My name is Danny Castaneda, I'm 25 years old and I'm From Flatbush BK.
Growing up in Brooklyn was amazing, New York being the melting pot that it is I got the opportunity to hang out and learn from a lot of kids from different backgrounds. Both my parents emigrated from Colombia so my mother would always prepare typical Colombian foods. Large portions of meat, rice and beans and plantains were always present.
Nothing like a hot n fresh arepa con queso, I get flashbacks to being a kid just eating them.
I started Danny’s Nut Butter back in April 2020, about a month after everything was shut down from covid. I was working as a Bartender and DJ pre-Corona so I was pretty much out of work and had to figure out a way to stay to stay afloat. Initially I was selling jars via instagram to the homies and it sort of spiraled into something bigger from there. I never expected this to pop off the way it did and I'm very grateful for everything coming our way.
Aside from financial necessity, Part of the reason I started DNB was because I always felt that the artisanal/ small batch food market was always overwhelmingly white. I've never really seen a product that truly resonated with me, that was marketed towards people who look like me. Changing the approachability and accessibility of these types of food for BIPOC communities is of the utmost importance to me.
To summarize it all, I lost my jobs, was unemployed for almost a year, started a business, and started teaching middle school simultaneously. It's been a real rollercoaster but we still here, stayin' positive and keepin' it pushin.
This year has been a hard one for everyone, it's definitely taught me that no matter what there are people who are willing to support and look out for you, shout out to everyone who's helped Danny’s Nut Butter flourish.