Vegan Pop-Up Empowers Women Makers

Vegan Women Made Market (VWMM) will pop-up in Chicago on April 23. The free event is the first of its kind in the Windy City and will bring together female-identified vegan business owners to showcase their plant-based goods. The event’s founders Laviyah Ayanna Israel and Nicole Melanie Davis launched the marketplace with the mission of “creat[ing] access for women entrepreneurs to sustain business growth and create possibilities for economic empowerment.” VWMM will feature organic artisanal truffles from Mindful Indulgences, vegan doughnuts from Bad Day Donuts, and baked goods from upcoming bakery Pie, Pie My Darling , which is slated to open this summer. Cruelty-free beauty brands—including American Botanics, Be Goode Handmade, and Scrubfusions—will be on-hand, along with a plethora of home decor, apparel, accessories, and wellness companies. “This event moves veganism forward by centering women as business owners, as makers, and as the backbone of this compassionate movement,” Israel and Davis told VegNews. Given overwhelmingly positive feedback surrounding the event, the founders plan to host more marketplaces in the future.