In Gentrifying Atlanta, Black-Owned Food Businesses Are Banding Together to Survive—and Thrive
"When her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Georgette Reynolds turned to fresh-pressed juices as way of maintaining healthy gut bacteria to aid in his wellness. Today, as a Marddy’s vendor, she helps others do the same with her company, Juiced Up Inc.
Marddy's (short for Market Buddies), is a shared kitchen, marketplace, and education center for Black food entrepreneurs. [It] nurtures the kind of under the radar commerce that has long characterized Black communities around the country. Mothers who cater as a side hustle while their kids are at school and cookie bakers who set up shop in beauty salons and barbershops... including Georgette Reynolds of Juiced Up Inc, who found customers for her fresh-pressed elixirs at the gym.
When she was first starting out, Georgette Reynolds sold her fresh-pressed juices, wellness shots, and cleanse packages at the local gym; now, thanks to help from Marddy’s, she’s able to ship them all across the country."
“These fledgling bootstrap business owners are the keepers of our culture,” Bates says. “They are sustainable as long as you don’t disrupt the system, but the second you come in and close a barbershop, well, now you’re messing with their business model.”
