Pernell Cezar
CEO & Co-Founder
Pernell Cezar is the CEO and Co-Founder of BLK & Bold. Pernell is an accomplished sales executive, successful entrepreneur and leader with more than 15 years of leadership success, who in just four short years has grown BLK & Bold to a top seller in Target and the #1 coffee brand on Amazon in 2020.
His diverse portfolio which spans from Target, SheaMoisture and more, highlights his ability to influence and build brands at scale from start-ups to multinational brands. As a longstanding sales executive and packaged goods advisor, Pernell continues to change the way Black-owned brands and consumer dollars are respected and supported by retailers.
BLK & Bold is the first-ever Black-owned nationally distributed coffee company, they also prioritizes social impact for youth in need. The entrepreneur welcomes the obligation to equip young people with tools to overcome familiar unfortunate circumstances by turning a daily ritual, into a means of giving back. BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its profits to initiatives aligned to sustaining youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth
homelessness. Additionally, Pernell has served as the Strategic Partner to co-develop Target's Forward Founders accelerator program, has served on Target's Entrepreneurship Advisory Council with a focus on mentoring and building sustainable access to education of future business leaders, and has been featured as a celebrity coach to emerging Black entrepreneurs
on the show, Bet on Black produced by REVOLT-TV.
BLK & Bold is proudly certified B Corp, a certified Minority Business Enterprise, certified Fair Trade USA and Fair Trade International, as well as KOF-K Kosher and a SQF certified processing facility. BLK & Bold was awarded the 2019 Des Moines NAACP Small Business of the Year, was
named 2020 Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Official Black Wall Street App’s Black Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Pernell has been recipient of the 2021 Mel Essex Achievement Award, and winner of the 2022 AACSB Influential Leaders Award.
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