[00:00:10] Ray Latif: Hey, folks, I'm Ray Latif, and you're listening to the number one podcast for anyone building a business in food or beverage, Taste Radio. This is a special episode of the podcast and the second installment of our limited series called Black Founders Club. Developed in collaboration with Equity founder and CEO Quentin Vennie, the series explores the challenges and opportunities Black Founders face in the CPG space. In a candid and insightful conversation, Quentin and Greg Lowe II, who is the founder and CEO of coconut water brand 100 Coconuts, dive into the complexities of embracing their Black identity while navigating the business world. They discuss the dual reality of finding support and facing systemic barriers alongside the evolving landscape of DEI initiatives. They also explore the ongoing challenges Black Founders face in accessing capital and the opportunities international markets may offer Black-owned brands. Greg also shares the story of securing a major partnership with Disney, highlighting how creativity, culture, and agility set his brand apart from industry giants. He and Quentin also unpacked misconceptions about DEI, the long road ahead for equal opportunities, and how their journeys are paving the way for other Black Founders in CPG. Hey, folks, it's Ray with Taste Radio. Right now, I am honored to be sitting down with Quentin Vennie, who is the founder of Equity, and Greg Lowe II, the founder of 100 Coconuts. Gentlemen, great to see you.
[00:01:52] Quentin Vennie: Sir, good to see you. Great to see you, Ray. Thank you for having us.
[00:01:56] Ray Latif: As our audience knows, the Black Founders Club is a limited series that we are highlighting here on Taste Radio. Quentin, we produced and published our first episode last year. And just as a refresher to folks, talk about the focus and what we're trying to do here with the series.
[00:02:14] Greg Lowe: Yeah no thank you. Again we're looking to really highlight the challenges the experiences but also the victories associated with being Black Founders in the CPG space. Our experiences tend to be a bit unique. And I think that. Bev Ned and Taste Radio provides an incredible resource platform for information sharing, right? I think a shared story can really make a significant impact. And I think it's important as we continue to navigate this space to really highlight a lot of the opportunities that we found. a lot of the challenges that we experienced, but also a lot of the victories that we have, right, in the face of all of it and how we continue to grow and thrive within the food and beverage CPG landscape.
[00:03:02] Ray Latif: The three of us had an opportunity to sit down a couple of weeks ago and one of the things we were chatting about was this notion of being both an entrepreneur in CPG and also a Black Founders and sort of the nuances of being both.
[00:03:19] Greg Lowe: As a starting point, you know, we're constantly in this interesting juxtaposition between being identified publicly as a black owned company and being identified publicly as a company. And I think that's a really unique space for us to exist in because, you know, I've had multiple conversations with other founders and a lot of what we've been pushing and fighting for is this recognition that though we are black, we are building incredible companies. And I think a lot of times there's a perception attached to black owned brands that were only created for black people. And when you look at other brands, regardless of the ethnicity and nationality or history of its founder, these brands are looked at and perceived as being for everyone, right? And so we're constantly in this space of having to operate with the recognition and pride of being black. I often say if I could go back and do it again, I'd come back black. So there's a pride attached to our history, our ethnicity, and who we are as black people. But there's also this other side of, at what point do we no longer become classified as just black businesses and become classified as good businesses? That was one of the foundational ideologies behind naming the company equity, right? It wasn't just merely about creating equitable access to Better Sour you products, primarily tea, we're a tea company, but it was really about like breaking down these barriers of inequity so that we can all enjoy the benefits and the fruits of our labor.
