Erika Eurkus

Jessica Pires

United States

Entrepreneurs of MSMEs

Financial Capability

MSME/SME Finance

Partnerships

Women

Article

Samuel Adams

A glass of beer is up to 95 percent water. But the ingredients in that other 5 percent  — the grains, hops, brewer’s yeast, and flavorings — are essential, each element working together to create the perfect cup. At a recent event celebrating female brewers, I looked around the room and saw a variety of successful women sharing drinks and business tips. While each of these women is a hard worker with big ideas, I saw how much stronger we are when we work together. Just like the beer in our glasses, our success is brewed with multiple critical ingredients, and without the right support, our ambitions could fall flat.

Accomplished attorneys, investment bankers, brewers, and small business owners were all gathered at the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston for the <a href="https://give.accion.org/page/contribute/accionwomensnetwork?source=DefaultDonationAWNRedirect">Accion Women’s Network</a> event. Despite the diversity of this group, they had two things in common. Each of these professional women is dedicated to the cause of financial inclusion, and we all work together to make it a reality.

One relationship in the spotlight during the event was the partnership between <a href="https://us.accion.org/">Accion in the U.S.</a> and the Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams beer. For 10 years, Accion in the U.S. has been a partner in <a href="http://btad.samueladams.com/">Brewing the American Dream (BTAD)</a>. Sparked by Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch’s desire to give back, BTAD helps food and beverage entrepreneurs who are often shut out of the banking sector. And the program doesn’t shy away from supporting future competition. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/biotech-exec-turned-brewery-owner-profile-2018-1">Bev Armstrong of Brazo Fuerte</a>, the first woman-owned brewery in Massachusetts, was able to turn to BTAD when she needed help getting her business off the ground. Recognizing the power of partnership, the program provided not only vital funding but also coaching and networking opportunities.

Strategic partnerships have long been the key ingredient in the advances made in financial inclusion. Globally, much of Accion’s success is because of our successful partnerships with financial service providers and co-investors, all dedicated to making financial inclusion a reality for the billions of people who lack access to even a basic savings account or credit product. While banks often face challenges when lending to start-ups or other small businesses — like a neighborhood restaurant — many banks partner with organizations like Accion to get capital and training into the hands of those who need it.

Good partnerships can grow stronger over time, as I was reminded when I saw my friend and colleague, Anna Dodson, at the event. In her role with Goodwin Procter, she’s a powerful ally for small business owners, providing pro-bono business legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and small business owners in underserved neighborhoods. Because of our shared work supporting entrepreneurs, I’ve known Anna for 15 years. Over this time, our friendship and our companies’ work together has grown, and today she serves as the chair of the board of Accion’s U.S. Network.

For women — especially those who want to make their mark in male-dominated fields like brewing — person-to-person partnerships are crucial. The female brewers at the Accion Women’s Network event were a testament to this power. Jennifer Glanville, a 17-year veteran of Samuel Adams, now runs the brewery. Because she believes in the power of mentorship and paying it forward, she passes along her success by mentoring Bev Armstrong through BTAD. Throughout history and still today, women have been helping each other to climb ladders and shatter glass ceilings, with the valuable support of our male counterparts along the way.

Partnerships don’t just make the world go round — they help it move forward. By continuing to work together and supporting entrepreneurs, we can disrupt the status quo and brew a more inclusive future.

Whether you’re building a business or a social movement, one ingredient is crucial

Loans in the U.S.

Since the 2008 recession, small businesses have been at the heart of economic recovery in the U.S. In fact, small businesses in their first five years of operation <a href="http://www.kauffman.org/what-we-do/resources/entrepreneurship-policy-digest/the-importance-of-young-firms-for-economic-growth">create nearly all of the country’s net new jobs</a>. However, small business owners are finding it increasingly difficult to start or grow their businesses. Small business bank lending has declined by 20% since the recession, even while loans to medium and large enterprises increase. This challenge is especially significant for women, minority, and immigrant entrepreneurs, as well as those who work in industries that banks consider “risky,” like <a href="http://www.accion.org/hot-bread-kitchen-recipe-success/">food and beverage business owners</a>.

Fortunately, many women are overcoming these challenges. In fact, the number of minority women-owned businesses in the U.S. <a href="https://www.nwbc.gov/research/SBOTrends">grew by 315 percent</a> between 2002 and 2012. These women have tremendous potential to positively impact their communities, and organizations like Accion and CommonWealth Kitchen are dedicated to making sure they have the resources they need to do just that.

