We understand how much music, fashion, and food you will discover on the Essence Festival of Culture, but this yr, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE also brought a Black Female Entrepreneur $100,000!

Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, but still the least funded. By creating the Construct Your Legacy Contest, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE have given over a thousand women entrepreneurs the chance to grow their business, share their stories, and their dreams. Since 2019, this contest has awarded nearly $300,000 in support.

This yr, for the primary time, we were excited for the Winner Announcement
to come back alive in Recent Orleans. On-site, Pine-Sol and ESSENCE had great representation through their finalists, brand ambassadors, and after all “the Pine-Sol Lady” herself Diane Amos. While there, Amos was quoted as saying “As we take a look at the partnership between
ESSENCE and Pine-Sol over the past few years, we’re thrilled to see all of this tough work repay on stage.”

The group was cheering as Diane invited this yr’s finalists on stage, and
awarded Djenaba Johnson-Jones, founding father of Hudson Kitchen, because the 2022 Construct Your Legacy Grand Prize winner! She’s going to not only receive $100,000 for her business, and 6 months of business coaching. “I’m a firm believer that you just are only as strong as your network,” explains Jones. “So, thanks Pine-Sol and ESSENCE for supporting my dream and helping to expand my business!”

While there, Jared Lawrence, Associate Brand Manager for Pine-Sol, was
touched by the achievements of those women and stated, “Construct Your
Legacy just isn’t nearly handing over a check, it is usually about uplifting the
voices and dreams of the Black female community.”

Pine-Sol and ESSENCE are proud to empower Black female
entrepreneurs. Learn more about our finalists and their businesses here!

Djenaba Johnson-Jones, Founding father of Hudson Kitchen.
This Northern Recent Jersey food and beverage incubator is for serious food
manufacturers who’re able to dream big and do big things! Hudson Kitchen provides 8,000 square feet of production, storage, and co-working
space for brands ready to begin, grow, and scale their businesses. Members
can access a growing list of bespoke amenities within the fully-licensed and
FDA-registered kitchen 24/7 and receive support to bolster their daring moves with education, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities. 

Tyra Moore, Founder A Girl Like Me, Inc.
A non-profit organization that helps girls, teens, teen mothers, and young
mothers between the ages of 11 to 25. They supply free diapers, wipes, baby
milk, food, latest and gently used baby items, clothing and shoes and
personal hygiene kits. In addition they provide resources and a mentoring
program to assist with whatever struggles they could be facing.

Deydra Bringas and Shakira Hodges, Founders of Trivia for Us
Dubbed “a mind game for the culture,” Trivia for Us curates virtual and in-
person trivia game experiences featuring originally-sourced questions on popular culture, music, movies, TV shows, science, history, sports, politics, literature, art and current events. They create engaging, interactive and customised trivia games that appeal to multicultural and multi-generational audiences for experiences that promote diversity and inclusion.