A Return on Investment: A Note from Pernell Cezar, Co-founder and CEO

Eight years ago, we launched BLK & Bold with a simple belief: That everyday choices, like your morning cup of coffee, could create real economic impact.

As I reflect on this milestone, I find myself thinking less about the last eight years and more about the people who made them possible.

Raised by a widowed, disabled mother in Gary, Indiana, I grew up with very little. I still remember my first internship. In a single summer, I earned more than my mother received in an entire year to support herself, my sister, and me.

That experience wasn’t just a paycheck. It was exposure. It was opportunity. It was proof that a different future could exist.

Long before I had a chance to succeed, family, friends, mentors, educators, and community members invested their time, resources, and belief in me. They saw possibilities I couldn’t yet see for myself.

In many ways, BLK & Bold is a return on that investment.

Eight years later, we’re still independently owned. Still guided by the same values. Still committed to creating products people love while expanding opportunity in the communities we serve.

Together, we’ve shared:

• 150,000,000+ cups of coffee

• $700,000+ contributed to youth-focused organizations

• 18 hyper-local nonprofit partners across 14 cities

• $200,000+ directed to the Fair Trade Community Development Fund

• 24 team members helping build this mission every day

Those numbers matter because they represent people. People who chose to spend with purpose. People who believed business could be a force for good. People who opened doors, made introductions, created opportunities, and invested in what was possible.

Most importantly, they represent people like you.

Whether you’ve purchased a bag of coffee, served a cup in your workplace, introduced us to a partner, supported our mission, or simply shared our story, you’ve helped prove that purpose and performance don’t have to compete. They can grow together.

We’re proud of what we’ve built. More importantly, we’re committed to proving what’s possible when people choose to invest in one another.

Thank you for helping expand what’s possible.

With gratitude,

Pernell, Co-founder and CEO