In this episode of our Entrepreneurship Series, we will feature Dorian Bolden, CEO and Chief Vision Officer of Beyu Group, which owns and operates several cafes and coffee shops, a locally-roasted e-commerce business of retail coffees, and a prepared-meals and catering division through its commercial kitchen hub.

In 2005, Dorian left a successful career on Wall Street, returning to Durham to launch the Beyu Caffe, making the restaurant a place that fosters culture and community. Through his vision of serving others through food, live music, and community discussions, Dorian has collaborated with dozens of local and national organizations to help create community initiatives that have had a lasting impact. After successfully opening and operating Beyu Caffe in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Dorian decided to take on real-estate development and transition to property ownership in 2016 by undertaking a $1.4 million development project to relocate Beyu’s flagship location due to rising rent costs in downtown Durham. By sharing his knowledge and experience with other local business owners, Dorian assisted several other local restaurants in navigating the purchase of their respective property, maintaining a strong local food culture in Durham.

Dorian is passionate about working with local visionaries and aspiring entrepreneurs on innovative strategies to preserve and strengthen our local community. Dorian’s most recent initiative, the Beyu Food Project, reflects this passion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dorian and his team converted their food operations to serve meals to frontline healthcare workers, school kids, teachers, and food-insecure families and seniors. Over 18 months, the Beyu Food Project secured over 1.5 million dollars to serve over 400,000 individual meals, assisting the local Triangle community in tackling food insecurity.