Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Graham.
Beth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Thank you VoyageATL for the opportunity to share my journey to being a lifelong advocate of women, girls, education, food justice, and international diplomacy, driving positive social impact in communities globally.
An Atlanta native, I learned early the importance of education and being of service to others from my amazing Mom, Mrs. Bernese Graham, an educator, serving in Atlanta Public Schools until retirement, and Grandmother, Mrs. Inez Smith, my inspiration in life. Both instilled love and strong values anchored in faith in God, family, community, hard work and continued learning.
As such, I earned a Master of Science degree from Georgia State University in Urban Policy Studies, specializing in Planning and Economic Development and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampton University.
Two weeks after graduating from Hampton University, my career took flight with Delta Air Lines. Blessed with two great careers with the Company, which spanned over 26 years, traveling the world, with Cuba, France, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore and Turkey leaving forever stamps on my life thanks to the people and strong cultures.
Only God could have positioned me for all of the impactful moments during my career, engaging communities, and advocating for employees around the world.
Including traveling throughout Turkey as part of a Georgia Business Delegation, celebrating on the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell platform, and as a company spokesperson during numerous media and community events. Grateful for each experience and friendships gained around the world.
Served in various divisions including In-Flight Service, Latin America Sales, and Human Resources on the Delta Board Council, representing 20,000 flight attendants globally to the Board of Directors, senior leadership and enjoyed engaging employees, lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Following my retirement at the end of 2011, I was rehired in 2014 to lead engagement strategy in the Latin America and Caribbean region to drive social impact, supporting the corporate social responsibility and sustainability goals.
My most heartfelt memories include the smiles on the faces of youth around the world and loved every minute of leading projects, advocating, supporting education with the Latin American Association and food security with CARE USA. Building hope with Habitat for Humanity, across the U.S., and internationally in China and Argentina. My hope in life is to be remembered as a “Humanitarian” leaving a positive impact for generations to come.
The journey to entrepreneurship began after my career with the company, where the love of travel, strong coffee sweetened with engaging conversations, great food from around the world and multicultural experiences were sparked.
Today, I am the proud Founder and CEO of Humanaty Farm to Table, a Benefit Corporation, committed to transforming food systems, promoting policy to Reimagine Restaurants as Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations in the state of Georgia supporting small business, health equity, resilience in underinvested communities and food security.
Humanaty Farm to Table in collaboration with entrepreneurs, farmers and community partners are joining hands to introduce legislation to legalize Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations, which are currently prohibited in the state of Georgia.
Including equitable access to community gardens and urban farms, educating Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operators to source ingredients locally, reducing the distance that food travels, ensuring affordable, and nutrient-dense food within one mile.
Removing barriers, shaping the regulatory framework, to legally and safely operate, permitted, Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations in compliance with the Georgia Department of Public Health, local, state and federal regulations.
Our mission is to “Weave the world together, one fork, meal, conversation, and shared experience at a time, creating a more just and humane world.”
A serial entrepreneur, I am also a REALTOR® with Harry Norman REALTORS® Buckhead Office, and Vice President of B. Graham Consulting, my Mom is the President, as I do all things to honor her.
B. Graham Consulting is an international management consulting firm, humbly grateful and honored that my hometown favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, Los Bravos brand, served as my first client.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A life well lived never comes without struggles and challenges, and I am grateful for it all because it shaped me as a human being to be a better person, leader and advocate. Life is far richer from it all.
The racial awakening in America and the COVID-19 pandemic, were both painful and enlightening while serving as validation for my own wounds from racism, and microaggressions, which while reported, were ignored and thwart with retaliation.
The past year ripped the Band-Aid off of an unhealed infected wound, oozing with pain, and then healed with the balm of acknowledgement, being fully seen, heard, valued, and from the love, support of family, friends and my spirituality.
I am grateful to the generations who came before me, who truly faced obstacles, challenges and yet persevered.
As the youngest of five girls, especially grateful for the women in my family, who encouraged my self-confidence and strong will, taught me determination, to pray, have faith in God and see the good in humanity, which is far greater than resilience.
