Meet Robin Beltran of The Black Vegan Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Beltran.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Robin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My husband was shot in a robbery July 1, 2013, that shredded his intenstines and colon and the only way he could process food was to embark on a plant-based diet. That change rippled through my household, into my immediate and extended family and onto my friends, I was flipping everyone I knew into becoming vegan. They saw our family’s transformation and wanted to replicate it for themselves, including my business partner Rolando Rodriguez. After Hurricane Harvey hit, Rolando dove into the relief efforts that demanded his body and mind in ways he never had to use them before. He couldn’t maintain the tempo and demands with his current diet. He also realized that families suffering didn’t have a choice in food, but he did. So why not choose something better. He called me and told me he’d pay me to cook for him. Soon after his life changed by losing weight, brain fog, anxiety and depression and reversing hair loss, we talked about taking this transformation process to the masses. And, The Black Vegan Company was born in his kitchen.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The struggle is convincing new customers that a plant-based diet is going to be as satisfying as their current diet and make them healthy at the same time. It’s a bit of an unbelievable scenario for them. And whether vegan advocates want to admit it or not, veganism needs a PR makeover, especially inside multicultural communities. There’s a perception that you’re trying to convert them into a radical religion and granted it’s a radical change. At the core of all this, there’s a fear of being hungry. And that’s a very narrow view, but understandable fear. We broaden their lens by talking about how going vegan impacts everything – their mind, body, soul, the relationships they have with their friends and family and their career. Again, it’s so much bigger than diet. It’s a lifestyle.

The Black Vegan Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Black Vegan Company is an instrument of a larger movement. We were created to revolutionize the way people, mostly multicultural audiences, think about plant-based diets, addressing the cultural challenges with giving up meat. When companies talk to multicultural communities about veganism they’re going to have to understand the implications of going vegan from our perspective. That’s important because when a black or Latino person goes vegan, there aren’t any high fives from friends and family. Food in our communities is tied to our culture so giving up traditional soul food or Mexican cuisine, the perception is you’re abandoning it. That carries a whole set of dynamics that are as much as about psychology as it is about diet. And we’re their guide through all of it, a support system that doesn’t exist in the marketplace.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Watching our clients, friends and family naturally cure themselves of their ailments through food one bite at a time. Veganism has increased in the past year by 700% and The Black Vegan Company is proud to be apart of that number.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 870-316-1162
• Email: theblackveganconpany@gmail.com
• Instagram: @mrsrobinbeltran @theblackvegancompany
• Facebook: Robin Beltrán

Image Credit:
@ConsciousCoutureResale, @ChasitySereal

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