Meet Tahajnah Spence-Ali of Inner-G in South Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tahajnah Spence-Ali.

Tahajnah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When it was just me and my mom, I grew up very much a flower child. That means walking barefoot, clothes made of mud cloth, flowing locs and was a raw-food vegan. I appreciated growing up with the holistic values that filled our home because those ideals are still what I look to today.

Fast forward to when I started college, I had a tough time focussing. That was partly due to what I chose as a career path was not what I was passionate about. I was one of the youngest students in my class, so at 17 years old… are we really supposed to have it all figured out? I spent my years in college making mistakes and growing into myself. It was ugly, exciting, and fun but most of all, beautiful experience. I changed my major three times AND transferred schools before finally declaring Public Health as my major. To be honest, I didn’t even fully know what it was but as I did more research, I knew that the community education aspect has been something I’ve been passionate about since high school.

Before graduating, my career goals did a complete 180 from my original plans of working with various public health institutes. One Saturday morning at an outdoor farmer’s market changed everything. I met the director over a local farmer’s cooperative and expressed how this was such a great resource for the community. I then started sharing ideas of how to incorporate community education aspects. He asked me to join the farmer’s cooperative for the following events and the rest was herstory. With the help of my mom, I took the extra step to create small delectable plates and fresh juice to showcase that healthy eating can also be delicious. Our debut had such a great turnout, it was exhilarating. We traveled to Newnan, Lagrange & Columbus. Suddenly, we had a growing customer base in Atlanta accompanied by multiple invitations to vend at programs, meet-ups, and festivals. Thus the birth of Inner-G.

Has it been a smooth road?
It is never a smooth road when you are starting something from scratch simply because there is no step-by-step guide. Also, I would say that the hardest part of this journey has been a struggle of faith. I have all of these extraordinary ideas and just simply do not know where to begin. Being a wife, a mother, and a small business owner is tough at times. I’ve taken so many detours but what reassures me is that there are so many different ways to accomplish the goals that I have set. I started this business not even knowing what I was getting into. I was still in college taking online classes while getting acclimated to life with a 3-month-old. On top of all of that, I started with no business capital and used my mother’s juicer to fulfill orders. It has been and still is a humbling experience but I have to thank my community for instantly supporting me.

Furthermore, I also struggled with the spirit of comparison. I know so many dope people that are amazing at their craft so just seeing what they were doing made me question myself at first. I moved to Florida after getting married, so I had to work hard to stay motivated because I felt detached from my own business. During my time in Florida, my husband purchased my first commercial juicer for me. I was trying to push forward and develop things to further business growth. I’m currently dealing with re-establishing my customer base and doing a complete revamp of the business that will add more aspects to make my services accessible to everyone. All of this can seem so overwhelming but I’m learning that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Inner-G – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
The goal of Inner-G is to educate the community on the importance of how their diet directly impacts health. I believe we can decrease the number of chronic diseases that afflicts our community with healthy practices and of course.. good food!

What sets us apart is that Inner-G is solely social media-based. We are best known for our fresh cold-pressed juices that have no preservatives, added sugars, or juices from concentrate. Only fresh fruits and veggies! Currently, I’m working on digital meal plans, juice cleanses, and e-cookbooks for customers that are further away so they can still enjoy all of this goodness.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I am a total foodie so of course, that is the best thing about the city. There are so many different flavors that serve as such an inspiration for me, so catch me at your local food festival getting fresh ideas while dancing over a plate.

Pricing:

• 16oz Juice $5
• Half Gallon Juice $17
• Gallon Juice $35

Contact Info:

• Email: InnerGsoulfood@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innergsoulfood/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tahajnah.spence

Image Credit:
Kristen Brown

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