[00:05:16] Quentin Vennie: Yep, that's cool, man. I mean, and I think you hit it on the head being a african-american entrepreneur and have run in a black business you have your pros and your cons right i mean just with anything in life but as you know being an african-american in this in this space which is you know i wouldn't even say one percent maybe maybe point something you know you come up against some trials and tribulations that maybe our counterparts wouldn't come up against And that's just the fact of the matter. That happens with women, minorities, etc. And we need to just be real about it instead of, you know, acting like it's not there. But I do think that there's the positives of running a Black business. And those are, when you launch, people have so much enthusiasm about where you're going to go because it's never been done before, right? They haven't seen much of it. So even with 100 coconuts, you know, coming out black, first black on coconut water. And I took pride in that, even though I didn't know it at the time and the media came at it. But I took pride in that because let's break barriers in everything we do, because there are our ancestors, the people who came before us. mentors who weren't given the same opportunities that we were given. And they're like, man, I wish I was able to do that. So I think having that tag gives a certain pride to the business. It makes people feel good when they're walking into the store and they're purchasing. They're like, yeah. And it's and it's also black owned. I see it on social media all the time.
[00:06:38] Greg Lowe: There is definitely a pride in having that ownership and also seeing ourselves represented on those shelves. I can't name how many times I've gone to a grocery store and I never saw myself represented. I never saw my culture represented. I never saw the ingredients that are native to the African diaspora celebrated and represented. I think there's something to be proud about that and not shy away from the fact that we are black. The challenge again is, We are growing and scaling and building incredible businesses, and we just happen to be Black.
[00:07:20] Black Founders: You hit it right on the head, Quinn. You hit it right on the head, Q. Yeah.
[00:07:24] Ray Latif: Although in this current political environment, and it seems like the federal government's loathe for the term DEI, I wonder if it's made it more difficult to talk about being a Black-owned business in any context.
[00:07:42] Quentin Vennie: everything has this cycle. We went through this before and, you know, Black Tiles came about, you know, revolution is never televised. And the thing is, is that when you're in a space that we're in, where people are split and they're trying to take away the division, even though replacing DEI and that's dividing even more, I think what you'll start to see is people leaning in a little bit more. I think you'll start because You gotta realize, you know, half of America or a little bit more than half of America is about DEI, and you have companies that are standing up to say, we're keeping our program. So for women, for minorities, you know, for everyone that is included in DEI, I think we should look at it as this is just, a break away from the formal way of saying it, and people are just going to do it, which is naturally what you want anyway, all right? You want people to give opportunities for who they are. And I wish we could continue to have DEI as a forefront, because I think we have so much more to do before we can just say, it's over. Let's start treating everybody equal and see what we get. But hey, you know, it's four years, and then we'll go from there.
[00:08:49] Greg Lowe: Yeah, I agree with that. I think there are more people who want it than people who don't. And we're starting to see it. I think the challenge that I'm seeing is that it's creating division within community. And those are things that get highlighted during moments like this. But this is nothing new. We've built and have established ourselves. And then things have gotten destroyed. Look at Black Wall Street. That's just one example of how we've built and it's been destroyed and dismantled. And yet we continue to build. And we continue to build those bridges, to build those allies, and continue to thrive. As long as the world is spinning, we'll continue to push the envelope. In context of that, Greg, I hope I'm not jumping out the window on this one, but you mentioned your retail partners, two of which have publicly come out against continuing the DEI programs. How has that impacted your business and or do you see it impacting your business?
[00:09:56] Quentin Vennie: Well, I got to, you know, I got to be frank and say, you know, I've seen some of these companies outwardly say we are getting rid of DEI, but like I said, they're still giving us opportunities. We're still expanding. The Walmarts and Targets are still expanding our brand and not everyone, obviously, but I think people are more so instead of putting it through a DEI program, you're just going through the regular program that everyone else goes through, and that way you get the exposure that everyone else gets, right? So I haven't seen any issues even with the partners that have denounced DEI. I've actually seen growth, which I'm proud of because I think the people that are in place, and that's ultimately what's needed, it's the people that are in place in the decision-making positions to make decisions that reflect the culture in the world. It's not about, hey, we have to make this more black or we have to bring more women. It's that's what the world is. So if Target wants to sell to more women, they're going to have to have female led products on the shelves. If Target is going to sell to more African-Americans, which is a huge part of their revenue generation base, if they have 15% of their sales coming from the African American crowd, they're going to have to put African American brands on the shelf. So, you know, we're never going back to that full white Caucasian toy world. Remember that, where all the toys were Caucasian? We're not going back to that. There's going to have to be a representation because little black girls are buying dolls and also little white girls and Indian girls. So we'll see it all.
