This black-owned business was flooded with racist reviews. Then, its sales skyrocketed.

When Bea Dixon appeared on an episode of Target's YouTube series 'Founders We Believe In,' she didn't expect to be inundated with racist comments and bigotry. However, in white America, what else can you expect? Dixon is the proud black owner of The Honey Pot, a firm that specializes in feminine hygiene products. After Target published the episode she was featured in, she was confronted with all the racism that lies in the underbelly of this country, NBC News reports. She thought sales would drop massively - but they only skyrocketed. After all, Black History Month may be over, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate the achievements of black people - especially black women. It seems like some people just didn't get the memo.

In this particular episode of Target's 'Founders We Believe In,' Dixon described her journey as an entrepreneur and how it was especially difficult for her as a black woman. She was forced to face many challenges that her white or male counterparts may have never even thought of. The business owner credited some of her success to Target for both collaborating with her as well as making sure her products got stocked at retailers across the country. "In the beginning, it wasn't easy to start this company," she said at the beginning of the episode. "And there were a lot of times that it almost didn't happen. If Target didn't take the chance on us, we wouldn't be in all the retailers that we're in today." Dixon went on to claim that Target really changed her life before affirming at the end of the video, "The reason why it’s so important for The Honey Pot to do well is so that the next black girl that comes up with a great idea, she can have a better opportunity. That means a lot to me."

The episode was originally published on February 4, but it was only earlier this week that it gained traction across the internet. A swarm of keyboard-happy reviewers left negative, one-star reviews on consumer review website Trustpilot, accusing both Target as well as Dixon of "discriminating" against white people. One reviewer stated, "Boycott The Honey Pot Company, and Target. RACIST. White people hating comments [are] not going to be tolerated." Another added, "She [made] the statement for the 'next black girl.' Why should the color of her skin matter? Totally racist and inappropriate." Clearly, some people weren't paying attention in history class.

The slew of racist comments kicked off a viral hashtag on Twitter, urging people to leave positive reviews on Trustpilot for The Honey Pot. One Twitter user posted, "I support The Honey Pot. Please go leave a positive review on Trustpilot because white women are leaving nasty reviews about it being racist based off the commercial and have NEVER used the products!" Following all the traction, another Twitter user stated, "Shout out to all of the black women and allies who gathered the edges of racist trolls who were upset by Target commercial featuring The Honey Pot because the owner highlighted inspiring the next generation of black girl magic for [Black History Month]!"

Meanwhile, Target too published its own statement in support of Dixon and her company. "We’re proud to work with Bea Dixon and The Honey Pot team to highlight Bea’s journey to build her brand and bring her products to Target," the statement read. "We’re aware of some negative comments about the campaign, which aren’t in line with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from guests who love and have been inspired by Bea’s story." In addition to this, Trustpilot issued an advisory at the top of the company's page warning users about reviews that violate the website's community guidelines. The website noted, "Due to the high influx of reviews we can not guarantee that reviews provide a genuine presentation of the company."

Though many believed the negative reviews would cause a dip in sales for The Honey Pot, they have actually done quite the opposite. Dixon revealed in an interview that sales had actually doubled. Despite the ruckus, the Target 'Founders We Believe In' episode caused, she doesn't take anything personally. The entrepreneur simply asserted, "I can't expect them to understand the plight of what it is to be a black woman co-founder in business. When things like this happen, things change." To check out the range of products The Honey Pot offers, you can check out their website here.