CommonWealth Kitchen (CWK) is a food business incubator, brand accelerator, and food manufacturing social enterprise occupying an old warehouse in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The organization works with more than 50 member businesses, including many Accion clients, at every stage of their journey. The incubator supports local entrepreneurs from developing business plans to label design to providing fully-equipped kitchen spaces. CWK serves as a great resource for Accion clients who need additional support in launching and scaling their businesses. Meanwhile, some of CWK’s member businesses are recommended to Accion in Boston when they need additional support and financial advice.

Women and/or people of color own 70 percent of CommonWealth Kitchen’s member businesses. During peak production, these businesses employed over 150 people, 70 percent of whom are women and/or people of color themselves.

The Kitchen is a buzzing hive of cooks. Whether it is a group of women making what seemed to be literal tons of tomato sauce, or a group of friends concocting imaginative dairy-free ice cream flavors, the sense of community and collaboration is palpable. Here entrepreneurs work side-by-side to perfect their products – exchanging ideas and sharing kitchens.

Accion client Deborah Taylor is one such entrepreneur. She and a small team make some of her famous <a href="http://www.deborahskitchen.com/">spreadable fruits</a> out of shared space at CommonWealth Kitchen. She received her first microloan through <a href="https://us.accion.org/region/the-east-coast/">Accion serving the East Coast</a> nearly 15 years ago. She has expanded her production, operating out of CWK’s incubator, and her spreads can now be found in grocery stores throughout Massachusetts.

Other CommonWealth Kitchen entrepreneurs include Cassandria Campbell of <a href="http://www.freshfoodgeneration.com/">Fresh Food Generation</a> and Heather Yunger of <a href="http://topshelfcookies.com/">Top Shelf Cookies</a>. Both Accion clients speak proudly of the collaborative environment at CWK, among entrepreneurs, the incubator, Accion, and the Samuel Adams <a href="http://btad.samueladams.com/">Brewing the American Dream</a> program, which connects small food and beverage businesses with capital along with coaching, mentoring, and other tools to help them succeed.

Accion client Fresh Food Generation is run with the philosophy that everyone should eat well regardless of where they live or their level of income. The business includes a food truck during the warmer months and a year-round catering business. Co-founder Cassandria Campbell is a food justice advocate from the Roxbury neighborhood in Boston who realized she was continually traveling outside of her neighborhood to find healthy food. She and her business partner, Jackson Renshaw, developed their idea and won a local pitch competition. She explained the challenges of launching her business and offering healthier options in low-income communities, including replacing a café in a community health center that routinely sold soda and hot dogs for breakfast.

The crux of their business lies in partnerships with local farms, including some urban farming projects, and neighborhood alliances. CWK has proven to be an invaluable resource to Cassandria as well, allowing her to take on more catering jobs with a larger team, assisting her in marketing her product, and expanding her network of clients. As Fresh Food Generation continues to grow, Cassandria emphasized the importance of their supportive business network in their success to bringing affordable and sustainable food to her community.

Meanwhile, Heather Yunger’s superstitious Boston Bruins fandom and her “Black and Gold” cookies inspired her to leave her day job to start her own venture, which one day became Top Shelf Cookies. She would make her signature recipe for every home game, and when the Bruins tasted the sweet victory of the Stanley Cup, she knew that Top Shelf Cookies would be her next goal. Even the name, Top Shelf, is an homage to hockey.

Heather, who has been baking out of CommonWealth Kitchen since 2014, was introduced to the Brewing the American Dream pitch competition. Since participating in the program, she has proudly created specialized, seasonal flavors for the company, including pumpkin beer cookies or Boston Lager chocolate chip cookies.

Heather’s enterprise is growing quickly, and as she’s adjusted to making several hundred cookies in a commercial kitchen rather than just a few dozen at home, CWK has supported her in revitalizing her business plan and marketing strategy, while Accion and Samuel Adams continue to offer support through financial advice and coaching.

CommonWealth Kitchen wholeheartedly supports their fearless and determined clients, and fully understands the challenges unique to opening a food business; CWK is there to encourage entrepreneurs to break through obstacles and realize their aspirations. The collaboration among impressive organizations like CommonWealth Kitchen, Samuel Adams, and Accion is integral to helping women entrepreneurs of color grow and sustain their businesses.

These meaningful opportunities for economic participation and growth empower individuals and communities to create their own futures. Addressing inequalities and financial opportunity, whether in our own neighborhoods or worldwide, is no easy task, but thanks to our important partnerships, Accion can make financial inclusion a reality.