[00:11:31] Greg Lowe: I'm glad you brought that up, Greg, because there is a nuance and there's these very loud conversations within our community of what that means for us Black Founders, but then also what does that mean for consumers. And I think a lot of it has yet to be determined because, as you mentioned, which I think is a really interesting point, Though these companies have publicly denounced these DEI initiatives, you as a Black Founders have also seen continuous growth. I think that's something that most people wouldn't have anticipated because I think the perception is by getting rid of these DEI initiatives or these programs, it's then eliminating Black Founders and businesses from being a part of the conversation or having a seat at the table. some would argue that that's not what's happening. And you have other sides that would argue the opposite. So I'm grateful that you shared and offered that perspective. Thank you.
[00:12:32] Ray Latif: The other part of this, I think, is if, as Greg pointed out, there's a whole part of the population that is looking for and looking to support Black-owned brands, well, the funding has to be there as well to support these brands. And I think that's... something we've talked about ad nauseum for every CPG company out there. And it was something we talked about in the last episode, the Black Founders Club, but Quentin, you know, I'm sensing that the path has gotten even more challenging over the past six months or so. Has it?
[00:13:05] Greg Lowe: Yeah, I mean, the landscape, primarily in food and beverage, has significantly shifted. The access to capital has slowed up even more than it was before, which, you know, it's like, there was an episode of Martin, he said, if you move any slower, you'll be moving backwards, right?
[00:13:22] Ray Latif: Like,
[00:13:25] Greg Lowe: if we move any slower, then we're, you know, then we're moving in the opposite direction. And that's not just, you know, from my experience, I think every Black-founded CPG brand, food and beverage primarily, founder that I've spoken to has had these challenges. I mean, you know, when you look at the numbers and it already states that we're receiving less than 1% of venture capital funds. And then you look at the goalposts constantly moving and shifting, it definitely provides some room for concern and creates a lot of challenge in having the ability to not only start, good founded businesses, but also grow and scale them. And we're having to be very diligent and creative with how we're funding and how we're looking at the economic landscape in order for us to be able to continue to thrive and grow.
[00:14:17] Quentin Vennie: We have to look outside of America and that's something that I had to do and that's something that a lot of people are doing. We went as far as the Middle East. We're in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London. You look outside and you see that people want to be a part of the American market. And they want to take place in it because it's one of the most thriving and robust markets in the world. So as you're building a business and the Black Founders, the world doesn't look at it as a Black Founders. They look at it as opportunity to get into the American market if you have a good product. So what I would say is that's not easy for everyone. I mean, it dried up for us as well in America. The percentage of investment in Black businesses overall is below 1% as far as venture capital is concerned. And I would never say we're not playing the Black card when you say that. These are data points. And people need to understand that those data points mean something. There's an innate bias that goes around with Black businesses that they either can't scale because what's going to happen is you're going to get your initial, or you're going to make it so far off bootstrapping and fighting and clawing tails that the next round is going to be damn near impossible for you or you're going to come up against the position where this company may not exit because there haven't been but a handful of black companies that have exited. So you come up against that and sometimes it's race driven but it's also even beyond race because it could be a VC fund that has LPs that they have to answer to. And what happens is they're looking for companies that they know in the next five to 10 years, they're going to be able to exit. And if the percentage of African-American black businesses aren't selling at the rate that our counterparts are getting acquisitions or exits, then they feel like they have a fiduciary duty not to invest in these businesses, which sucks, right? So I think going forward into 2025, what we'll start to see is people basing investments off of, one, equity and inclusion. I think that's going to be a big thing because now that you have crypto and the stock market doing what it's doing, obviously, with this thing with DeepSeek just a few days ago, that took it down. But now that you see people really get into that brand scope, you're going to start seeing investors take advantage of DEI because, like we said, when you take it away, it's only going to amplify the message. So you're going to have people actively looking for black-owned brands. I'm only buying black. For instance, my mother, love her to death. She called me. She said, don't go to Target again. And I said, mom, what do you mean? I've got to go to Target. We're not going to target anymore. So I get that. But when she's not going to target, she's going to be looking outside to companies that are actually including her as a person and a voice. And if we know anything, African-American women are one of the top spenders in all of the economy. So there's a two-sided story here. We can talk about all the bad things. We can talk about all the good things. But what we won't do is we won't quit. There's going to continuously be new companies coming about.
