After 11 years in prison, including two in solitary confinement, Derrick Faulcon emerged with a vision. In 2020, as the world reeled with the pandemic and the nation faced a reckoning after George Floyd’s murder, he opened Cloudy Donut Co., a vegan donut shop, in Baltimore, MD. While many businesses were closing at the time, the grab-and-go concept not only survived but thrived.
Just two years later, he opened a new location in Brooklyn Heights, NY, making it the first Black-owned business in the neighborhood and the first 100% vegan donut store in NYC. In 2024, on the first day of Black History Month, he opened a second location in NYC’s Nolita, again breaking ground as the area’s first Black-owned food and beverage business.
With over 40 unique flavors, such as Blood Orange, Margarita, Grapefruit Mimosa, Sweet Potato and Apple Pie, it’s no surprise that Cloudy Donut Co. is the place where dreams crumb true. Even pups get to indulge, with specialty flavors like Lil Bow Wow and Snoop Doggy Donut. Each week, the shop selects 6 to 8 donut flavors to present, alongside cinnamon rolls and pound cakes. Using ingredients such as applesauce, coconut milk and shortening instead of animal products, their donuts are 100% vegan.
But Cloudy Donut is more than just donuts - it’s also about disrupting the status quo. It is no coincidence that Faulcon has opened locations in predominantly white, affluent areas like Brooklyn Heights. At the heart of his mission is the concept of reverse gentrification, through which he aims to amplify Black visibility, foster diversity and raise awareness in areas where it is often lacking. And he has been immensely successful, with lines of customers that stretch outside the door.
My goal was, how can I create a luxury product in an affluent white space and now bridge the gap between that crowd and our crowd? It’s a generational wealth play - Derrick Faulcon
Faulcon is not on this journey alone. Alongside his business partner and partner in life, Zewiditu Ruffin, he is uplifting other Black entrepreneurs. The two have created a pop-up series where guest chefs of color get an opportunity to create specialty vegan desserts that will be featured on Cloudy Donut’s menu. Their commitment to community extends further, through their sister company The Brown Collective, which focuses on creating a space for culinary creatives of color, through education and installation.
