Meet Lori Benning | Owner, Creative Director | Black and Plant Based

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Benning and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting Black and Plant Based “Black+PB” was how can I make eating plants fun for a wide range of people. Not everyone is going to be interested in living a plant-based lifestyle, right? But people love hip hop, repping their hometown, being a woman and so many other topics. I decided to take a fun spin on things that people already love and add plants, for example, No Thyme For Fake Ones, Aunties & Avocados, Locs & Leeks, I Only Do Rad-ish are just a few of my designs. A large majority of my customers are not plant-based so I’d like to think that it’s working!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m most proud of myself for even starting a business. I have ADHD so I can’t count how many great ideas are still in the idea mode because something else caught my attention. I knew I was on to something big when I’m still entertained and excited about creating new lines and making content. Staying motivated is not easy. It’s all a part of having ADHD so that’s an internal struggle I think I will always have to figure a way around. What I want the world to know is that “eat more plants” is a cute slogan but it really is a lifesaver. Diet plays a crucial role in African American health. A lot of times we’re told certain diseases are genetic when in fact, diet can play a larger role in creating an environment for these diseases to grow. I loved cheese, my father loved cheese. He was a huge meat and cheese eater. He passed away from colon cancer at 54 and his mother also passed away from colon cancer. At 30, I had precancerous polyps removed during a colonoscopy. I can’t run away from genetics, but I can give myself a fighting chance and that came with changing to a plant-based diet. Y’all eat more plants.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m brand spanking new to Charlotte so if your readers have any places that I should be visiting, please DM me or send me an email. I’ll be sure to tag people when I visit their suggestions!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friends and family have been so supportive of me and my business. The first person to buy from my line is my childhood friend, Jennifer. She purchased a sweatshirt before I even finalized the design! I was flooded by orders from my friends and they all rejected discount prices when I offered. My family and friends have given me amazing design suggestions and get just as excited when I release a new collection as I do! I can’t even begin to count how many motivational talks they’ve given me throughout this whole process. I’ll be tired and frustrated and ready to give up and then I’ll get a text, phone call, or GIF from someone about how proud they are of me or tagged in a “support small business” post-they have no idea how much I appreciate all of it. I still have a full-time job and after I get off that, I want my day to end but there’s always so much to do when you are a small business owner. I was venting to a friend and she was so kind and told me to realize that I started a business in my late 40s (ahem) and to be kind to myself. I remember that every time I feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Lori, be kind to yourself.

Website: www.blackandplantbased.com

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Other: support@blackandplantbased.com