[00:17:20] Greg Lowe: I'm glad you spoke that man because you you really hit the nail on the head and I think it's important as Black Founders Black Founders in general right but primarily as Black Founders considering, you know, the primary reason why we haven't seen a lot of Black Founders companies exit is because the data points that most Black Founders companies don't have access to capital, you know, and you need that level of capital in order to be able to grow and scale. I mean, not everybody has been able to do what, you know, Richie Lou Dennis has done, right? And when you have individuals like him, who then takes you know a portion of what he made from that acquisition and invest it back into the community. Now you're starting to see Black Founders primarily black women founded beauty brands having the opportunity to exit and having the opportunity to get this access to capital to grow and scale. We haven't seen it in food and beverage. Right. And I think what you're doing is really speaking about and tapping into something that's an opportunity that expands beyond the domestic reach. Yes, people are looking to get into the American market, but I think America needs to be looking into getting into other markets as well. Correct. Being able to tap into those economic resources and those brick and mortar resources expands our customer base, expands our impact, and then gives us the opportunities that haven't necessarily been allotted in this country. So I think what you've done and what you're speaking about is brilliance in action.
[00:18:55] Quentin Vennie: We have to continue to open up doors. That's the biggest thing, right? And, you know, we have a duty as a, and it's crazy. And, you know, I always wonder, I say, what would it be like to build a business and not have a duty, right? as a person, but as an African-American founder, I have a duty outside of beverage. There's a certain saying in our culture that I won't say on this podcast, but there's a certain type of business that it was used to be known that African-Americans operated in. This is a professionalized business with a board, with cap table valuations, This is very buttoned up. And I think in order for us to continue to showcase that we can be there, we have to continue to educate ourselves. Go back for continued learning if we can get business acumen, because that's what's going to help you to navigate the waters. Because guess what? Green is green. And if something's making money, it's going to be very hard to not attract people from around the globe, even after you look beyond some of those with limited vision.
[00:20:02] Ray Latif: Greg, I imagine you were advised by your board and by others to not go internationally, to not look at opportunities because it's just going to take your eye off the ball, but you did it anyway. I mean, any challenges that any hiccups that you might've faced, I mean, obviously it seems to be working out, but is this something that you could, or you would advise others He and Quentin, like a, like an equity to do?
[00:20:26] Quentin Vennie: Yeah, I would say the issues that we had were not understanding the capital necessary in order to launch in new markets. Now, You know launching online first is always the way to go. That way you can push content via social media from wherever you are. Brick and mortar gets a little bit more difficult but have partners in those areas. That's what I would say. Like we're in London. I have a distributor here and a broker who I work with consistently to manage the business here. And same in the UAE. When you're looking at international markets you have to not only look at your partners there, but you have to look at what's going on in that space and spend time in that country to see because the language is different. The slang is different. Everything's different, things that you don't even know, you know, so you have to spend time in that market before you just jump in. But don't be afraid to. There's businesses that are from America that are big here in the UK that don't have the sales in America but are able to now get their feet wet here. generate some revenue and now take those learnings back to America and be able to do it in an even better way. So you know we live in an international world. Right now we're talking on Zoom and it's nothing. Whereas before. You know, if someone was in London, they're pretty much out of the space until they get back. OOS, out of the office. But that's not how it is now. We're working from all time zones anywhere. So as long as you can do that, you know, they call them digital nomads. Be a nomad entrepreneur. Take your skills, like LeBron said, I'm taking my skills to Miami. Take your skills to London. Take your skills to Turkey. You know, if you're a designer, one of the good things in Japan, I have a good friend of mine who runs a golf line and they're out in j know, pushing their produ making sales in Japan bec for this specific product you just have to look at
[00:22:23] Greg Lowe: I'm glad we're talking about that. Right. Because that's something that I've personally been in the process of doing. I've had conversations with investors in the UK. I do see that there is opportunity. But for anybody listening that's you know like not in the same chapter of their business journey as you may be or that I may be. what would be some things that you could share as like step-by-step or maybe not even step-by-step, but some things that you would encourage people to do in order to reach those brokers internationally, in order to understand if there's product market fit in the UK or in Singapore or in Japan. How do you reach out? Because we've been so Americanized that we believe that all of our opportunities are in the first four corners, in our sphere, right? How do we expand that sphere and start tapping into other countries and markets that may want what we have, but we don't even know that the opportunity exists?
