Meet Traviel Harrison: Plant-Based Vegan Startup

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

Hi Traviel, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Many people choose to embrace veganism for their own personal reasons. We most certainly emulate our life choices into our business. At Vegan Village, we embrace veganism because we recognize the significance that it has on our lives, as well as our family’s lives. Growing up, we found ourselves in the middle of a food desert surrounded by fast food chains with the only options being burgers, fries and fried chicken. The older you get and the more you become exposed to better, the more you actually want better for yourself and the people you care about. Best way we sought to do this is to promote healthy eating habits. Being that Atlanta is a grand area for healthy eating and transitioning lifestyles, there are still certain areas of the city that do not have access to fresh and healthy food options. There are even non-vegetarians, most living in these areas, that still hold a belief that all vegans eat lettuce and carrots all day. But, that’s not the case and we want to flip this perspective! Vegan Village is just that – a village – of leaders focused on serving vegan comfort food. By offering healthy meal options, without the need to sacrifice taste or style, we found the power in finding community through food. We are certain that we can change the food culture norm of what people perceive as ‘good’ or ‘the best’. We pride ourselves on using some of the best organic ingredients to make our recipes from scratch, and partnering with and supporting local businesses with varied recipes, beverages and desserts. We admire the growth in outreach from where we started; it has been greatly impacting. We want to reach more communities, educate more people on healthy, plant-based eating. Bringing healthy food to underserved neighborhoods, where fresh and nutritious foods hasn’t always been prioritized, has become a mission for us!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Instagram superior_vegan Superior Vegan have supported us since the beginning. They inspired me with their food and they have the best vegan Philly. Instagram buttaflykissesatl She has some of the best baked goods I every tasted. She was a big reason why we started Vegan Village. She is very supportive of us and I consider her my big sister. Much love for her.