We recently connected with Lourenco and Conshinia Fowler and have shared our conversation below.

Lourenco and Conshinia , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product, particularly in diet, and rejecting the commodity status of animals. Therefore an individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. The reason as to why a particular person or racial group is vegan is becoming a rising topic of discussion. According to Soylent vegan statistic 2023, Veganism as a phenomenon in the U.S is more apparent in Black and Indigenous communities. In the US, Black veganism is a social and political philosophy as well as a diet. It does not support the use of animals along with other social injustices concerns such as racism, and with the lasting effects of slavery. According to AshEL Eldridge, an Oakland activist, the movement is about the Black community reclaiming its food sovereignty and “decolonizing” the diet of Black Americans. The BBC reports that roughly 1 in 12 Black Americans, or 8%, are vegans or vegetarians. Reportedly, Black Americans are the fastest growing vegan group among all Americans. The reasons as to why a race chooses a vegan lifestyle can be religious, environmental, holistic, political, capitalistic, ethical, animal activism, and cultural. For many black vegans their journey begins with a quest for an healthier lifestyle. African Americans have a higher rate of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer than most other groups, in part because their diet is on average higher in salt, fat, lower in fruits and vegetables, research shows (BBC). Veganism is a topic that can be widely misunderstood when you believe your reason for being vegan is the reason for all vegans. With plant base lifestyles becoming a growing choice we must be knowledgeable of the various philosophies of veganism.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We have always been careful about what we consumed and what we introduced to our children. Lourenco was raised on twenty-seven acres of farm land with animals and live vegetation. The priority was always to care for the livestock and well being of the land for proper reproduction and harvesting. Conshinia was raised in a family with plant based meals. We both grew up having vegetables as an important part of our diests which carried over when we started our life together. For most of our marriage we ate mostly vegetarian and later we decided to commit to vegan lifestyle for personal faith and health reasons. We have since thought why didn’t we choose this lifestyle sooner. Being vegan renders so many health benefits, mental clarity, aging benefactors, etc. We decide to share our love for food with our faith community and many of them joined us on a journey towards better health, optimal living, and lifestyles. Vegan House Shack Mobile Restaurant, was birthed out of the need for the African American community to have a means to eat better, by having food prepared that would address the health concerns and disease attached to poor food options and choices. We set up our mobile kitchen four days a week in an urban based community in hopes to provide plants over pills as a convenient and affordable option. After almost two years of consistency we are proud to say we have been warmly welcomed and patronized by 95 percent of African Americans from surrounding areas.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

Many customers ask when are you all going to open a restaurant? The brick and mortar appears to be the standard of arrival for many, however not for the Fowler family. We purchased a mobile unit so that we could go meet our community in the comfort of their neighborhoods and provide a better option than fast food. We set a two year goal after paying cash for our food truck in 2021, our goal was to provide a mobile eatery with the least amount of overhead allowing for affordable prices. We are fortunate to meet so many individuals traveling through our city, who find us on google and have the convenient pleasure of ordering from a mobile vegan establishment. The plan for more than a food truck is certainly in the works! We look forward to updating our customers when the time comes.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The fact that we do not have a brick and mortar it allows for funds to go towards advertising and social media to reach those who do not know. We advertise on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and SnapChat social media platforms. The greatest platform is word of mouth, online reviews, and customers sharing their experiences. Customers sharing has been a tremendous help in spreading the word quickly about Vegan House Shack. We try our best to interact with our online audience with live vides and photos of our menu items so they can see what they are getting before they arrive. We respond within 24hrs to questions and messages received through our website.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.veganhouseshack.com
• Instagram: vegan house shack
• Facebook: Vegan House Shack
• Yelp: Vegan House Shack