[00:23:23] Quentin Vennie: This is going to be very simple, probably too simple, and people are going to be like, man, is that it? you know where it starts. one time and the big shor what was going on in this really happening? So what a plane ticket coach clas went over and saw it for I think we live in a world now where they're making flights cheap enough where, hey, it may not be the most comfortable seat, but let me go over there and see what's going on. Let me go over there and talk to a friend on social media. We're so connected in the world that you can get on social media and say, hey, friend in Japan, do you think they would like this product? Hire a micro-influencer. Do you think they would like this product? Get online in that area and then hire a micro-influencer to help you push See if you get some sales slowly, but surely, that's what I say. You know, I posted something on Instagram the other day or today, and it's, you know, a slow, but a for show, right? As long as you're getting into the market, you're showcasing your product, you get one, two sales online, and then you're able to kind of pull it up. That's where you start. That's where any major brands start. And the easiest way is to buy a plane ticket. Beyond that, you know, and I know people want to hear a little bit more detail as to business. We have Google and you know if you don't have the relationship because I didn't start out with having the relationships to be able to know about venture capital partners and you know that I meet a prince in Saudi Arabia or a prince in Abu Dhabi like these came from relationships. Brands that I never would have thought that would have these relationships you say hey man I'm looking to do this and people open up doors. So it's really about your network and just taking a trip man. I would say in any industry just you know going over and just seeing how it operates.
[00:25:12] Ray Latif: Greg, is it a bit easier for you to operate your business internationally because your product is produced internationally? And correct me if I'm wrong.
[00:25:21] Quentin Vennie: Yeah. Yeah, it is. Because since we produce in Vietnam, we're already shipping across the world. So it actually makes it easier for UAE and London because the shipping times are less. So yes, my product is produced overseas, which helps, but majority of products right now are either produced in Thailand, Vietnam, if they're a textile, China, we have a ton of import into the United States. Now, American-owned brands, it's a little bit harder because, you know, you got to go into another country, which may have, you know, different food health inspecting certificates that you may need, right, if it's food. If it's product-based, they may put a tariff on your product. You never know. So it may make it harder depending on what industry you're in. And you're right, having an international product does make it a lot easier to jump into that market. But it still has its challenges, because you're still bringing it to another country.
[00:26:16] Ray Latif: Well, whatever country you're in, everyone knows Moana, right?
[00:26:20] Quentin Vennie: Everybody knows Moana. I got stopped on the street one day, the other day, from someone who recognized me and was like, man, I drink 100 coconuts all the time at Moana. I was like, what? I was with my good friend, Roger. He was like, dang, dude, like I was like, no, man, that's random, bro. That is so random. But yeah, people don't want to.
[00:26:40] Ray Latif: Yeah. Quentin, have you seen the 100 Coconut Moana cans out there?
[00:26:44] Greg Lowe: Absolutely. It's incredible. It's one of the most amazing partnerships that I couldn't have imagined, you know, a better alignment. It's just incredible, bro. Serious major congratulations. I'm a huge Moana fan. I got a little girl. She turned me on to it. I cried on the first Moana. So to see this happen is just major congratulations.
