About Us

Ujamaa Health Foods has been on Utica Ave in Crown Heights, Brooklyn since 1993. Ujamaa was founded on the African principle of Ujamaa, meaning ‘extended family’, fostering cohesion’. While we do carry major brands, we get most of our supplies from people based in New York City, especially women and people of color who are local.

We are more than a store; we are a community center where people buy healthy food and personal care products. We run free health classes with health practitioners and providers for a deeply underserved population. We have free community events, as weather permits. 

We are located in an area that is a food desert and we serve a population that is largely Black, with many Caribbean immigrants. Research on food deserts shows you also have to provide food that is culturally accessible. Our customers come from all over Brooklyn, as far as Bronx and Queens, because we are one of the few supplying African-American and Caribbean remedies.