Zora Talks

We have Perteet Spencer, the Co-Founder of AYO Foods, on this Z-Talks episode. Perteet grew up eating African food, which led her to the idea of bringing the flavors of West Africa to stores and making them available to everyone. Entering the food industry can be a daunting task, but Perteet Spencer and her husband […]

Our Talk with Kristen Denzer, Founder On this episode of Z-Talks, we speak with Kristen Denzer, the CEO, and Founder of Tierra Encantada. Kristen shares how her entrepreneurial spirit led her to start and she even tried a few other ventures before founding Tierra Encantada. Kristen founded Tierra Encantada in 2013 when she couldn't find […]

This Valentine's Day, you don't need just any box of chocolates. Instead, you need to locate KandaTM Chocolates' 100% Ghanaian cocoa chocolate bars infused with simple, non-genetically modified ingredients. KandaTM Chocolates and its Founder Karen Blackwell are the epitome of a successful bootstrapped business that has generated grassroots and organic buzz. The company is ready […]

Entrepreneurship is a challenging endeavor. It’s not always as glamorous as it may seem. Any entrepreneur who has been in business for a while has learned a few key things. One is that it’s essential to use your experience and skills to solve the problems you’re facing. Another lesson is to have determination and grit […]

In our latest episode, we speak with Jordan Bucker, founder of FoodBevy.com. He is a young entrepreneur who has a passion for food and beverage companies. He wants to help other newcomers create success by providing information, mentorship, and advice to help build their brands. At this point, he has over 600 CPG brands on […]

In this episode, we speak with Rachele Louis, a former successful career architect who wanted to understand how to get money to finance the thing she wanted to build. She decided to return to school to earn her MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management. She is the co-founder of LifeWeb360. LifeWeb360 is […]

Today we’re going to talk about soups. In this episode, we’re joined by Elliott Cohen, the president, and chief operating officer of Parks & Nash. This Chicago-based startup has been around for about two years now. It has been getting a lot of attention for its unique twist on a beloved American dish. Elliott was […]

In this episode, we speak with Maya Camille Brossard. She is the founder of Justice of the Pies, founded in 2014. Her inspiration was her late father’s. He was a Criminal Defense Attorney. And he loved pies. She calls him the “pie master.” Justice of the Pies is an L3C social enterprise. It positively impacts […]

Keena Ward of AK Candles was always interested in creating a candle business. During the pandemic, many companies were forced to downsize. Keena decided to use that uncertainty and her desire to be her own boss as a catalyst for her business. After a year of research, while the crisis was in full swing, she […]

Happy New Year, listeners! A new year means an all-new episode of Zora Talks. Joining us for episode 18 is Thad Smith, owner and founder of Westside Bee Boyz, a black-owned Chicago apiary that specializes in selling beekeeping supplies and honey products. Back when Thad worked as a beekeeper, he wanted to find a way […]

Just before nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns hit, Lori Lefcourt took a trip to New York to meet with investors to help fund her plant-based coffee creamer business, Unicreamer. On this trip, she met with an investor who offered to buy out Unicreamer’s SKUs and unite the coffee creamer brand with Zenfuel. Now as a co-founder of […]

Three months after adopting a plant-based diet, Before the Butcher founder and president, Danny O’Malley’s cholesterol level dropped over 70 points. Thinking that high cholesterol ran in the family, he was shocked by his results. This diet paired with more exercise, Danny knew that a plant-based diet was the best for him. This lifestyle change […]

Over six years ago, Chicago physicians, Romy Block and Arielle Levitan noticed that they spent a lot of time discussing vitamins with their patients. They’d dealt with many patients who were confused on what multivitamins they should be taking and had seen multiple patients who came into their offices with bags full of vitamins unsure […]

Ten years ago, Malik Turley, founder of Hip Circle Empowerment Center, saw that many women had a tough time feeling comfortable at the gym. So she started teaching classes around the community. When her community of attendees grew, Malik wanted a space of her own to hold classes. She decided to open Hip Circle, an […]

When lil’gourmets founder, Shibani Baluja struggled to get pregnant, she became cognizant of the food she was putting in her body. She reevaluated her diet, cut out all processed foods, and turned to healthy options in hopes of getting pregnant. Her journey to get pregnant turned out to be a success, and she later had […]

When Toyin Kolawole started Iya Foods, she had a vision of providing nourishing, African foods that use ingredients sourced from Nigeria and the US. Her passion for healthy eating connects to her Nigerian roots. Having grown up in Nigeria, Toyin immediately noticed the difference between African foods and American foods that contain preservatives and artificial […]

“Have you ever gone on Craigslist looking for an espresso machine and ended up buying a coffee shop?” That’s what Melissa Villanueva, owner of Brewpoint Coffee, joked about when asked to explain how she opened her first coffee shop. In episode 11 of Zora Talks, Melissa recounted the story of her journey to starting a […]

In episode ten of Zora Talks, we interviewed Carla Christine, founder of Yoga Green Book. This online space promotes wellness through yoga and meditation by offering classes, challenges, and connecting members to instructors of color all over the country. Carla’s journey began when she was diagnosed with anxiety. A friend was concerned for her and […]

For episode nine, we interviewed Regine Rousseau, founder of Shall We Wine. Regine’s mission is to connect consumers to wines they’ll love by helping them identify which brands and ingredients they like best. Regine discovered her love of wine during a semester abroad in Paris, France and in the years since, she has introduced customers […]

In episode eight, we talked to Adrienne Hughes-Jackson and Brittany Hughes, founders of Nzuri Body Essentials. What started with a body cream (that has now become their popular Body Souffle) has turned into a luxury brand of organic, handmade skincare products. Adrienne left a 30-year career in intellectual property to pursue something that fulfilled her. […]

Cleaning Your Home Doesn’t Have to Include Harsh Chemicals “We’re a triple bottom line company, so not only do we think about profit, but we think about people and planet in all the decisions that we make,” says Kate Jakubas of Meliora Cleaning. In this episode we spoke with Kate Jakubas, founder of Meliora Cleaning […]

In this episode, Jimmy Prude, founder of Jimmy's Vegan, shows us that being vegan can be pretty cool. We discuss what it means to be vegan and inclusivity in the way we consume foods.

In this episode, Alexis Rosenbaum, founder of Rosebud CBD gets candid about cannabis. We discuss the normalization of cannabis products and the importance of having conversations about its use.

In this episode, we dive head first into the power of the cannabis plant. Kimberly Dillon shares her on perspective on this booming industry.