[00:27:07] Quentin Vennie: Thank you man that was a that was a labor of love but also we enjoyed working with Disney and we have a two-year deal with them so we'll be coming with other opportunities from Disney but yes I mean having Moana on the can having Maui on the can and the coconuts We're in, you know, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Publix, and they just blow off the shelf because kids are walking by and they're like, oh, Moana, you know, and I was walking with my son and I didn't even tell him it was on the shelf. I just wanted to see if he was going to walk past and notice it because it's right at his eye level. And he turns around and says, Moana, oh, and then he noticed it. So, you know, having an iconic character, especially one that was a part of the biggest movie in the world, really helps, but also because it tied together, right? Because You have Moana, whose family used to be travelers, but now they're coconut farmers, right? So they live off everything on the coconut, which we saw was a direct partnership that kind of meshed in a perfect world, even with the Kokomora, who are little coconuts running around and doing things and being mischievous. We thought that that fit right into the brand language, and we went for it, and it ended up working out very well for us.
[00:28:17] Greg Lowe: How do you go about establishing those types of partnerships. Right. And what what do you see as the impact in these partnerships and highlighting Black Founders brands.
[00:28:27] Quentin Vennie: Well first that project took a while for us to pitch Disney showcase what we were able to do through media. you know really bring in that professionalism that we talked about earlier in this conversation because they have systems and processes that they follow. And if you can't fit into those systems and processes you're not going to be able to make it. And they're not going to give you that opportunity because they know you haven't done it before. And I had the benefit of working with Pepsi and Def Jam and all these in my tech world. So I hit my head with Pepsi and understood that in order to get it done with Pepsi, it has to be done like this, this, this, right? So those systems have to be put in place. We're partners with Inter Miami as well, the MLS soccer team, and that contract is about this thick, and it took months for it to get done because it had to go to the MLS. come back to the team and and all this. So, you kno things all come down to se with the most professional and you actually, you kno say, oh, professionalism and masters and you don' this these days, we have get on and understand what it takes for you to take your business from A to B and scale. And if you know that, it's always keep the first thing first, right? Sell product. You want to sell coconut water at great margins, and that's what we try to do. But when we are able to take advantage of these partnerships that we have to spend on, But when we're spending, we're actually drawing in eyeballs that are pushing velocity. It's the same as if you're going to spend $50,000 on a social media post, right? You know, spend that money on a major partnership. They can now transcend because Moana, we got the Disney cruises from that, and that's, you know, ongoing. So we'll always be producing the Moana product.
[00:30:21] Ray Latif: I'm curious about whether DEI came up in the conversation. I know you can't talk too, too much about the contract itself, but you know, certainly there are bigger Coconut Water players out there. How did 100 Coconuts, you know, why was your company the company of choice?
[00:30:39] Quentin Vennie: Yeah, and I'm sure I'll send this to them and they'll probably be happy to say their names, but Alex and Sandra there, they were instrumental in helping us. I mean, we were up against a big name player. I won't even, I'll just say VC. We were up against those guys and they came and, you know, had all this and all that, but we came with creativity. we came with culture, we came with brand partnerships that we had done before, something different, right? Not a Tetra Pak product, but a can that was, you know, based off of communicative environments. And from that, we took the creativity of our product and said, hey, now let's put something on the bottle on the can that's going to resonate with our fans that's beyond what another brand would do. So we went straight on with digital print on the cam of the exact character in the movie. We had to spend a little bit more to make sure that that print came out perfectly because you know when you're in print there's three colors and there's five colors right and then there's eight colors and you're like oh crap eight colors you you never knew that black had about five different blacks in it so you're like oh man but it has to be done right and since we're small and nimble we can make those changes, whereas a VC, they may have their production already done five months and it's seven months in advance, and they can't make that change as quickly. So when it came down the line, we could be nimble, come up with products that fit the brand cycle and the launch, and then just also be creative about who we're marketing to and our ingredient list. and shelf sustainability being self-stable was also a big play because you don't want a product that's going to live for a couple of months and then be thrown away because the product is spoiling. And because we have a canned vessel, our product stays good for two years. So that also played a role into us getting that opportunity.
