We Buy Black and SheaMoisture have teamed up to bring the culture the Black Business Relief Fund. After reviewing 3588 applications carefully, we have settled on 20 awardees, each awarded a $5,000 grant. The 18th business is The Cupcake Collection, an excellent business that is totally worthy of this honor.
The Cupcake Collection is a destination bakery with stores in Nashville and New Orleans. The Cupcake Collection was ranked in the top 10 best bakeries in the country and their sweet potato cupcake was voted #1 in the state of Tennessee by Yelp and Business Insider. The company was honored as Black Enterprise’s Family Business of the Year, First Horizon Bank’s Small Business of the Year and Travel Noire’s Best Black-Owned Bakery for the state of Tennessee, over their 12 years. The Cupcake Collection is ranked as the #1 restaurant in Nashville on TripAdvisor. The company was launched when the founder invested her last $5 into ingredients and 5 million cupcakes later, The Cupcake Collection is still pumping out joy, daily.
The Cupcake Collection is determined to be a lighthouse in the community, to serve as an example of what good business looks like. Through their “Everyday is Someone’s Birthday” campaign, The Cupcake Collection gives away complimentary cupcakes to people who are celebrating their birthday during COVID-19. During this trying time, The Cupcake Collection is doing what they can to support the community and sprinkle it with a little joy. These ethics, in addition to their unique, sweet deliciousness, have made The Cupcake Collection’s two bakeries a destination for locals and tourists, alike. In fact, tourism accounts for 30% of the company’s business, while hospitality and events make up 50%. COVID-19, naturally, has been painful for the company.
Before COVID-19, a tornado in Nashville damaged the company’s bakery, knocking out power and internet service for an entire week. They lost most of their inventory and couldn’t even fulfill many existing orders. COVID-19 has only compounded a situation that was already dire. The price of eggs has skyrocketed and due to general scarcity and rationing, the company has had difficulty sourcing flour and other key ingredients. The company still begins operations each day at 5 am but the staff has been cut in half and hours are limited. This is a critical moment but the company is determined to weather the storm. After all, the company’s founding story speaks to their resilience: The Cupcake Collection was birthed out of a $5 seed that has sprouted 5 million cupcakes sold.
Thanks to We Buy Black and SheaMoisture, The Cupcake Collection has been given just a little more hope. The company plans to help their staff purchase essential items, including those they had to layoff. They also plan to give cupcakes to seniors who couldn’t celebrate graduation and couples who weren’t able to have that wedding celebration. The current hour is dark but thanks to We Buy Black and SheaMoisture, something sweet is baking.
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