Subriana and Allen Pierce, an African American couple from Anaheim, California, who are the founders of the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation, are leading the way to transform the food retail industry and train on how to put more products created by women, minority, and emerging entrepreneurs on grocery shelves. As visionary leaders in the food and grocery sector with decades of knowledge and experience, they continue to break barriers and inspire change.
Last year, Subriana was recognized by the industry’s source for grocery news, The Shelby Report, as the Woman Executive of the Year (2024), and she was honored this past Spring as one of the Black Women in Food Awards honorees as a Trailblazer – an award celebrating her role in creating new opportunities and making significant contributions to the food industry.
Beyond their professional accolades and success, Subriana and Allen are a force for community transformation: together, they co-founded the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation in 2020. The Foundation was created to provide resources and a platform for minority-owned, women-owned, and emerging brands in the grocery business.
“We saw firsthand how innovation alone isn't enough—many brilliant entrepreneurs are locked out by lack of access and know-how,” said Allen. “With the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation, we’re creating the platform to level the playing field.”
Paving the Way
In collaboration with the California Grocers Association (CGA), the Foundation will co-host the annual Emerging Brands Pitch Contest at Gather California, creating a stage for up-and-coming new brands to connect with grocery industry leaders. Together with CGA – California’s biggest lobbying organization for the food industry, representing more than 6,000 food stores and grocery supplier companies – the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation has selected seven brands from hundreds of applicants to pitch and showcase their products to a powerhouse audience of California’s top retailers and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies.
Among those brands selected is AC Barbeque, a growing brand created and backed by Cedric the Entertainer and Anthony Anderson. This partnership marks a historic pivot in the California Grocers Association's 125-year history, creating a unique opportunity for these emerging brands to get in front of California’s grocery leaders and CPG companies. This access does not happen everywhere, and it is being done thanks to the work that the Navigator Lighthouse is doing.
To learn more about the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation and join in the effort to advance equity, representation, and innovation in the food industry, visit NavigatorLighthouseFoundation.org
For press or business inquiries, contact marketing@navigatorlighthousefoundation.org