[00:32:30] Ray Latif: Yeah, you know, I chatted with the founders of a brand, a Better Sour You gummy brand called Better Sour. And the founders are both from Hawaii. And I think their background and their knowledge about Hawaii kind of played into Disney's decision. And they didn't say this. I'm just making this assumption because they couldn't talk to you too much about the deal itself. But I think that may have helped influence the deal. I know you mentioned culture, Greg. I mean, did again, you know, Anything related to your business as being a Black-owned business, do you think that had any influence on Disney's decision?
[00:33:06] Quentin Vennie: Well, I will say that it never came up. It was never talked about. Who knows what was talked about on the water cooler? But I know for us, it came down to, you know, you can be a Black-owned brand, but that's never going to be the decision making. It's going to be the processes and the professionalism that's brought to the table. And I think because we were able to do that and because we had culture behind us, and because our product was good and because it was Better Sour you those hands kind of stacked up right because the thing is is you know what our problem is as african-american brands is that when we first come into the door there might be things that we do not know about so as the boxes start to get checked off We're going to miss a couple checks in the beginning, which is no fault to us, but we just didn't have that knowledge base to be able to have those processes set up because we just didn't have the capital. Disney may want to do a partnership with you, but they start checking down the line and they say, oh, this check is here. OK, they check up. They don't have this. The distribution is not there. We love your product. It's beautiful. It's amazing. But guess what? You don't have the distribution in order for us to have this product to the masses across the country. So we can't partner with you. So I think it came down to, yes, being a black owned brand probably did help. But I think it all came down to, you know, if you can execute and if your processes are set up the right way, I think that's what came down with Disney.
[00:34:30] Greg Lowe: I appreciate that perspective because I do think that there is an automatic perception or assumption that because you're a Black Founders and Moana's, you know, about people of color, like, oh, it would be a natural thing to bring another person of color into the equation. But it's like that removes the reality of how hard you've worked and the 10,000 plus hours that you've put in, in order to be prepared for something like this.
[00:34:59] Quentin Vennie: And that's the argument that is the problem, because people are looking at DEI as if it's just, we're giving you an opportunity. No, you're not giving anyone an opportunity. It's the look even. Nobody's giving anyone free opportunities if they can't execute on the product or on the opportunities.
[00:35:18] Greg Lowe: There is a misperception of what DEI is and what it means. When we look at DEI, it's not just black people. When people hear DEI, they think black. That's where it stops. It's like, oh, you're going to remove all black stuff. DEI is not like AKA black stuff.
[00:35:39] Quentin Vennie: Yeah, it's only actually four percent black. I mean, some of these things that have been coming out, it's been more women of all colors that have been getting the opportunities from DEI. It's just ridiculous that we have to even be talking about getting rid of something like this, that it's just, you know, it's just something that is an equalizer.
[00:35:56] Greg Lowe: Yeah, it's asinine for sure, but I think, you know, what I want to really bring attention to is The fact that you've had to put in the 10,000 hours in order to be qualified and prepared to do an execute on the partnership. And I think what's beautiful about it, you know, and I'm curious of your perspective on this. For me, it opens up this door of possibility. as a Black Founders to see what's possible with these types of partnerships. Have you, you know, since that happened, like, have you had any other founders or any other business owners or individuals who are looking to get into CPG or build these kind of partnerships, like, kind of come to you for advice or as that example of what's possible? Because, quite frankly, We see a lot of successful brands with founders that happen to be black that don't get the Disney opportunities and could be prepared for it could be you know well versed but don't even see themselves. represented in that space enough to think that it's possible. Like you've really opened that door to show, you know, we're not just putting Michael Jackson in a Pepsi commercial, right? Like there's actually a partnership component that's a part of it. So I'm curious, like, have you, have you seen that shift in this short period of time? Or are you hoping to see more activations around, you know, Black Founders, brands, and these partnerships of this magnitude?
