Posted on February 19, 2021

This Black-Owned Breakfast Food Company Is Making ‘Cereal for the Culture’

Philip Lewis, HuffPost, February 14, 2021

On one particular night last summer, Nic King had trouble sleeping. {snip}

The 34-year-old had recently left his corporate job. The Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd had just begun to spread nationwide.

It was out of this moment, one that he calls “divine inspiration,” that he came up with the idea for Proud Puffs, a chocolate-flavored, vegan cereal formed in the shape of a Black fist.

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From there, King, who lives in Darien, Connecticut, spent the next several months conducting research on how to pursue his vision. He officially announced the launch of Legacy Cereal in December, which he says may be the only Black-owned business of its kind.

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“I wanted to hit the ground running but obviously my company is easily identified as a Black-owned cereal company,” he explained. {snip}

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“I wanted to design a box that looks like us, that kids can see themselves on. They can see their family on, they can be inspired, they can be uplifted by it. It’s healthy for them, but it’s also owned by us,” he said. “So it gives us the opportunity to take that money that we do raise and invest that money back inside of our community.”

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The cereal won’t be available in stores for some time as King works toward mass production; he is currently crowdfunding its production. {snip}

But even now the interest in Proud Puffs is high. King’s been receiving over 600 preorders a week. “The community has really been standing behind me, and calling it ‘the cereal for the culture’ … it’s just been an amazing journey for me,” he said.

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On the side of the box, consumers will find a list of influential figures in Black history, including pilot Bessie Coleman and boxer Muhammad Ali. Finally, on the back, there’s a word search where kids can find positive affirmations like “beautiful,” “important,” “kind” and more.

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“I think everybody should be able to celebrate their culture, should be able to celebrate their background and where they’re from,” King said. “I feel like everybody should be able to see themselves, identify themselves and be able to celebrate themselves as well.”