Ferrero North America's Famous Amos brand has named three winners of its 2026 Ingredients for Success (IFS) Entrepreneurs Initiative, distributing $150,000 in total capital — $50,000 each — to early-stage Black business owners selected from 2,800 applicants, the program's largest pool since its 2020 launch.
The milestone brings cumulative IFS funding to $900,000 across 18 businesses over six years. Beyond capital, winners receive mentorship, networking access, and educational resources through a partnership with U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.
The 2026 Winners
This year's recipients span foodservice, retail, and wellness. The Brunch Munch, a St. Petersburg-based food truck founded by Ashley Reed, uses food as a vehicle for community connection and the preservation of culturally significant spaces — a model that resonates with operators increasingly focused on experience-driven concepts. New York City-based fashion platform Maison Black, founded by Tori Nichel, amplifies Black designers through curated retail. The Marriage Pinnacle, a Maryland-based relationship support platform co-founded by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Lara and relationship coach Memi, addresses wellness within Black families.
The 2026 judging panel included "Rev" Shawn Amos — entrepreneur and son of late Famous Amos founder Wally Amos — branding expert Steve Canal, founder of ONE Venture Group, and inaugural IFS winners Tracy Vontelle Green and Nancey Flowers-Harris of Vontelle Eyewear.
Why the Numbers Matter
Application volume more than doubled year-over-year, a signal that CPG-funded entrepreneurship programs are gaining traction as a channel for capital access among underrepresented founders. According to Project Equity, more than half of privately held U.S. businesses with employees are owned by individuals over age 55, and most lack a formal succession plan — creating both urgency and opportunity for the next generation of entrepreneurs that initiatives like IFS are designed to meet.
Keith Peterfeso, Vice President of Marketing for Famous Amos, framed the program's staying power in terms of brand heritage: "We're proud to back founders at a critical stage of growth and carry forward what Wally Amos understood: that support at the right moment can make a big difference."
For foodservice and food retail operators, the IFS model offers a case study in how legacy brands can build community equity beyond product marketing. The program's food truck winner, The Brunch Munch, underscores the continuing role of mobile foodservice concepts as incubators for entrepreneurial talent — low-overhead formats that let founders prove concepts before scaling. As food and beverage industry analysts have noted, brand-affiliated grant programs that elevate diverse operators also strengthen supply chain diversity pipelines over time.
Famous Amos is also extending its community storytelling into streaming content. Famously You, a family-friendly variety series hosted by "Rev" Shawn Amos and executive produced by Gabrielle Union, is now streaming on The Roku Channel. A 2024 IFS winner, Lizz Rene of PO' UP! Card Game, appears in season one, connecting the grant program to the brand's broader content strategy.
Applications for future IFS cycles and alumni profiles are available at FamousAmosIngredientsforSuccess.com.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
