From Driving Policy to Gettin’ the Coins: Ivy Walls on the True Cost of Feeding the Block as Co-Founder of a Thriving Farmer-Owned Grocery Store in Houston

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Season 1 | Episode 15

What does it look like to build a thriving, profitable, and unapologetically Black ownedgrocery store from scratch—rooted in the soil, powered by the people, and driven by deep love for community? In this episode, Dominique Drakeford links up with the fearless Ivy Walls: a married queer Black woman, a visionary farmer, and co-founder of Fresh Houwse Grocery—Houston’s only Black farmer-owned, community-operated grocery store that’s redefining what nourishment and neighborhood really means.

Ivy breaks down the raw truth about the cost of doing this work—from shady urban ag tax laws that punish growers, to the dangerous normalization of doing labor for free in the name of community. She boldly reframes sustainability as financial responsibility and shows us how creating beauty and abundance in Black spaces is of course positive vibes —but more importantly it’s about economic strategy, ownership, and refusing to be exploited. 

But the magic doesn’t stop at the produce aisle. Ivy and her co-founder Jeremy—a married Black man leading with intention and care—showcase a powerful model of gender-balanced, queer-affirming leadership that uplifts two strong families, side by side, united by purpose. They’re breaking the mold of what Black agricultural business looks like, and doing it with joy, mobility (food trucks + prep kitchens!), equitably POURING into the community and a whole lotta love. 

MORE ABOUT IVY

Ivy L. Walls is a third-generation farmer, wife, community entrepreneur, and visionary born and raised on the Southside of Houston, Texas. As the leader of Ivy Leaf Farms and Co-Founder of Black Farmer Box and Fresh Houwse Grocery, she has been instrumental in advancing food equity and sustainability in Houston’s black communities. Ivy is dedicated to creating accessible food systems and fostering multigenerational community engagement through urban farming. She holds a degree in Biology from Prairie View A&M University.

“Lately my biggest thing has been advocacy and policy. So the city of Houston doesn’t have an urban agriculture tax exemption. So if you wanted to even grow food or being agriculturalist, you’re either getting taxed at a commercial or a residential rate if you’re not a nonprofit. So you have to make these big decisions. So I’ve been advocating at the county level, at the city level, at the state level for getting it where people can even, it’s even affordable to even start growing.”

— Ivy