Berry Cultured Creates Whimsical, Inclusive Children’s Toys

(Photos via Berry Cultured)

When Heidi Calderon grew up, raised by her Jamaican dad and Puerto Rican mom, toys like Mr. Puff Puff The Afro-Pigeon Plushie didn’t exist.

Thanks to her creativity, her drive and her desire to inject playtime with culturally diverse toys, kids growing up today will have a different experience.

Heidi Calderon, owner of Berry Cultured children’s toys

As the founder of the Tucson-based Berry Cultured, Calderon celebrates cultural diversity with a line of toys, paper products and party kits that allow kids to experience cultural norms and values in a fun way. 

“What’s different about our products is we add a cultural twist to it,” she said. “I grew up around vibrant culture, food and music. But when I grew up, the people who made up my world were not in the toy aisle. I wanted to change that narrative.”

‘Living together on the same branch’

A sticker from Berry Cultured

After studying to become a toy engineer at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and realizing she could develop a line of toys that fills a void in the market, she set her sights on building and launching Berry Cultured. The company’s name is a take on how she sees mankind’s subtle differences.

“There’s so much diversity within people from different cultures. When I look at berries, there is such a variety of different berries. And they’re in the same family but they’re so different. They taste different and they have different shapes and looks,” she said. “I look at the human race in the same way. We’re living together on the same branch, but we’re different.”

We Rise program encourages and uplifts

Calderon received a big boost for her startup business when she won the TENWEST IdeaFunding Pitch Competition in Tucson in 2023, earning a $30,000 prize.

African princess wings from Berry Cultured

This year, she found an invaluable community of support in the We Rise Business Accelerator, a free business education program run by Local First Arizona designed specifically for Black entrepreneurs. 

The mentorship, she said, was priceless. From grant application guidance to financial advice to business plans and pitch decks, We Rise helped Calderon navigate vital areas of business she was less familiar with, she said. 

When she graduated, she recommended it to a friend, who is now enrolled.

“It really helped tremendously,” she said. “I can’t give enough thanks to them for their support and encouragement and motivation. They really support Black businesses, and it’s very uplifting and encouraging.”

Beyond the technical know-how the program offered her, Calderon said she appreciated the community of entrepreneurs she was embedded with in the classes. As an entrepreneur, she said it is important to have a community of like-minded individuals who support your growth and success.

Plushies for sale, dolls in the works

As Tucson’s first Black-owned toy company, Berry Cultured is achieving the success Calderon envisioned from the beginning.

Her line of durable, 100% cotton toys — which includes “Sistah Unicorn” and an island rainbow cushion — is making fans out of everyone who comes across it. For Calderon, that’s validating.

Berry Cultured’s plushies include a pigeon with an afro, a unicorn, a smiling sun and a rainbow

“I hear, ‘I didn’t know this exists locally.’ And, ‘This is so amazing. Where have you been? Wow, this is so cute,’” she said, of the feedback she has received. “It’s hard to put yourself out there, so to have people reaffirm and love what I’m doing, hearing, ‘I can see this is in Target or Walmart,’ that gives me a sense of hope. I’m doing something right and fun that resonates with people.”

Next up for Calderon is the launch of a line of dolls. It’s a lot of work, and it requires a tremendous number of iterations, but Calderon hopes to debut them before the end of the year. She’s not the only one with that hope.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “We have a lot of customers waiting to purchase the dolls.”

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To order from Berry Cultured’s full line of children’s toys and trinkets, go to berrycultured.com.

Learn more about Local First Arizona’s We Rise Business Accelerator at localfirstaz.com/we-rise.