28 Apr From Kitchen Creations to Nationally Carried: Nature’s Syrup Beauty

When De’Vonna Pittman launched Nature’s Syrup Beauty, she wasn’t just starting a business, she was answering a calling. A calling to restore trust in hair care, to heal from personal loss, and to take on what she called the “curly hair crisis.” 

Shaped by her own experience as a Black woman with tight, coily hair, De’Vonna began mixing products in her kitchen while searching for solutions for her hair in its natural state. In that process, she discovered a deep love for formulating and a desire to help others love the hair that they have. 

De’Vonna first started working with Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) in 2021. After graduating from the Plan It! Entrepreneur Training program in 2022, she continued working with NDC’s Lending team and has recently received a GroundBreak Coalition loan that helped her invest in new equipment, strengthen operations, and build internal capacity by bringing on staff to support growth. She also works closely with NDC’s Business Lab team, receiving support with financial projections and systems. 

What started small has grown into a nationally recognized, plant-based beauty brand offering solutions for unexplained hair loss and skin care, now carried online at Macy’s, Walmart Marketplaces, and most recently, in stores at Robbinsdale & Brooklyn Park Hy-Vee. 

De’Vonna operates the Curls & Culture Lounge: a luxury beauty space that serves as a retail hub and cultural gathering place. The space also hosts her Sip & Shea product-making workshops, designed as restorative, hands-on experiences for community and corporate team building. 

As a Lending and Business Lab client, De’Vonna continues to expand her impact. Through her initiative, Black Apothecaryism, she leads workshops for youth that combine entrepreneurship, hands-on product making, and financial literacy to spark the next generation of innovators. 

De’Vonna’s work with NDC is still growing. Her expertise in the beauty industry will inform work at a new real estate project NDC is working on called the Ruckus and projected to launch in 2027. De’Vonna will help to develop the structure of a program focused on empowering beauty entrepreneurs with the correct tools and supplies to perfect their products and begin selling with a concentrated consumer base.  

Additionally, De’Vonna was recognized in 2024 when the U.S. Small Business Administration named her Minnesota’s Women in Business Champion of the Year. Additionally, she was recently named a Top 10 Women In Business by NAWBO. https://nawbo.org/blog/meet-2026s-excellent-women-shaping-the-future-of-business 

Learn more about Nature’s Syrup Beauty and the Curls & Culture Lounge at https://www.naturessyrupbeauty.com/