Black Businesses: Black and Mobile Food Delivery Service Expands to Detroit

Black and Mobile food delivery service was founded in 2019 by twin brothers David and Aaron Cabello. The business works in partnership with Black-owned restaurants to offer food delivery services to its customers.

According to one of the brothers, David Cabello, the idea was inspired during the 2016 elections, after sensing that Donald Trump’s racist ideologies would create a further economic disparity in the country. The twin brothers then took it upon themselves to support Black businesses in whatever way they can.

At the launch of the business, the Cabello brothers worked for third-party platforms like PostMates, Uber Eats, and Caviar, earning approximately $1,100 weekly.

“At that point, I said if I can make this much money delivering food on a bicycle, how much can I make if I actually own the company?” David said.

With the money saved and experience gotten from working with these big companies, the brothers decided to go solo and start their own company. A major cause of concern for David and Aaron Cabello was the fact that many of these big companies gave less visibility and attention to Black-owned businesses and Black customers. Hence, the need for the Cabello brothers to dedicate their business to giving Black-owned restaurants the visibility they deserve.

“When I started I didn’t even know these restaurants existed in my own city. That alone shows the need for a service of a directive to find black businesses. Of course, there are directories to help you find them, but we’ll bring them right to your door,” David told Free Press.

There is no doubt that the focus of Black and Mobile is Black-owned businesses, however, the brothers have made it clear that the purpose of the business is to circulate money within Black communities and create employment opportunities to drivers of the service.

“It doesn’t matter what color you are. If you want to support Black businesses and get some food, that’s all that matters. We don’t promote anything about hating anyone or not hiring anyone,” David said. “We don’t ask what color you are when you apply for a job with us. If you want to support Black businesses and Black people, this is a simple way to do it.”

In the first five months, the business generated a few thousand dollars, until David strategized and hired a Black-owned tech company to develop an app for the business. A Kickstarter fundraiser was also launched to gain more visibility for the business on social media and to attract potential investors. Within the first year, the business generated $25,000 in sales.

In the last two years, Black and Mobile has not only grown locally but has attracted the attention of national press and potential investors. The next big move for the company is its expansion to other cities starting with Detroit.

The mobile food delivery service said it mapped Detroit for a couple of reasons, especially the city’s significant historical role in the birth and rise of the Nation of Islam. Another reason is that the city has a large population of Blacks, although it is a relatively small city.

The mobile food delivery app was initially launched in Detroit in September but experienced some challenges as the coronavirus pandemic took another hit on businesses in the city. The Cabello brothers also took to Twitter to announce their plans to further expand to Houston in 2021.