The first days of Threads, Meta’s new text-based social media platform designed to rival Twitter, were described as “unhinged,” “chaotic,” and “off the rails,” by some users. Specifically, those who own small businesses, namely independently-owned consumer brands. The quick and effortless sign-up process through an Instagram account, also owned by Meta, is a low barrier for entry, […]
Nina Roberts
Posted inTrailblazers
It’s Been 40 Years Since an Independent Restaurant in Maine Unionized. Here’s Why the Owners Welcomed the Change
Walk into Cong Tu Bot, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Portland, Maine, and you might smell shrimp cakes with turmeric and scallion, or caramel braised Faroe Island salmon, or congee with local organic king oyster and mung bean, being prepared in the open kitchen. The lively restaurant has both communal counter and individual table seating, inside […]
Posted inInnovation
Got Bloat? The Easier To Digest A2 Milk
Milk has been slowly losing market share for the past decade to plant-based competitors like oat, almond and soy. But the cows are mounting a comeback: There’s a newer milk on the market, A2, that promises ease of digestion and reasonable prices. If you scan the dairy sections in supermarkets like Whole Foods, Wegmans, or […]
Posted inInnovation
Are Startups A Better Model For Humanitarian Work?
Starting in October of last year, Iranian drones loaded with explosives began bombarding Kyiv among other cities in Ukraine as part of Russia’s full scale invasion that started in late February 2022. Yaroslavna Mykhovych, an ESL teacher, sleeps in shelters with her husband and two dogs when the the bombardments come. “It got a little […]
Posted inTrailblazers
Businesses Have Been Fighting Tennessee’s Anti-Drag Law. A Federal Judge Just Temporarily Halted It.
Drag shows have been popular in Tennessee cities, especially Nashville, for two decades or more. They grew out of the city’s identity as a hub for music and a generally welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people and their allies. On any given night, or during the weekend brunch hours , there might be an exuberant show […]
Posted inInnovation
How Saint Javelin Plans To Help Rebuild Ukraine
Anyone who has read about the war in Ukraine on social media, or donated to charities there has likely come across a striking illustration of Saint Javelin. Designed to reference the religious icons in Eastern European Christianity, she’s draped in green, staring serenely back at the viewer. But she’s holding an anti-tank guided missile, a […]
Posted inInnovation
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot
Authentic Mexican cuisine has become mainstream in the United States. Eateries, from street vendors to fine dining, serving tacos, chile rellenos or mole de pollos, now dot the country, especially concentrated in cities and southwestern states. Regional flavors from the country of 126 million people have become accessible to the mainstream eater, through food trucks […]
Posted inInnovation
With A New Way to Make Furniture, Locally, Baru Has Nearly $1M In Revenue After Two Years
Could “decentralized manufacturing” be the next industrial revolution? Tino Go, the founder of Baru, a custom furniture, and more recently cabinets, startup believes it will be, as part of the fourth industrial revolution. Baru uses what Go calls “digitized custom manufacturing,” which enables customers to place orders with small, independent workshops that own milling equipment […]
Posted inTrailblazers
Vermont Farmer Creates A New Drink Category With Roots In The Past
The number of gently sweetened, flavored carbonated drinks has exploded over the past several years, from Spindrift to Olipop, but Shrubbly is the only “sparkling shrub drink.” Shrubs, not to be confused with bushes that grow in the ground, are concentrated fruit syrups, sometimes called drinking vinegars. Typically made with apple cider vinegar and a […]
Posted inTrailblazers
A West African Spice Company Comes into its Own as Flavors of Long-Overlooked Region Hit U.S. Tastebuds
It’s becoming more common to see grains, chips, beverages, sauces with roots in West African countries for sale in mainstream markets like Whole Foods and Target. These products are a tiny fraction of those inspired by other regions, like Latin America or Asia, but the change is noticeable, especially to someone like Abena Foli. Originally […]
