Photo Credit: Emily Jefferson

Did You Know?: Emily Avonya Jefferson, the 23-year-old owner of Avonya's Blends, a Black-owned company of all-natural, low-sodium seasonings with no artificial preservatives or anti-caking agents created her company after a year of research and development. Emily began suffering from allergic reactions to a variety of seasoning mixes a few years ago, but she didn't know what she was sensitive to because the labels didn't disclose all of the ingredients. Only two or three components were specified, followed by the phrase "spices." Due to Emily being a foodie who loves to cook, this was a difficulty for her because it limited the amount of items she could use to season her meals. Thus, Avonya’s Blends was born to solve this problem.