We all know we love croissants but first, let us introduce ourselves…
WHO the heck is Yellow & Lavender?
An LGBTQ+, Immigrant, Latinx, and Women owned business in Nashville, TN. Founded in 2020, we are proud to say that we are the home of the very first vegan, croissant, cro-cinnamon roll, cronut, and cro-tart in the city of Nashville. We started baking to fill a void of vegan pastries on-the-go for Nashville, our pastries are both savory, and sweet and often we carry gluten free friendly options. We dream of the day that a fruit cup & a bowl of oatmeal are not the only vegan options in Nashville coffee shops, & we are damned determined to help usher in that new world to this ever-growing city ourselves. Our products are accessible through pop-ups, and our retail partners.
WHO is behind all of this?
Lucy & Ryliegh. The founders, owners, bakers, and many other jobs behind Yellow & Lavender. Lucy’s passion is baking, aka all the sweet creations behind the bakery, and Ryliegh’s jam is all the savory aka hot chick’n croissant sandwiches and many other things. Their inspiration comes out of frustration, okay, hear me out! Frustration of not finding everything “veganized” already, and limiting people that have food allergies, limitations, or just love not-eating-meat on nostalgic food or “on the go” meals. They are a wife duo that got recently married in NYC during the summer of 2021. Who are they? Just your friendly local queer bakers that love to know how your cat’s doing, or sending you good vibes on a bad day.
WHY Crowdfunding?
Our community is everything. We want a safe space where everyone is welcomed, and as a community thrived business, we’ve explored various forms of fundraising. What was missing from our efforts? You, our community. Our philosophy is for everyone, by everyone! Money from our iFundWomen campaign will go toward building our physical space, which allows us to do more of what we love: building community. Why iFundWomen? Our business is 100% women funded and owned.
WHY this is important for immigrants.
Ryliegh’s parents are from Germany, and Puerto Rico. Lucy was born and raised in Venezuela. She came to the U.S. 7 years ago with $200 in her pockets, a couple of words in English, and a suitcase full of dreams. Immigrants consist of such an important part of the country’s economic and history, yet it’s one of the most overseen minorities.
In Lucy's words, "As an immigrant, I am motivated to work towards debunking all of the misconceptions of being an immigrant in America. It’s important to me to work to normalize being an immigrant, as well as contribute to the economy and American culture. America has always been a melting pot of cultures from all over the world; very few people are 100% American. I want to represent equality and bring food that I grew up eating to people that will never be able to visit or experience South America."
FACTS: Latinx & Hispanic women-owned businesses comprise 18% of all women-owned businesses in the U.S.
SHOWING UP. This is more than just croissants.
Our business has built a platform to partner with local businesses to create campaigns to benefit LGBTQ+ Organizations such as GLSEN, who works to ensure that LGBTQ+ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. When we say we want to build a safe space, we really mean it.
We are lucky to share a space in this community with many other radical women. Women owned businesses are the key to our economy. These businesses are built with passion, sweat, and tears. Just badass womxn everywhere.
FACTS: Women owned businesses have opened more jobs in the market than anyone else. Now we need your help to do the same.
MONEY TALK
Every Croissant is rolled by hand, and when we say "hand" we mean ours. You can probably call us crazy! Croissants take 3 days to make. Our production quantities (and our hands) are suffering... which is why we usually sell out so fast! We want to provide jobs in our community, and to be able to fulfill the demand of our pastries and Croissants (more Croissants for y'all!), but after many months of hunting for a space the answer is: we need the funds to start.
Here's the breakdown of how we are using the $25k required to start:
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US!
Because of you this is possible. Thank you for being a part of our adventure. Rock on, and eat more croissants! - Lucy & Ryliegh.
