The Black-Owned company Legacy Cereal launched its inaugural product, Proud Puffs breakfast cereal, in the spring.
Proud Puffs vegan cereal features chocolate-flavored empowerment fist-shaped puffs made with natural cocoa, tapioca and sweetened with monk fruit.
Founded by Nic King in December 2020, Legacy Cereal is committed to developing plant-based, health-conscious breakfast and food products. “[The products] I’m building are meant to be culturally impactful in a positive sense,” King told VegNews. “I don’t want to contribute to high sugar content, diabetes, and similar things that plague the United States.” Additional vegan, health-conscious cereal flavors and bars are also in development.
When asked about the company’s company’s origin story, King said it came during a night where he was having trouble sleeping.
The 34-year-old had recently left his corporate job,, and The Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd had just begun to spread nationwide. Needless to say, there was a lot on his mind.
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“I left my corporate job of 12 years, and I like to call it ‘divine inspiration,’” King said. “The idea came out of nowhere. It was Godsent. I had a lot of time on my hands, and usually, in this world, we’re so busy that we don’t have time to do things. But, because of the pandemic, I was able to do months of research, realizing there were no Black-owned cereal companies. It was then I had set on the idea of wanting to make not only a healthy product but a cultural impact.”
“I woke out of my sleep. It was a random idea that was on my mind,” King told HuffPost. “I’m thinking, where is cereal coming from? Starting a cereal company is a super bizarre idea to think about at 3 a.m., but as a man of faith, I’ve always believed if you get a random idea, God gives you an idea, and you look into it.”
From there, King, who lives in Darien, Connecticut, spent the next several months conducting product research and officially announced the launch of Legacy Cereal.
Part of the cultural impact he wanted to showcase was his family values and traditions, so he decided to put his family on the cereal box. 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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Proud Puffs were available to order via a crowdfunding site, Fund Black Founders, for $8 per box.
