Spitting out that last drink, shitl that was horrible after that taking a sip of congae was a test f strength, not one
Rivente was started after I realized hoe fed up I was with the state of black America. It felt like we really got the bottom of the barrel on everything. After finding success in other business ventures I had a period of time on my hands to explore what I kind of know in my youth. I basically achieved what I thought was the American Dream, millionaire before 30, bought cars for my parents and siblings, funded business for both friends and family, got my mom her dream daycare center, purchased a home, had a couple of fancy cars, motorcycles a beautiful girlfriend. Money in the bank and more coming At that point I had a retirement account that most retirees would be jealous of. So what was missing? I couldn’t figure it out. For some reason when I hopped on social media or caught a snippet of the news I realized that my reality wasn’t the same for a lot of others people. When people meet me and hear about my list of accomplishments I usually get the wow you’re different and the ensuing conversations which I’m horrible at. I always had to ask myself, Am I different? If so what made me so? I come to the conclusion that what people called different was my ability to read and actually raeding to solve problems.
I had this period of time whrer all I could think of was my fellow black Americans. I had questions that wouldn’t stop, like why are we constantly getting the shoet end of the stick, why does it seem like even though slavery is over we are our govermant most incarcerated race, why haven’t things changed. I mean I’m 30 and a millionaire so clearly it’s possible bit I ‘m still cautious driving my expensive cars, I still can’t name many black owned brands that we support. Black Americans have almost no ownership in any of the industries in America, this is not by choice of course. I learned this and more during my period of reflection. It all got a bit heavy sad statistics and facts that contributes to the overall state of black America today. In a nutshell, though abuses of power, creative ( not really ) laws and lack of representation, America had figured out how to effectively maintain the mental bandage of black Americans.
It’s a sad fact, how could I change that. What could I do? I thought this as I took a sip of cognac… As I stared into the glass I started to get angry. I purchased this “expensive” brand cognac that was marketed to me, but where did that money go? Another industry and brand that was not black owned nor put money back in the black community. The bad part was I had a gut feeling that it wasn’t a high quality blend that it was marketed as. Cool, add it to the research list. Money, Economics and Mindset shifts were the answers that I came up with. Well Economics is the big big picture. That didn’t mean I couldn’t come up with a solution that solved all 3. I knew from research that this wasn’t a problem that was likely to be solved in one fell swoop. The problem itself has festered over 400 years, finding itself in all of the
nooks and crannies of America. Back to the solution, what is it that I could do that could contribute to the solving of this issue? An idea hit me, I Looked back at the cognac I was drinking and started mapping out my ideas. The problem is multifaceted, so the solution also had to multifaceted. That fit well with my A D D, lol. My solution required I started with something in the black community that we spent a lot of money on, but didn’t own. There was no shortage of options. Looked back down at my cup, the answer was sitting in front of me. There are 2 or 3 main cognacs but more importantly, Cognac was something that had a special place in the black community, yet it wasn’t made for or with us in mind. Even after all these years it was still a very traditional spirit. I thought this was the perfect piece to the puzzle. I could take something that we all enjoy, make it much more enjoyable based on our very versatile drinking styles. For centuries black people have followed the trails of white people only valuing what they say is valuable. We have a history of trying to be accepted so that we can feel normal. Being accepted as an American while being black in America is nearly impossible. The stores will take your money, the brands will use your likeness, but the banks turn their nose up at your application, police still see your color as a crime, hiring managers see your name as devaluation to the company, the government see’s you as free labor and opportunity to monetize your body as has been Americas history. Black America has a less than human problem. From the origins of slavery to now, Black America has not been accepted as equals. In today’s market that Looks like purchasing expensive brands that while may borrow from the black culture pay no homage to it. We need brands that are specifically created with us in mind. On some for us by us type shit. Here’s the thing, there are tons of nonprofits that are funded by big corporations or religious entity’s or the government. These funding institutions are usually run by people who are not in the community, who are not connected to the people. Who better to fund a nonprofit for the people than our people. In comes Rivente a Company that was created specifically to provide permanent funding to
The Black Dollar Foundation”. The Black Dollar Foundation is the direct action portion of the solution. It targets both adults and kids and helps with the mind shift . Required to dominate economically. The skills that our schools don’t teach us, the concepts that wealthy whites are only privy to are exposed, broken down and taught in very thorough methods as they should be in the first place. America has long used education as the great separator, we want to use the information they don’t put in the books. The bond was formed Rivente + The Black Dollar Foundation.
That night the Duo was born. Once the idea was there it was time to test the theory. I went to the store ad purchased the rest of the cognacs on the shelf. I had a feeling that we were being marketed the bottom of the Darrel and it was. Most of the cognacs that were on the more expensive side were not smooth but more bold. The older generations took pride and drinking spirits that put hair on your chest, the younger generations like to enjoy not tolerate. I spent the next few months learning everything I could about cognac. traveling to France, talking to bartenders, drinkers, and distilleries. I learned a lot. The first thing is that cognac is not made to be mixed. It’s purpose is to sip slowly usually during the winter months. However Black America enjoys it in variety of ways and slow sipping in the winter
months may be the least used method. I learned about the different growing regions, the grapes and the history. History has shown us that France was very kind to Black Americans during the war, and this may be the reason that it is so widely enjoyed in our culture.
When I was younger I had preacher who would tell me Albritten you set on doing it your way… I would always laugh, sometimes I got it right, most of the time I got it right. He had a point I was determined to do things my way. History has shown those who blaze their own path are either chastised or well rewarded. Either way the result was rarely mediocre. This is how I decided what I wanted to name the company. Rivente is a word that I made up, it popped up in my head and I assigned it a meaning. Your way.
