Leaf Fund

Celebrating the Grand Opening of Worker Co-op, Democracy Brewing

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Congratulations to Democracy Brewing (DB) on their Independence Day Grand Opening (July 4, 2018)! It’s been less than a year since LEAF approved a loan to finance the build out of DB’s combined brewery and pub (“brewpub”) in the heart…

LEAF Approves Loan to Start-Up Food Co-op, Apple Street Market

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LEAF has made a loan to Apple Street Market Cooperative for the development of their full-service grocery store in north-central Cincinnati’s diverse neighborhood of Northside. Apple Street Market will be fulfilling a much-needed gap for healthy and accessible food. The…

LEAF Approves Loan to Resident-Owned Sherwood Valley

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LEAF recently approved a loan to Sherwood Valley, a ROC USA manufactured home community in Coventry, Rhode Island with 170 resident-owned units and approximately 23 miles from Providence. Cooperative Development Institute (CDI), Sherwood Valley’s technical assistance provider, helped them to…

LEAF Approves Loan to Democracy Brewing

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  In the late fall, LEAF approved a loan to Democracy Brewing, a worker-owned brewpub located in Boston and scheduled to open in April 2018. Democracy Brewing believes that the dream of owning one’s own business should not be reserved…

LEAF Presents on Co-op Model in Boston

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LEAF has continued its partnership with the Office of Small Business Development at the City of Boston, and has spoken at several workshops run by the City’s traveling Small Business Center to discuss and promote the cooperative model. Most recently,…

Success Story: LEAF Helps Small Business Owner Win Pitch Competition

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Anthony Caldwell (middle) celebrates with Strategy & Development Director Amine Benali and QVS Fellow Shaina Robinson (Photo by Ben Selden) LEAF would like to congratulate Chef Anthony Caldwell of 50Kitchen for winning the Fields Corner Collaborative’s business development competition! To…

Wellspring Harvest’s Newest Milestone

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LEAF Executive Director Gerardo Espinoza with Wellspring Co-Director Fred Rose (Photo by Ben Selden) LEAF has been closely following the progress of Wellspring Harvest Greenhouse, the Springfield-based worker cooperative hydroponic greenhouse that will be providing fresh lettuce to local hospitals,…

Inspired by Nature: Cooperation and Sustainability

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Cooperation is human nature. Our success as a species is largely due to the ability to cooperate flexibly on large scales. Since cooperation boosts productivity, it is worth examining how we can facilitate it. A 2015 study published in Nature…
Prairie Coop Market

Food Coops: Prairie Roots Grand Opening, and Loans from SBA

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Congratulations to Prairie Roots Co-op on their summer grand opening (July 5 2017)! Feels like just yesterday when LEAF approved a loan, together with Shared Capital Cooperative, to finance the construction of their 8300 square foot facility. Prairie Roots is…