Ready to try exciting, new tastes? In the run-up to Pride, there are all sorts of limited edition foods and drinks on the market: from M&S’s controversial ‘Pride Sandwich’ to rainbow bagels, snacks, smoothies and lollies. Hell, some brands even add rainbows to their logos! But all these fun foodie options are not without controversy – food and drink companies risk wading into ‘rainbow washing’ and use vibrant marketing and one-off products that capitalise on the current mood, but arguably give nada, nothing, nil poi (or just not enough) back to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Pride month is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ people, education in LGBTQIA+ history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. As a food company, what better way would there be than to curate a list of products from LGBTQIA+ owned food and drink brands? For us, it’s a chance to celebrate diversity and openness within the food and drinks industry and learn more about becoming an ally.
LGBTQIA+ foodie brands you simply have to try:
Proud Beer
“We’re a small queer team with a craft beer we love. And a big vision: to redefine the way our LGBTQ+ community is supported” The Proud Beer team writes on their website. Now this is classy: every bottle of LGBTQIPA you buy is effectively a 20p donation to their charity partners (Diversity Role Models, LGBT Foundation and the Terrence Higgins Trust to name a few). With the beer’s refreshing taste – it’s the perfect start to the weekend. But don’t take our word for it. One reviewer (named Ian) commented: “A cracking session IPA, nicely bitter, citrus and a touch floral. Banger”.
Strathearn Tea
If you find yourself feeling a teensy bit hungover on a Saturday morning after one too many Proud Beers – what you might need is a top-notch tea infusion or blend to recuperate. Speaking of which, Strathearn Tea is a mighty fine option to go for. One tea blogger/ connoiseur comments after drinking their Earl Grey, “When Strathearn Tea said finest they did mean finest!”. Strathearn Tea is also a Certified Proud company, ensuring equality, respect and dignity for LGBTQ+ employees and customers.
The Gay Farmer
Multi-award-winning. Organic. Responsibly produced. Top-quality. What’s there not to love about The Gay Farmer’s extra virgin olive oils? We know you’d agree that any good cook ought not to skimp on the quality of their olive oil. With olive oils that have ‘intense deeply herbaceous flavours’ – you can’t go wrong with The Gay Farmer. But what’s the origin story behind the name? We hear you ask. Mark Dyer, the founder and owner, explains, “The word spread amongst my friends and, being a gay man, they teased me with, “so what are you now dear, the gay farmer?” The Gay Farmer was born!”. Now get ready to make the most fabulous Greek salad you’ve ever tasted.
The Queer Coffee Co
Let’s take a moment to reflect on Queer Coffee Co’s phenomenal branding, with winning product names such as ‘brew this way’, ‘espresso yourself’ and ‘some like it decaff’. In particular, we love the sound of their ‘espresso yourself’ coffee: it’s a 100% arabica speciality blend with rich notes of caramel and dark chocolate. But, you know what’s also great about these guys? 20% of profits from sales from all their main products go on to support the LGBTQIA+ community. We’re a big fan of their Insta channel, especially for their #SomePeopleHaventHadCoffeeYet posts with confessions submitted anonymously to their account.
Kween Kream
Serving kinky biscuits and bakery to make you blush, Kween Kream were almost too risqué to mention on the website about office catering services. But, they’re just too fun not to! Their story? Kween Kreams head ‘doughminatrix’ thought the baking scene was making sweet treats in a dull way, so in 2019 – they started to do things their own way. Checking out their online shop is well worth the visit, with such products as the vegan vixen, biscuit babes and twinky bars.
Last, but not least, no food and drink list would be complete without a mention for Ottolenghi!
Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi is a chef and restaurateur, and food writer that (we hope) needs little introduction. Our chefs rate one of his cookbooks as one they couldn’t live without. As well as being a foodie extraordinaire, he’s also a gay father. He famously brought awareness of gay fatherhood to the forefront in 2013, when he wrote the article “why I’m coming out as a gay father” in the Guardian. What’s more, is that his website offers a range of delightful food and drink products to order. Including spice blends, sauces and a range of exquisite hampers. Oh so tempting!
It’s a wrap
We hope you enjoyed our selection of LGBTQIA+ owned food and drink brands. By all means, these aren’t the only food and drink brands out there worthy of mention. In fact, if you feel particularly strongly about adding one, get in touch and we’ll add ‘em in (email marketing@fooditude.co.uk). Oh, and by the way, make sure to check out queersinfoodandbeverage.com – it’s a platform for positive representation of lgbtqia+ people within the industry.
One last thing before you go. One of our team members suggested we give a shout out to the Terrence Higgins Trust – the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity. Currently, they’re offering fabulous ‘It’s A Sin’ inspired products to raise funds for their charity. So make sure to check ‘em out (and maybe add an item or two into your online shopping basket).
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