The obstacles and challenges amplified the need to always use my voice at the table to make the world better for the next generation, especially women and girls. Shining a light on injustices, advocating for human rights, equity, a more just, diverse, inclusive and humane world for all with shared prosperity.
All serves as my “Why” for serving on the Global Village Project Board of Directors, a school for refugee girls, an Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Sustainability Ambassador, Partnership for Southern Equity, Just Energy and Just Capital Cohort, Atlanta Women’s Foundation Inspire Atlanta, Welcoming America Steering Committee, Emory Goizueta’s Start:ME Accelerator Program Mentor and service on the Refugee Women’s Network Board of Directors.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
B. Graham Consulting, an international management-consulting firm, the ultimate “Connector”, partners with public, private, and nonprofit clients to shape long-term strategy, through shared value partnerships, to drive social impact and asset-based community development globally. Built on the principles and values of shared visions, shared goals – strategically focused on supporting the Sustainable Development Goals – placing people at the center of the mission.
In addition, I am the Founder and CEO of Humanaty Farm to Table, which launched in 2019. Grateful for the community of learning working with Georgia Tech students who developed the initial App and Website prototypes as part of their capstone projects.
Humanaty Farm to Table connects communities to the farm-to-fork ecosystem improving farm sustainability, driving social impact, economic development and entrepreneurship, building a more just and humane world through one shared culture, food or mana.
In collaboration with chefs, farmers and community partners we are joining hands to introduce policy creating a pathway to work with health departments and shape the regulatory framework to legalize “Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations” in the state of Georgia creating access to healthy, nutrient-dense food within one mile.
Granting administrative authority to the Department of Health to make rules regarding the sanitation, equipment, and maintenance requirements for Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchens and issuing permits to operate safely.
Modeling the groundbreaking, unanimously, bipartisan supported, new law in Utah (H.B. 94 Microenterprise Home Kitchen Act), which allows home chefs to sell home-cooked meals directly to the public, legalizing a home-based business.
Ushering in a new era of low-cost entry into the restaurant industry, driving economic empowerment in underserved communities and a revenue generator for the state through permitting fees.
The new law will unleash a dining revolution across Georgia, precisely when it’s needed most, as communities recover from the economic crises devastating families across the country and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The entrepreneurial opportunities presented by legalized Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations in the state of Georgia means tens of thousands of dollars in the hands of local chefs, farmers, communities and the local economy.
Legalized and permitted, Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations can serve as a path forward for entrepreneurs, making the dream of starting a business, the backbone of Georgia’s economy, a reality, creating more jobs in Georgia.
When working in collaboration with communities and community partners, we are able to amplify collective impact and deliver equitable, sustainable economic development in communities served.
My passion for farm to table grew from my Grandmother’s love of family and serving the community culturally rich inspired meals with locally grown, seasonal ingredients from our family farm in Wadley, GA and from her home garden in Savannah, GA with a tall glass of sweet tea.
As an avid traveler, foodie and social entrepreneur, I’ve wandered the aisles of markets in thirty-six countries. While many collected souvenirs of places traveled, I collected memories of meals shared with locals and spices indigenous of the region.
Connecting with people through shared dining experiences in the homes of locals and on farms solidified my passion for embracing cultures through food, and strong coffee, sweetened with nourishing conversations.
As a community yearning for change, social justice, equity and inclusion, Humanaty Farm to Table serves as the convener of shared experiences over food, funding for agriculture programs to increase community gardens, urban farms and training for entrepreneurs to start and grow a small business.
Delivering on the passion for strengthening communities through food, serving as a bridge to understanding cultures, humanity and elevating food as an agent for change and diplomacy. When communities share their culture on their own terms, everyone wins.
We are actively galvanizing public, private and community partners to scale our advocacy efforts to deliver sustainable solutions to transform food systems across the state, promoting policy that supports small businesses, health equity, resilience in underinvested communities and food security.
Please join us at the table as we advocate for policy to Legalize Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations in the state of Georgia!
Please visit our website to Join the Movement and subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about the home cooking movement in Georgia. Good for Micro-Entrepreneurs. Good for Farmers. Good for Georgia.
Contact Info:
- Email: Beth@humanaty.com and Beth@BGrahamConsulting.com
- Website: www.humanaty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanatyfarmtotable/
