A Vermont-based baking company is facing criticism for hosting a competition that excluded white contestants from participating, in an attempt to “foster greater inclusivity.”
The 2024 Baking Pitchfest, hosted by King Arthur Baking, says it will provide “equitable opportunities for People of Color entrepreneurs,” giving the winners “financial support, brand exposure, and mentorship to help accelerate their businesses.”
The competition has been called an “accelerator program,” and will be made up of two parts, a product edition and a bakery edition, which are limited to those defined as a “person of color led business” and a “person of color led bakery.”
Winners of the baking edition will receive a grand prize of $10,000, “brand-building exposure through features on King Arthur Baking marketing,” and business consulting and a free membership to the Bread Bakers Guild of America.
King Arthur Flour specifies their use of the term “POC” or “people of color,” explaining that the phrase is “defined as Asian or Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latinx; Indigenous or Native American; Middle Eastern or North African.”
