9-year-old Regina juice maker has sights set on owning her own restaurant - Action News
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Saskatchewan CommunityBlack in Sask

9-year-old Regina juice maker has sights set on owning her own restaurant

Naillah Grant has taken her love for juicing to an entrepreneurial level.

The 4th grader was inspired to start her own business after a summer program

Naillah Grant has taken her love for juicing to an entrepreneurial level. (Nyoka Grant)

Saskatchewan's Bright Black Future: Na'illah Grant

While other nine-year-olds have priorities like figuring out which cartoon they want to watch after school or deciding between apple or orange juice, nine-year-old Na'illah Grant has her eyes set on more pressing matters.

Over the summer, during her time at camp, she started her own juice business. The ReginaGrade 4 studentwas inspired by helping her dad make juice at homewhen she was younger.

"I was really young, I think I was probably like two or something," she said. "Me and my dad were in the kitchen and I was giving him the carrots to make the juice. I helped blend it."

Nine-year-old Na'ilah Grant hopes to one day run her own restaurant. (Submitted by Na'illah Grant)

Initially called True Juice, Grant decided to rename the brandafter she came back from camp.

The newly branded Starbird Juice has had a slow start to the year so far, as Grant has had to focus more on school work. However, she is already planning to start taking customers again and has her sight set on a future beyond juice making.

"I am probably going to start a restaurant," she said.

Grant said she thinks juice making is a good way to start working towardhaving a restaurant.

"My favourite part of having the juice business is to be honest is serving it," Grant said.

Grant fell in love with making juice as a toddler when her dad showed her how to do it. (Submitted by Na'illah Grant)

The Canhari summer program that inspired Grant to start the business has done the same for many other Black children over the years by creating an event that inspired the kids to find something they love doing.

One of the program's co-ordinators, Obianuju Juliet Bushi, said having theprogram providesunique opportunities for Black adolescents and youth to focus on developing employment and business skills.

"Black youths and adolescents are creative, intelligent and brave," Bushi said."They just need someone to encourage them in building their talents and although we operate with limited resources, community support from parentsand our elders has been our driving force."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.

A banner of upturned fists, with the words 'Being Black in Canada'.
(CBC)