We recently connected with Janicca Covington and have shared our conversation below.

Janicca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

As you see I do many things. I believe that when God gives you a gift/talent that we are to be good stewards over them. I believe I have the gift of service. In all of my businesses I service people, my community and I absolutely love it.

I’ve been doing hair since I was about 12 years old. I would braid my siblings, cousins and friends hair. And I just liked doing it. In college, I would do it as a side job. Once I got married and moved to PA, I learned I needed a license to even do braids in my home. So I went to school and received a specialized license in Natural Hair and Hair Braiding.

I have always loved children and working with children. I received my BA in Psychology and completed a year of Masters of Social work before getting married and not finishing. But my desire was to work with children and families. After the loss of my firstborn child to a stillbirth, I had the desire to become a birth doula. That was in 2012. And it wasn’t until 2020, during Covid was when I began that journey to becoming a birth doula. I received my official certification in April of this year, 2024.

And finally my vegan journey. After my loss, I was blessed to have 2 more children. Bella now 10 and Maxwell 7. Crazy enough both of my children have severe food allergies. Combined they are allergic to dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts (except almonds), and sesame. To say I was defeated is an understatement. My son was so bad at one point, he couldn’t be touched by anything with dairy or eggs. So we had to do a huge change in how we ate in our home. We completely eliminated dairy and eggs since they were the most severe. I was high lactose intolerant and so it helped me greatly. Then a friend shared with me a Facebook post from Tabitha Brown and that was the beginning of my true vegan journey.

I never set out to begin cooking or baking anything besides my family. But once friends and family who weren’t vegan tasted my food and loved it, many of them encouraged me to sell it. And so I started with baking. I was able to get my home licensed through the PA dept of agriculture.

With all of these endeavors, I am absolutely solving many problems. Many people are trying out a plant based diet because they are realizing the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. They are seeing the overall health benefits of it. Many are trying b/c of the rapid increase of food allergies and intolerances. I have even been able to make many of my foods with a gluten free option as well. I also make skincare products to help with eczema (also a skin allergy) and acne. And that was also due to myself and my children having eczema.

I do believe my approach was unique in that all of my businesses cater to specific needs – affordable hair care and styling; meeting the needs of those with a specific diet including plant based and a variety of allergies; and supporting mothers during there journey in childbirth.

Most recently I had the opportunity to cater for Tabitha Brown, an absolute dream come true! She gave my food a huge endorsement! I also was featured in my local news (WFMZ-69 News) on the Sunrise Chef segment. Another wonderful wonderful opportunity. I am truly excited about seeing what else is in store.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I stated a lot in the previous question, so I will try not to repeat but just add what I didn’t say.

The name of my vegan business is Mama Nicca’s Homemade Things. The name originated from my god daughter. She was just about 2 years old and couldn’t say my full name Janicca and she began calling me Mama Nicca. And since I’ve became a “mama”/nurturer to so many.

Within this business I bake, cook, and make all things vegan. My food varies from breads (chocolate zucchini, zucchini, banana, banana chocolate chip, and pumpkin), fried oyster mushrooms, Mac n’ cheese, chickpea tuna, collard greens, cabbage, cornbread, and banana pudding. Many of my items can be made gluten free and soy free.

My skincare includes all natural and homemade body butter, and soaps.

My doula business is Prince of Peace Doula Services. The name is in honor of my late son Prince Leroy Covington. And peace comes from my former clients and many of my friends saying that my presence is peaceful. And the name also speaks to my faith as a Christian.

And for my hair business, I don’t have an official licensed name. Although I do have my license to do hair as I mentioned before. I am a home stylist and I specialize in natural hair care and hair braiding.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I believe COVID was the time in where I had to pivot in my business. I was mainly doing hair out of my home at that time. I hadn’t sold anything as it relates to my vegan business. And even as a “doula” I hadn’t officially became one. So b/c the world was shutdown, I had to figure out something I could still do and love. And I’ve always loved cooking and baking. I learned from my grandmother. And now with my new vegan lifestyle, I just learned how to make that same food safe for my family. I not only got my doula license through Covid, but also my home license to bake. I began shipping my breads all over the country. And once Covid lifted I began to do small events, festivals, fairs, and even small catering parties.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I think the best source of new clients for me are my clients! Word of my mouth has been everything. I will say that I have not been the best on social media. Meeting Tabitha Brown and her sharing my story has helped me greatly. Also the news segment. But the people who have eaten my food, experienced my hair services, bought my products from vendor fairs, they have referred others to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bit.ly/mamaniccas
• Instagram: mamaniccas, princeofpeacedoula
• Facebook: Mama Nicca’s Homemade Things