We know how much music, fashion, and food you can find at the Essence Festival of Culture, but this year, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE also brought a Black Female Entrepreneur $100,000!
Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, but still the least funded. By creating the Build Your Legacy Contest, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE have given over a thousand women entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their business, share their stories, and their dreams. Since 2019, this contest has awarded nearly $300,000 in support.
This year, for the first time, we were excited for the Winner Announcement
to come alive in New Orleans. On-site, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE had great representation through their finalists, brand ambassadors, and of course “the Pine-Sol Lady” herself Diane Amos. While there, Amos was quoted as saying “As we look at the partnership between
ESSENCE and Pine-Sol over the past few years, we are thrilled to see all of this hard work pay off on stage.”
The crowd was cheering as Diane invited this year’s finalists on stage, and
awarded Djenaba Johnson-Jones, founder of Hudson Kitchen, as the 2022 Build Your Legacy Grand Prize winner! She will not only receive $100,000 for her business, and six months of business coaching. “I am a firm believer that you are only as strong as your network,” explains Jones. “So, thank you Pine-Sol and ESSENCE for supporting my dream and helping to expand my business!”
While there, Jared Lawrence, Associate Brand Manager for Pine-Sol, was
touched by the achievements of these women and stated, “Build Your
Legacy is not just about handing over a check, it is also about uplifting the
voices and dreams of the Black female community.”
Pine-Sol and ESSENCE are proud to empower Black female
entrepreneurs. Learn more about our finalists and their businesses here!
Djenaba Johnson-Jones, Founder of Hudson Kitchen.
This Northern New Jersey food and beverage incubator is for serious food
manufacturers who are ready to dream big and do big things! Hudson Kitchen provides 8,000 square feet of production, storage, and co-working
space for brands ready to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Members
can access a growing list of bespoke amenities in the fully-licensed and
FDA-registered kitchen 24/7 and receive support to bolster their bold moves with education, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities.
Tyra Moore, Founder A Girl Like Me, Inc.
A non-profit organization that helps girls, teens, teen moms, and young
moms between the ages of 11 to 25. They provide free diapers, wipes, baby
milk, food, new and gently used baby items, clothing and shoes and
personal hygiene kits. They also provide resources and a mentoring
program to help with whatever struggles they may be facing.
Deydra Bringas and Shakira Hodges, Founders of Trivia for Us
Dubbed “a mind game for the culture,” Trivia for Us curates virtual and in-
person trivia game experiences featuring originally-sourced questions about pop culture, music, movies, TV shows, science, history, sports, politics, literature, art and current events. They create engaging, interactive and customized trivia games that appeal to multicultural and multi-generational audiences for experiences that promote diversity and inclusion.
