Press Release July 2020
Content Creators unite to Launch Food and Wellness Equity Collective.
Changing the Face of Food & Wellness to Serve a More Diverse Palate
Nationwide – July 30, 2020– The founders of the Food and Wellness Equity Collective are excited to announce the launch of this innovative platform established by a diverse group of content creators and entrepreneurs committed to being change agents for equity, diversity and anti-racism in the food and wellness industry.
The unequal representation of people of color in the food and wellness industry and the prevalence of food injustice makes wellness most accessible to the white and wealthy. The founders of Food and Wellness Equity Collective realized there had to be a better way of changing the system than working as individuals. There is power in numbers and banding together for a common goal.
The members are writers, bloggers, entrepreneurs, social media influencers, recipe developers, podcasters, photographers and media personalities in the food and wellness industry who are passionately pursuing equity and health for all people and the planet. Through their work, they are changing the face of food and wellness so it’s accessible to and reflective of all people.
The Collective is founded by Yoland “Yoli” Ouiya and Sonja Overhiser, both professionals and content creators in the natural product community. Both have worked diligently in the food and wellness space for the last 10 years. Yoli Ouiya is renowned sustainable living and healthy eating advocate, nutrition specialist, natural product strategist and consultant, and ‘Queen of Green’ publisher of YolisGreenLiving.com. Sonja Overhiser is acclaimed cookbook author, recipe developer, healthy & sustainable eating advocate and creator of the recipe website ACoupleCooks.com.
“For years, I thought it would be great if there were a group of food and wellness content creators and entrepreneurs who worked together. With recent events, the senseless killing of black and brown people, this vision evolved after Sonja and I spoke. I shared what I thought was my vision and she revealed she had a similar vision. In that moment, we knew what we had to do.“ said Ouiya.
“We started by asking ourselves, could there be a way to band together with content creators who want to be true allies for anti-racism & equity? Was there a way to come together to advance diversity, equity and anti-racism in our industry in a meaningful way?” said Overhiser.
The Food + Wellness Equity Collective launched with 20 founding members that are renowned creators and entrepreneurs in the food and wellness space. Their mission statement is three-fold: to connect, educate and support content creators & entrepreneurs, compel industry brands and media to infuse diversity, equity and inclusion into their brand DNA, and advance food justice and wellness equity at the national and local level. The Collective plans to host a digital summit this fall.
For more information on Food and Wellness Equity Collective, contact the founders at info@foodwellnessequity.com or visit www.FoodWellnessEquity.com.
