February 21st 2023.
Derrick Faulcon, who was formally incarcerated for 11 years, is now the founder and CEO of Cloudy Donut Co., a vegan donut shop that just became the first-ever Black-owned business in Brooklyn Heights, New York City.
Their donuts are 100% vegan, made with ingredients such as applesauce, coconut milk, and shortening instead of animal products.
“[Being the first] means a great deal to us, and we’re proud of it, but it’s just the first step,” Zewiditu Ruffin, the company’s Brooklyn Heights shop operator, told VegNews.
Cloudy Donut Co. officially opened its first shop in Baltimore, Maryland in 2020. Derrick says he was inspired to venture into the vegan donut business when he became a regular at a local vegan donut shop in Baltimore near a brunch restaurant that he owns called Home Maid. He reached out to the owners for a business partnership but was surprised as he was told they were actually open to selling the business.
Faulcon immediately took the opportunity to take over the business. He revamped the shop’s branding while keeping its fully plant-based operations. Following the success of the first shop even amid the height of the pandemic, Cloudy Donut Co. opened its second Baltimore location after a year.
As the brand seeks to “reverse gentrify,” Faulcon and Ruffin chose to open shops in predominantly white areas. They ultimately decided to open its third location in Brooklyn Heights, which is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn and New York City.
“Reverse gentrification is this ideology that we bring out Black-owned businesses into predominantly white, affluent neighborhoods in order to bring visibility
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