[00:37:28] Quentin Vennie: I wish I could say yes. But what I could say is this, you know, and most people try to separate church and state, but there's a God for a reason. And, you know, that was prayed for and that was blessed upon. I think that we don't see a ton of new Black brands getting these opportunities. We're not just going to switch on the light automatically, right? So I do get conversation and getting conversations or get calls from people that say, well, Greg, how did you get that done? Well, Greg, how did you do this? I'm like, well, we went, we pitched, we got the opportunity, right place, right time. Also, I would say, and this is something that could kind of be served as controversial, but at the time, a lot of the people who were representing the brand in that conversation weren't African American people. So sometimes I see that as that happens, right? you know, you can have a and whoever is representin how that brand is looked everything. You know, whe the door of B. C. You kno Zuckerberg and you walk i and you went to Harvard, there's a different perception than if Greg Lowe walks in there with a hoodie. They're like, that guy's not ready. He walked in here with a hoodie. I have to have a suit on. I have to be presentable. I have to, there's different perceptions. So what I would say is that the perception of the brand coming in, the processes are what got you there. They're not just giving these opportunities at a whim. We were blessed and lucky to be able to get into Miami. blessed and lucky to be able to get Disney. And what I would say is, is that going forward, it's always going to be, you know, those first few pushes, right, of brands getting opportunities. Now, we've seen, you know, Fear of God with Jerry Lorenzo, which is a clothing line, get opportunities with Adidas. Now, are we seeing the floodgates open with Adidas with other brands? Not necessarily, you know, but what we do see is, you know, they start to trickle in more and more. And then over the next 10 years, you may have three, whereas we still have so much more to do in this space. It's 2025, and being Black in business is a lot better than it was 10 years ago, as far as the access to opportunities and the knowledge base that we have from, say, YouTube, TikTok, some of the podcasts that are going on, like, for instance, Earn Your Leisure. They got huge off of teaching financial literacy to the African-American crowd in a way that they could understand. And I think as we continue to do that, that's when we start seeing more doors opening because the professionalism goes along with it. Because you're not going to know how to sell a stock unless you know exactly what the stock is worth and what the ticker means. And if you don't know what the ticker means, you don't even know that that's the stock that's going. So it starts with the very minute learnings.
[00:40:17] Ray Latif: This has been an incredible conversation. I have learned so much and I feel like my perspective has changed even for someone who's been in this industry for a long time. I feel like it was authentic, transparent, educational, and I thank you both so much for taking the time. I know it's going to be a great lesson for our audience as well. So really appreciate it.
[00:40:39] Quentin Vennie: Thank you, Ray. And you too, Quinn. I appreciate you guys doing this. Not a lot of people are hitting these topics on the head, and we need to continue to do that. BevNET, you guys taking the time out to feature brands like He and Quentin's with Equitea and being able to showcase what we're building has been amazing. So thank you, BevNET. Thank you, Taste Radio, Ray, and your team for really giving us a platform to stand on and even have these conversations. So I really appreciate it.
[00:41:07] Greg Lowe: To echo Greg right like I'm just grateful for the platform and the individuals behind the platform for believing in and me enough, you know, but also believing in and our founders and our community and being open to having these. really challenging conversations that push the envelope, that challenge misperceptions and counter assumptions while also creating incredible dialogue and resources and opportunities for others who may not know that certain things exist. So truly grateful for both of you and just honored to keep this conversation going. Thank you.
[00:41:43] Ray Latif: Absolutely. That brings us to the end of this episode of Taste Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Taste Radio is a production of BevNET.com Incorporated. Our audio engineer for Taste Radio is Joe Cracci. Our technical director is Joshua Pratt, and our video editor is Ryan Galang. Our social marketing manager is Amanda Smerlinski, and our designer is Amanda Huang. Just a reminder, if you like what you hear on Taste Radio, please share the podcast with friends and colleagues. And of course, we would love it if you could review us on the Apple Podcasts app or your listening platform of choice. Check us out on Instagram. Our handle is bevnettasteradio. As always, for questions, comments, ideas for future podcasts, please send us an email to ask at Taste Radio.com. On behalf of the entire Taste Radio team, thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
[00:42:37] Black Founders: you
