Comedian Kevin Hart helps six vegan businesses ‘thrive’ with $10,000 grant

Comedian-turned-actor Kevin Hart has helped support six vegan businesses with a generous $10,000 grant.

The celeb’s tequila brand Gran Coramino has partnered with nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to launch The Coramino Fund.

The initiative aims to support Black and Latinx small vegan business owners who have ‘historically been blocked from access to capital and necessary resources to grow’ their company.

$500,000 in grants has now been assigned to 50 small businesses in the US – 50 percent of which are Black-owned, while 36 percent are Latinx-owned, and 14 percent are Black and Latinx owned.

Additionally, 68 percent are women-owned businesses.

‘Hard-working entrepreneurs’

“Juan and I always knew we wanted Gran Coramino to have a give-back component that focused on providing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with resources to pursue their small business dreams,” said Hart

“Teaming up with LISC last year to launch The Coramino Fund in the US was the start of that journey.

“Today, we are honoured to recognize the 50 inspiring, hard-working entrepreneurs from around the country who were selected by LISC to receive a cash grant from The Coramino Fund.”

Kevin Hart X Vegan businesses

Amongst the 2023 grantees are six vegan businesses, including It’s Nola.

The brand aims to make ‘snacking healthy by creating delicious and uniquely flavoured plant-based healthy snacks’, describing itself as ‘urban vegan gourmet’.

Its flagship product, the granola ball, comes in four flavours: Strawberry Banana, Cranberry Coconut, Mango Masala, and Chocolate.

Second up is Black Leaf Vegan, a family-owned business dedicated to providing ‘life-sustaining, plant-based products that heal the mind, body and soul’.

Located in Indianapolis, Black Leaf Vegan serves an array of plant-based delights including Loaded Nachos, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Grilled Cheese and burgers.

Mamma Roots – a 100 percent plant-based food truck – was another lucky grantee. 

“We work exclusively with whole foods and do as much scratch cooking as possible,” the brand said. “We also utilise fresh, seasonal ingredients and pour in a ton of love to challenge our world’s view on vegan food!”

Then there’s VintageOats, a premium granola line whose products are all gluten-free and vegan. Flavours include Candy Cane, Mango Chili Lime, Pumpkin Spice, and much more.

In the non-food sector, two vegan beauty brands also received the $10,000 grant, including Terra Beauty, a cruelty-free, vegan, nail and body care business that sells everything from nail polish to bath salts.

Keisha Elise Cosmetics – a cruelty-free makeup and accessory brand aimed at busy mothers – is also a grantee.

The brand says a portion of its profits ‘will be donated to support single mothers in furthering their education through our Educational Scholarship Fund’.

You can see the full list of grantees here

Curious to know which celebrities have made the switch to a vegan lifestyle? Check out our feature on the top vegan celebrities.

Featured image credit: Robin L Marshall/Stringer via Getty Images