Adrienne Walker left a good paying government job to take a leap on herself, starting BlueHenry, a handmade, gourmet garnish company in 2017. She went from one employee, herself, to 15 and the company is now expanding to a 10,000 square foot facility.
“It’s like the new scary,” said Walker. “The first scary was leaving this good government job. So now the second scary is, okay, how do I continue to invest in this company and continue to grow it?”
Walker said as a small business owner, every day is a challenge. From needing cheerleaders to advice, it’s hard to know where to go on your own. “Amazon has created a wonderful environment for small business giving us all the tools we need to succeed,” she said.
Walker joined Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator, a thriving community of Black-owned businesses that sell in the Amazon store. In 2021, Amazon launched the Black Business Accelerator (BBA) with a $150 million commitment over four years to help empower and drive the success of Black-owned businesses. Amazon’s BBA provides access to financial assistance through credits and sponsorship of certifications, strategic business education and coaching through account management support and educational content, and marketing and advertising support to help Black-owned businesses grow and maximize their selling success in Amazon’s store.
It’s through the BBA, Walker said she was able to secure funding, purchasing three larger dehydrators for her operation. “When you move from a machine that takes 24 hours down to a machine that only takes four, I mean it’s life changing,” she said.
“Amazon’s definitely been a great partner for me. I know they want me to succeed as much as I want to,” she said.
BlueHenry handcrafts garnishes with the finest, simplest all-natural ingredients to create flavor. Prioritizing local, American-made, small business resources where possible for ingredient sourcing. They pride themselves on never using fillers, unnatural ingredients, chemicals, preservatives, sulfites or artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners in their products.