Since last month is Pride Month, we want to celebrate the progress that’s been made since the very first Pride event on June 28, 1970, one year after the Stonewall Uprising. That rebellion truly left a legacy on the world, and now, 51 years later, we’re still celebrating that historical moment and fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community to live openly as themselves in society.
It’s no secret that members of this group still face barriers to entry into society, including creating their own businesses. However, we can see that slowly changing as the world recognizes the importance of allowing LGBTQ+ people to live authentically.
In honor of Pride Month 2021, we wanted to celebrate and support some LGBTQ+-owned food companies that also happened to be vegan and plant-based that are making positive impacts on the community, our planet, and the animals.
1. Yeah Dawg
Yeah Dawg was founded by nonbinary vegan chef Marina Benedetto in 2013 and lives by the motto “keeping fake real,” and making food from love and with mindfulness for the future of our world. He makes plant-based, vegan, soy-free & gluten-free hot dogs, sausages, condiments, and toppings — which is all perfect for this upcoming summer!
2. Heidi Ho Foods
Cheese is one of those vegan foods that’s difficult to nail, but Heidi of Heidi Ho has made a successful business creating quesos from vegetables and cashews for a rich and creamy dip that’s good for your body, the environment, and the animals. But these aren’t just any ordinary cashew cheeses — Heidi has made some seriously bold flavors like Beer Cheeze and Smoky Bourbon Dip. Right now, you can only find her dips in Whole Foods and Costco in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon and Washington), but she says big things are coming and I’m crossing my fingers that means she’s expanding where her products are sold!
3. Lagusta’s Luscious
Lagusta Yearwood is the founder and owner of Lagusta’s Luscious — a queer-owned, artisanal, locally sourced, and ethical chocolate confectionery. Their chocolates are not only little blocks of art, but the combinations are absolutely mouthwatering and innovative like Maple Honeycomb (honey-free), Tahini Meltaways, and Plum Balsamic Sage Caramel. Lagusta’s Luscious is located in New Paltz, New York but you can order their chocolates and bon bons in bulk, perfect for big ceremonies and weddings.
4. Vintage Vegan Diner
Partners Autumn (who goes by Tumn) and Taylor Riley-Parhar founded Vintage Vegan Diner during the pandemic with the mission to deliver vegan food to inner cities of Nevada that are low-income and underprivileged. Right now, they only deliver to the Las Vegas Valley, and you can even find one of the vending machines in Ferguson’s downtown. But don’t worry, for those of us who aren’t located in Las Vegas, they plan to expand so they can ship their delicious buffalo tofu bites and edible egg-free cookie dough all over the U.S.
Final Thoughts
This is by no means an extensive list of all the vegan and plant-based LGBTQ+-owned food brands out there, so if I missed any of your favorites, leave them in the comments! If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out this article where we shouted out some of our favorite LGBTQ+ makeup lines and this article for LGBTQ+ clothing brands.
