OC Cupcakes for BLM Celebrates Valentine's Day By Donating Proceeds To BEAM
OC Cupcakes for BLM donates 80% of proceeds to Black-led organizations. (Picture by OC Cupcakes of BLM)
Sisters Sara and Camila Balanta have found a way to make standing up for what’s right taste absolutely delicious.
OC Cupcakes for BLM is a family-owned business based in Orange County, CA. The business donates 80% of its profits each month to a Black-led foundation which changes every month. The pair decided to start the business after the killing of George Floyd in June 2020.
Sara (L) and Camila Balanta (R). (Picture by Cupcakes of BLM)
“We created our business to be able to do the most we could to support the [Black Lives Matter] movement. Since it is difficult to make consistent donations, and most people can’t afford donating a lot, we thought this would be a good way to overcome the issue,” Sara said. “If we gave people a treat in exchange for their donation… we would be able to donate large sums of money to organizations since it would be a compilation of all the money we collected.”
OC Cupcakes for BLM was founded in July 2020. Cupcake orders are now delivered on a monthly basis. The sisters decided to spread the love this Valentine’s Day with their classic cupcake flavors as well as a red velvet cupcake, pink macaroons and heart-shaped cookies. All of their products are completely vegan.
“We thought we could reach a larger client base if we made our products vegan. We felt it would be more environmentally friendly,” Sara said.
Part of the business’s mission is to donate the proceeds to a variety of foundations to be well-rounded. They try to find organizations in different categories every month. This month they’ve chosen the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM). Lifetime sales of the company have raised $1,064.
“We have already donated to a Black-led LGBTQ+ foundation, a Black sustainable farm, Black Women’s Health Imperative and Undocumented Black immigrant foundations. So, for Valentine’s Day, we chose a Black mental health organization since we hadn’t covered that area yet,” Camila said.
The two spend their month curating a new menu, then taking orders and picking a day or two to deliver them. Because both Camila and Sara are students, OC Cupcakes for BLM is not full-time. But they hope to one day open a bakery together.
Valentine’s Day cupcake flavors included vanilla, chocolate, mocha coffee and red velvet. (Picture by OC Cupcakes of BLM)
“My favorite part has been seeing our business grow and being able to deliver to not just our friends but even people we don’t know. It is great to see our surrounding community want to support us, even if they don’t personally know us,” Camila said.
To learn more about OC Cupcakes for BLM, follow them on Instagram.