Steam rises from a pot of jollof rice at AFV Kitchen, the grains stained red with tomatoes and pepper. A tray of chicken crackles as it’s pulled from the oven, staff packing orders as they’re called out. Across Winnipeg, a student between lectures will soon open a container to a meal that tastes like home. With Black History Month days from wrapping up, businesses like AFV Kitchen highlight the stories that extend beyond February—rooted in culture, community and entrepreneurship. For founder Folasade Akin-Akinbulumo, the business started with something practical. She saw a need and set out to meet it. Meeting a need in the community When Akin-Akinbulumo first arrived in Winnipeg in 2013, she noticed a gap in access to culturally familiar foods. Originally from Nigeria, she recalls a shopping experience that highlighted the problem. “I went to buy yam, and the yam was so small. Coming from the U.S., you buy a yam for $12 and the whole house eats it. Here, it was $12 and only two people could eat it,” Akin-Akinbulumo said. She decided to do something about it. “The need was very evident,” she said. “I looked around; there wasn’t any grocery store in my area.” She began around 2015 as a grocery store and takeout hybrid. By 2016, she had expanded into a brick-and-mortar location. She says groceries were being restocked weekly and the demand was strong. But when another grocery store opened in what she describes as a more strategic location, business shifted. “That was a turning point,” Akin-Akinbulumo said. She leaned more intentionally into food. The takeout side had already been gaining traction, and she remembered something from her university days—independent cooks operating alongside campus dining. She approached the University of Manitoba with an idea. “They said, ‘We don’t rent spots out, but we do have this program where one person from the community can serve food for a semester. The students would have to vote for you,’” she said. In 2017, AFV Kitchen was placed on a ballot opposite a major burrito chain. “The students voted AFV in,” she recalled. Through a partnership with Aramark, which manages food services at the University of Manitoba, AFV secured its campus presence. “It was very successful,” she said. “Very well received. Not only within our community. It went beyond our community. People were just ready for soul food and home-style cooking.” AFV Kitchen has become, in many ways, an introduction. She says many customers are trying West African cuisine for the first time. “A lot of people don’t know the kind of food we eat,” she says. “And so we’ve been able to do that.” Growth and representation AFV Kitchen now employs approximately 32 people and has three locations across Winnipeg. Akin-Akinbulumo emphasizes the significance of running a business as a Black woman entrepreneur. “It means a lot. It’s me representing the culture, the ethnicity. It’s me changing the narrative,” she said. “It makes me feel proud of who I am and where I am from. I can stand not just as a minority as a Black person but also as a woman. Those two things are huge for me.” Looking towards the future, expansion is in the works, and increased staffing is too. “I don’t want AFV to die. That is my wish. That AFV outlives me,” Akin-Akinbulumo said. A$HES BT: Fashion as sustainability Ash Nfon’s brand, A$HES BT, transforms fashion into a hands-on, sustainable art form. At 22, Nfon has taken crocheting—a craft she learned over FaceTime during the pandemic—and elevated it into a full-fledged business that pushes back against fast fashion. “I’ve always loved fashion, but I could never find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to make it myself,” Nfon said. A July 2025 summer trip to Las Vegas sparked the launch when she crafted outfits for herself. “People kept asking me, ‘Where’d you get that? Can I order one?’ That’s when I realized I could make something bigger.” And by August 2025, only a month after her trip, Nfon launched her brand, A$HES BT. Nfon repurposes thrifted clothing, vintage items, and even her old fast-fashion purchases, transforming them with crochet, sewing, and unique detailing. “I try to find the beauty in everything,” she explained, echoing her brand motto. “Even pieces people would skip over at a thrift store—I look at the material, at what it could become, and I reimagine it.” Beyond aesthetics, Nfon’s process is a deliberate intervention against the environmental toll of fashion. “I’ve gone through my old Shein clothes,” she said. “I cut them up, transform them, and make them new.” The creative process varies by project. A bikini and skirt set can take a week from concept to completion, while other pieces evolve organically. “For a fairy costume I made, I started with the yarn itself—it inspired the whole outfit,” Nfon said. “The details come as I go. I recently started sketching to keep track of ideas, but before that, it was all intuition.” Crafting confidence and community Nfon says her creations are designed to foster confidence. “Everyone tells me, ‘Your outfit makes me feel so good about myself.’ That’s literally the best compliment I could get,” she said. Pieces are tailored collaboratively with clients, making each garment is a personal expression. The brand’s growth has been both rapid and enlightening, though initial launches drew attention but few orders. “It was slow at first,” she recalled. “But after doing a birthday giveaway and promoting more strategically on Instagram, orders picked up. Now, I’m learning marketing, tracking finances, styling—all while creating the pieces.” As a Black woman entrepreneur, she says she has felt supported. “It’s actually really surprising how many Black creatives there are in Winnipeg. The community is honestly so welcoming,” Nfon said. “It feels like I’ve unlocked a whole different side of Winnipeg and I love it here.” Looking ahead, she has both short and long-term goals. She wants to participate in more outdoor markets and festivals as well as move into styling—for music videos and films. Long term, she hopes to see A$HES BT in stores and to launch her website. She recently created an installation for the Black Artist Winnipeg exhibit at the Edge Gallery, an experience she says pushed her outside her comfort zone and sparked new ideas beyond clothing. “I’m really just kind of waiting for an opportunity to do another installation,” Nfon said. Her advice to other creatives is simple. “Trust yourself; you don’t always need the approval of other people,” she said. “If you have a vision, just go with it. People might not always see what you’re envisioning, but that’s why it’s your vision.” Nourish: Self-care as art Joy Idoko, the creative force behind Nourish, has transformed a simple self-care brand into a celebration of both art and sustainability. Originally founded in 2020 by Becca, a mother committed to reducing her environmental impact, the Winnipeg-based brand found a new steward in Idoko in 2024. “I moved to Canada about seven years ago, and when I saw Nourish was for sale, I knew it was the right opportunity,” Idoko said. “I brought my vision into it. I put in all I could.” Her journey to making artisanal products began from necessity as much as passion. “When I relocated to Canada, my skin was not doing very well. Everything was wrong, and I knew what I wanted to do,” she said. Idoko makes every product from scratch, blending research, tradition, and creativity. For hair care, she combines herbs and natural oils, including batana oil sourced from Honduras. “I mix other things, like castor, rosemary, and peppermint, to help with blood flow and hair growth,” she explained. Her signature tallow body butters are customer favourites. “People walk up and say, ‘You’re the one who sells tallow, correct?’ And I go, ‘Yes, I need some for my skin.’” Sustainability is central to her work. Commercial self-care products often contain harsh chemicals such as sodium laureth sulfate, parabens, and petroleum by-products, which Nourish avoids entirely, she said. “It’s important to know what’s in your product. People just buy without thinking. I want to put something on my skin that’s safe.” Producing each item is a careful, time-intensive process. A bar of soap takes one to two hours to make but four to six weeks before it is ready for customers. “Sometimes I work late into the night. Everything is handmade with love and attention to detail,” Idoko said. This dedication extends beyond products to education: over the past summer, Nourish hosted programs teaching youth about the science of skincare and the importance of knowing what they put on their skin. Nourish products are now stocked in several retail locations across Winnipeg, and Idoko participates in at least three pop-up markets each month to expand the brand’s reach. A city of makers Idoko also reflects on the significance of being a Black entrepreneur in Winnipeg. “Winnipeg is fantastic. They do not care that I’m Black. It doesn’t stop anyone from buying,” she said. Support from the local Black community has been especially meaningful. “Especially during Black History Month, when I meet another Black person at a market, they stop to say hi. That makes me feel seen.” Representation, she notes, is both personal and cultural. “People trust and respect my work. Being Black has not limited me in doing business. It has been empowering.” Idoko’s vision extends beyond products. She hopes Nourish will grow into a household name, continue offering educational programs for youth, and expand sustainably. “I want to grow while staying true to the principles of sustainability and quality,” she said. Akin-Akinbulumo, Nfon, and Idoko each approach their craft differently—through food, fashion, or skincare—but their work shares common threads: creativity, sustainability, and cultural connection. For Black History Month, their creations illuminate how creative expression reinforces identity and heritage, offering insight into the Black experience in Winnipeg while celebrating resilience, innovation, and pride.
