said King.
The company has gained notable attention from social media where King explains the cover art where you will see a family sitting around a table.
The family is in fact, his own family.
King said, "My family is very important, so with it being Legacy-cereal brand and talking about generational wealth, it was important to have my son, my sister, my niece, my nephew, my family on the cover."
On the side of the box, you can even see a list of notable Black figures each with their own historical significance explanation, but the cereal company is more than spreading representation. According to King, through his initiative ‘Operation Love’, he plans to bring food to food deserts.
King explained, “We plan on taking 2021 and 2022 and doing a tour around the states and trying to find ways to help, you now working with local farms and inside our community so we can actually we can actually start to bring nutritional value back to our community."
Although the company has been gaining attention the Proud Puff cereal company still needs more help which is why the cereal company announced a crowdfunding campaign looking for backers where people can pre-order their own box before it hits a shelf near you.