Collaborating to support small businesses: CommonWealth Kitchen and Accion

<div class="byline"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7384" src="http://blogs.accion.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hot-Bread-Kitchen-Accion-East-3.jpg" alt="hot-bread-kitchen-accion-east-3" width="900" height="900" />
Earlier this fall, a group of a dozen women ventured to the social enterprise <a href="https://hotbreadkitchen.org/">Hot Bread Kitchen</a> and <a href="https://hotbreadkitchen.org/incubates/">HBK Incubates</a> in East Harlem. Founder Jessamyn Rodriguez led participants on a tour of Hot Bread Kitchen – a collective of women bakers-in-training, most of whom were previously unemployed or underemployed, and many of whom are immigrants.  These women enroll in an intensive 6-month program, during which time they learn all aspects of bread preparation as well as relevant lessons in English, math and organizational skills.</div>

[caption id="attachment_7385" align="alignnone" width="900"]<img class="wp-image-7385 size-full" src="http://blogs.accion.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hot-Bread-Kitchen-Accion-East-2.jpg" alt="hot-bread-kitchen-accion-east-2" width="900" height="675" /> From left to right, Vanessa Dager; Jessamyn Rodriguez, Hot Bread Kitchen; Anne Thompson, NBC; and Diana Taylor, Board Chair at Accion and Board Chair at Hot Bread Kitchen.[/caption]

All of the Hot Bread Kitchen graduates who seek employment are able to find full-time, fair wage positions with access to benefits and opportunities for advancement – a remarkable achievement.  Hot Bread Kitchen earns revenue through the sale of its extensive line of bread products to such high profile companies as Whole Foods and JetBlue.

A few years ago, Hot Bread Kitchen expanded to establish HBK Incubates, an incubator to support and foster the growth of local, food-related businesses. After our tour, we heard from two extraordinary clients of <a href="https://us.accion.org/region/the-east-coast/">Accion serving the East Coast</a> who operate out of the incubator: Isabel of <a href="http://www.littlegreengourmets.com/">Little Green Gourmets</a> and Jessica of <a href="http://www.harlemchocolatefactory.com/">Harlem Chocolate Factory</a>. They candidly shared with us the stories of their uncharted paths to launching a business, the challenges they’ve encountered along the way, and the rewards of pursuing their dreams.

[caption id="attachment_7382" align="alignnone" width="826"]<img class="wp-image-7382 size-full" src="http://blogs.accion.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hot-Bread-Kitchen-Accion-East-1.jpg" alt="hot-bread-kitchen-accion-east-1" width="826" height="900" /> Jessica Spaulding of Harlem Chocolate Factory.[/caption]

Jessica spoke of the challenges of taking her chocolate enterprise from a simple idea to full-fledged production. In college, she tried to get her business off the ground, whipping up small batches for friends, but she was not able to get the support and capital she needed. A few years later, she saw a business competition flier at the public library and submitted her business plan. Jessica won the competition and the $15,000 grand prize.

From there, Jessica confidently pursued more alternative options, even participating in Accion and Sam Adams’ <a href="http://btad.samueladams.com/"><em>Brewing the American Dream</em> <em>Pitch Room Competition</em></a> last year<em>.</em> She has since worked with Sam Adams to improve her sales strategy and was asked to include her chocolates in the company’s holiday gift boxes. Now, Jessica is trying to keep up with increased demand from major corporations across the country looking to gift sweet treats. Thanks to support from <em>BTAD, </em>Accion, and HBK Incubates, Jessica is able to spread her love of chocolate and share Harlem’s rich history with a broader audience.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7383" src="http://blogs.accion.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Hot-Bread-Kitchen-Accion-East-4.jpg" alt="hot-bread-kitchen-accion-east-4" width="900" height="813" />
Isabel Gunther is quite the foodie, and cooking for her son gave her the opportunity to be more creative in the kitchen. Her love of cooking healthy meals sparked an idea to launch a specialized delivery service just for children. Little Green Gourmets caters to New York parents who want convenient and wholesome meals, mostly delivering to homes independent schools in Manhattan. Isabel recently graduated from the incubator into her own production space in East Harlem and has begun working closely with Accion East to continue her expansion.

Accion is proud to have a role in helping these women and others to grow their businesses and to generate a ripple effect of economic opportunity for communities that are too often underserved.  Key collaborations at every stage of these client’s journeys to build their businesses are the recipe for success.

Hot Bread Kitchen: Recipe for success

Samuel Adams

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Whether you’re building a business or a social movement, one ingredient is crucial

Collaborating to support small businesses: CommonWealth Kitchen and Accion

Hot Bread Kitchen: Recipe for success