St. Mary’s County, Maryland – What began as a painful 13-month Navy deployment turned into the spark that transformed Thereasa Black’s life. The military veteran and single mother is now the founder of a growing plant-based chocolate company, proving that adversity can lead to unexpected opportunity.
Thereasa Black, a graduate of George Washington University Law School, was deployed to Djibouti just six months after completing her degree. The timing was especially difficult — she left just one week before her daughter’s second birthday. The separation deeply affected her and forced her to reconsider her career path.
“I literally cried every single day that I was gone,” Black shared. “I knew I could never leave her again.”
That emotional turning point inspired Black to pursue entrepreneurship. Determined to build a career that would allow her to stay present in her daughter’s life, she first launched a gelato business. Eventually, she shifted her focus to chocolate, founding Bon AppeSweet, a plant-based chocolate company based in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.
Bon AppeSweet specializes in dairy-free, date-sweetened chocolate made entirely from scratch at Black’s factory. The brand emphasizes organic ingredients, no fillers, and no added sugar — while maintaining the familiar taste people expect from traditional chocolate.
“Our chocolate is not only organic, with no fillers,” Black explained. “It has all these healthy ingredients, but it tastes exactly like the stuff people are used to eating.”
The company gained national attention after Black appeared on Shark Tank, where she secured a partnership deal. While final details of the agreement are still being finalized, the exposure has already helped elevate the brand’s profile. Black hopes the partnership will expand distribution and make her products accessible in even more stores.
One of the aspects she is most proud of is the product’s taste. “Had I not told them it was dairy-free and had no added sugar, they wouldn’t have known,” she said. “That’s the best part — it tastes exactly like traditional chocolate.”
Building the company, however, was not without challenges. Black funded much of the business herself and entered a competitive natural food market where representation of people of color remains limited. Balancing entrepreneurship with single motherhood added another layer of complexity.
“I got pregnant in law school,” she said. “As a single mom, I still graduated on time, I still started my business. A lot of people told me I wouldn’t be able to do it — graduate law school and build a company while raising a child alone. But I did.”
Today, Bon AppeSweet products are available in major retailers including Walmart, Whole Foods Market, and Mom’s Organic Markets, as well as online through the company’s website and Amazon.
More importantly, the business has given Black the flexibility she once longed for during her deployment. She now volunteers at her daughter’s school, attends events, and remains actively involved in her daily life.
“When she has something at school, I’m able to just go,” Black said. “Her friends know who I am. I walk in and they say, ‘Oh, Isabella’s mom.’”
For Black, success isn’t just measured in retail expansion or television deals — it’s found in being present for the moments that matter most.
