Ginger, Spice & Everything Nice

By Ramona Roberts

For over a decade we’ve watched two scenarios play out in predominantly Black communities. The first scenario is gentrification. We know this all too well; property taxes go up, and neighborhoods consisting of black people and black businesses turn into Starbucks shops, and high rise apartments catering to a new demographic of people.

The other scenario is the black communities left to fend for themselves, set up to fail. The neighborhoods dealing with food deserts and lack of healthy options. This is what ShaMyra Sylvester experienced in her hometown and decided to be a part of the solution she wanted to see.

“I was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, which is at the very bottom of the map, I don’t think people realize how at the bottom of the map Mobile is. So with that being said it’s definitely the deep deep deep south. And when you think about the south I’m sure food comes to mind and the most unhealthy food options...Which is what motivated me to move back and open up the juicery.”

Ginger and Spice is a cold-press juicery based in Mobile, Alabama. The foundation of this company is dedicated to improving access to healthy food options to the community with affordable, highquality products. If you’re from a popular and young city, seeing juicery shops on every other block is pretty common, even having those businesses owned by Black people. However down in the valley, ShaMyra is the only Black woman owned juicery in Mobile, and explains how that played a part in her catering only to this city.

“There is no cold press juicery here. In [Washington] D.C. you can find it everywhere, they’re on every corner. Here, there are none. So to be the only black woman owned cold pressed juicery in Mobile that’s huge! And not just for community awareness but also for community awareness. I’m a part of this, I see you. Whatever brands I’m loyal to, I’m loyal because I can directly identify with the concept, the owner. We have a close connection, so I wanted that to be the forefront of my business. I see you, I’m right here with you, let’s be healthier together.”

Before moving back home to start this business, ShaMyra took the time to really explore life, traveling all over the world, and living in other cities. “I lived in Atlanta, and from Atlanta moved to Hampton, Virginia for an internship, and from there I moved to D.C., just off a whim. I might have had like $500 and was just like, “‘Aite, internship over,’” I’m just going to try it out and see what happens, and God has been so gracious from that moment of stepping out on faith until the present day.”

While living in D.C. she worked for three presidential administrations including the Obama administration, the Trump administration and now transitioning into the Biden administration working remotely from Alabama. (We’re here for the #BlackGirlExcellence). Along with her professional accomplishments, ShaMyra was able to tap into her creative-self, and take what she learned and the connections she made back to her hometown.

“I relied heavily on my experience in D.C., and I [knew] that when my friends from the south or my friends from other places would come and visit me we’d always have some really cool bomb things to do...The creative community in the south isn’t as potent as it is in D.C.. I think it has potential to get there and fully be what creatives here see for it, especially black creatives. We have Flo Mili out of the city, Yung Bleu, like so many people that are poppin’ out of this city, but the creative culture isn’t really here. I felt like when you’re in a creative environment it keeps your mind going, so I wanted to come back and create that.”

The creative felt like she was watching her city dwindle down from afar, and knew there was something she could do about it. For her it was bigger than creating a business or a creative space, but actually informing and helping her people.

“I wanted to come home and kind of reinforce that we have to get healthier. Because if we’re leaving it to the federal government and federal programs, we’re going to be stuck in the same things continuously. I felt called by God to do that, I don’t have any fully vetted background in nutrition, and didn’t go to college for nutrition; but you know what I do have— intelligence. I read about gut health, inflammation, I read about how our bodies respond to different foods. So that’s where my credentials are. I’ve taken different nutritional online courses and things like that, and it’s been a life saver.”

Living by the quote “health is wealth,” ShaMyra describes juicing as a game changer for her overall health and self-care. “My mental health increased, my productivity increased, my interest in my overall self-care and who I am mentally and how I give myself to the world...I think it’s important to focus in on Mobile right now to provide health education, getting people accustomed to how cold press juicing works, how just being healthier in general works and what the benefits are from choosing health. [There’s] not a lot of resources in this area for that.”

I wanted to come home and kind of reinforce that we have to get healthier...I felt called by God to do that...

Although her juices are limited to the Mobile area specifically, she explains her services, resources and merchandise is available to anyone who reaches out. “You’re a part of the brand! Even though you can’t get any juice I can talk you through a recipe, you can call me, email me, DM me. And I can be of assistance that way, which is valuable because a lot of times you get a juicer and you try all this stuff and it don’t taste so good. I’m serious about health consulting.”

The beautiful message from ShaMyra’s story is the importance of investing back into your community. She exemplifies the benefit of not neglecting the neighborhoods that raise you and how we can be a part of the changes we want to see. We have to think bigger than ourselves and consider our community...our people. That is the start of breaking generational curses. You can learn more about ShaMyra, her juicery, and her other businesses through her Instagram, @sincerelysquared.