When David Cabello and his twin brother Aaron once looked around Philadelphia and realized that there were so many black-owned restaurants that were not being served by existing food delivery services, they decided to change that.
The two have since built their own website, worked with black-owned businesses to get them signed on, and today, they have created the first Black-owned delivery service in Philadelphia.
Known as the Black and Mobile, the delivery service, which will be launched on August 1, will connect black-owned businesses with the community through technology to make supporting black-owned businesses convenient.
RELATED STORIES
With just a bike, a bag and a dream, the brothers are partnering with only black-owned businesses to deliver their goods throughout Philly. David, who is excited about the initiative, said the move is aimed at changing the way Philadelphians support black-owned businesses.
Now 24, David began entrepreneurship from a very young age while teaching himself how to design websites and apps. Soon, he began delivering some services via those apps and at just 22, he made about $1,100 in less than two days through this venture.
Amazed, he realized he could do more by bringing this venture to his community. That gave birth to Black and Mobile. What further pushed the business idea was the increased number of white businesses in Philly even though most of the population is black.
“If you look at all the delivery services, you cannot go in there and easily find a black-owned business,” David told The Philadelphia Tribune in an interview.
Statistics at the moment show that only 2.5 per cent of businesses in Philly is black-owned, despite Black people making up 43 per cent of the city’s population. Meanwhile, white people, only 34 per cent of the population in Philadelphia, own a whopping 76 per cent of businesses in the city.
Surveys have also shown that the most challenging aspect of operating a business for black entrepreneurs is the lack of capital. David and his twin brother are hoping to reverse the trend with their food delivery service.
Their initiative is also aimed at taking young children off the streets of Philadelphia, Aaron said.
“We are keeping young people off the streets; we are giving them jobs and we are becoming role models to them and we are showing them that we can do something positive. This city is full of brotherly love and there is no hate going on,” David added.
At the moment, the brothers are looking at expanding their service to every major city in the country and elevate black-owned businesses everywhere, including in Atlanta, New York, and Detroit.
“What we are talking about is that God gave us the love, a bike and a bag and an idea and said run with it and literally we haven’t stopped since. This is what gets me up in the morning. Without Black and Mobile my life will be like miserable,” David said.
David and Aaron have now joined the increasing number of black people owning well-to-do businesses across the world despite the unfair political attacks they tend to face in many jurisdictions.
In the U.S., the more than 40 million black population is making serious waves in various sectors of the American economy – healthcare, entertainment, business, sports, and technology – and are generating revenue and creating jobs.
These successes were chalked even in the face of hurdles such as access to capital to fund and operate the business due to years of racial and economic discrimination.
The following video gives details about the Black and Mobile business:
