ATLANTA — Nijil Jones is practically giddy taking a large cardboard box out of an industrial fridge. Inside the chilled box are what Jones calls the best pecans in Georgia.
And Jones, 29, should know. In 2014, Jones, who uses they/them pronouns, started the Pecan Milk Cooperative, a Black, queer worker-owned co-op. They have been using different nuts to make plant-based milk since 2013, first just a batch of almond milk using their roommate’s blender, but then quickly turning to pecans.
The idea of running a traditional business did not appeal to Jones, which is what led them to create a cooperative where the employees also were owners in the company.
