The disparity between the representation of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in the CPG industry and the country at large inspired Ibraheem Basir to start an organization that could help close that gap.
On Tuesday, Project Potluck launched as an organization aimed at addressing issues of inherent bias in hiring, networking gaps and lack of access to capital for diverse founders. Basir, founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins, said that between 40% to 50% of the U.S. identifies as people of color, but only 10% to 15% of leadership in the natural product CPG space are POC.
Project Potluck will launch with a year-long mentorship program, monthly events and a digital community to help facilitate lasting change in the makeup of the CPG industry. Along with Basir, other founding board members include Ayeshah Abuelhiga, founder and CEO of Mason Dixie Foods, and Arnulfo Ventura, CEO of Beanfields.
"I think it's really easy to get caught up with the challenges and obstacles that we need to overcome and those are obviously very important," Basir said. "But at the same time, there's an element of just joyfulness to building a community and being around like-minded people and to helping other people succeed in building their careers."
A focused direction
There are other organizations focused on promoting diversity in the food industry, from race to gender, but Abuelhiga said it can be difficult and formidable for groups because there are so many issues to tackle. She said people can "forget that sometimes the biggest changes happen with the tiniest seeds."
So when Basir approached Abuelhiga about six months ago and laid out clear strategies and achievable goals that could lead to larger change, she wanted to be involved because this type of organization didn't exist.
"I knew very early on that this was real, and it wasn't just going to be us talking to ourselves and getting frustrated with the state of the time, and that we could really impact change," Abuelhiga said. "Diversity and inclusion initiatives have been around for a very long time and there's lots of groups that have tried to bolster the activity, but there's so many areas to address. A lot of organizations have gotten overwhelmed, I think, and then lose a sense of direction."
Project Potluck's mentorship program will give members the chance to match with industry veteran who will provide guidance, support and intel about the industry. From sales, marketing and operations to finance, investors and CEOs, mentors will be able to provide a specialized experience for mentees based on their interest. The organization's website has a short application for both mentors and mentees to join the program.
"We're going to pair diverse employees and founders with seasoned industry veterans of all backgrounds. The idea there is really to not only just transfer knowledge but also to open up networks. One of the things that you'll find, obviously whenever you're working in [the] industry, introductions matter. Sometimes a warm lead or a friendly face can make the difference between getting a deal done and not getting a deal done," Basir said.
The monthly events are an opportunity to network with industry insiders and the digital platform will allow members to share news and make themselves visible to hiring managers, recruiters and event organizers looking to identify and connect with a diverse range of candidates. The digital community will live through email and LinkedIn, Basir said.
People can "forget that sometimes the biggest changes happen with the tiniest seeds."
Ayeshah Abuelhiga
Founder and CEO, Mason Dixie Foods
"The idea there is we heard pretty consistently that people in positions of hiring or recruiting were struggling at times to really identify diverse candidates. They weren't really sure how to go about it even when they had the intent on hiring people from different backgrounds and so the whole idea behind that is just to make it easier to connect candidates with opportunities," he said.
Founding board member Abuelhiga said the pandemic has shifted perceptions about how people connect with others and allowed the organization to recruit and launch digitally. She said they have not had a hard time recruiting and have seen interest with just simple reach outs.
While the organization will start fully digital, they hope to expand to meet-ups and big flagship events like future expos to build the community. For now, she said they will be running some content with "high-level people of color in the industry speaking about their story and also teaching lessons to our folks about anything from marketing to financial development, all kinds of different topics, to really bring out core tenants to success that I think a lot of people of color are lacking today."
Although protests against systemic racism have spread across the country this year, Basir said there isn't necessarily an external force that's pushing them to launch this now versus another time. He said they started working on the organization around March, but it is a topic he's cared about for many years.
"Every one of those pillars would have benefited us throughout our first few years in market, and candidly, they're things I'm excited to tap into even now," Basir said. "I'm probably going to take part of the mentorship program myself. I'll be at all the events. I'll be tapped in on LinkedIn. And so I think all the reasons why we started it are just as relevant for myself as I think they will be for all our members."
Trying to close the gap
For many years now Big Food has been criticized for its lack of diversity among its C-suites. Without a wide swath of voices, those gaps can lead to missed opportunities, including overlooking potential innovation ideas. A report from McKinsey reviewed companies in the top quarter for racial and ethnic diversity and found they were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians.
Only three food companies, Kellogg, Hershey and McCormick, made the Top 50 Companies for Diversity list from DiversityInc. this year.
"The whole idea behind the project was to try to close that gap. We wanted to try to help people build successful companies and build successful careers in the space, it's obviously an industry that we care a lot about that we started companies in," Basir said.
But some companies are making bigger commitments recently. This year, PepsiCo announced it was committing to have more Black Americans join their ranks.
Basir said there are some strong diversity initiatives at large corporations for their employees, but many of the companies Project Potluck is trying to impact are smaller, where there haven't necessarily been that same coordinated effort. Even though Project Potluck is reaching out to employees from companies of all sizes, Basir said the "sweet spot of our efforts will be in a part of the industry that is a little more fragmented."
For long-term goals, Basir said he wants BIPOC to have a fair share of board seats, roles at the heads of companies and on leadership teams. Although he doesn't know how long it will take to get there, he said it is a "good North star" for the organization to be asking: "Are the initiatives that we're working on and the places that we're putting our energy, are they going to drive that outcome where over time you have more successful founders, more diverse leadership teams and people building more successful careers?"
Abuelhiga, who recently secured a round of funding for her clean-label, frozen baked goods company, said she's seen mentorship and networking opportunities in multiple industries for women, but not as much for people of color.
"If I was starting out and knew that there was at least as good an impetus to change how diversity is viewed and implemented in any industry the same way that I've experienced with a woman-owned concept, I would have immediately gravitated toward it," she said. "I think I am where I am because of strong mentors I've had in my life, and I do feel as though over the course of my career, it's time to pay it forward."
Over the last few months, she said a lot of women of color have reached out to her and if that could be amplified times 100 or 200 — the number of members they're hoping to really target at the start — then "that's a huge impact."
"I definitely wish that this was around earlier, but I'm glad we're starting now," Abuelhiga said.