Resilience Through Partnerships: Fresh Food Generation (Boston, MA)
Fresh Food Generation (FFG), a Dorchester-based Caribbean restaurant and catering company founded by Cassandria Campbell and Jackson Renshaw, has been a LEAF partner since 2020. Over that time, FFG grew from a shared commissary kitchen to a multi-channel operation serving…Read More
Avalon Community Land Trust (Bloomington, IN)
In Bloomington, Indiana, like in many cities today, housing costs exceed what many residents can pay. Local residents and university students compete for the same limited housing stock, driving rents higher and leaving few stable options for people who want…Read More
LEAF Honors Black Business Owners
The history of the United States is inseparable from Black history. The legacy of people who survived enslavement, fought for freedom, and built communities under systems of exclusion reveals a depth of resilience that continues to shape the nation today.…Read More
People’s Food Cooperative is Growing (Portland, OR)
Founded in 1970 by university students, People’s Food Cooperative in Portland, Oregon began with a simple purpose: to provide healthy foods that were not widely available in supermarkets. The co-op purchased a 100-year-old Italian grocery store and built something lasting—an…Read More
What Happens When 2.9 Million Business Owners Retire?
When Rob Fetz faced retirement after 70 years running his Ohio plumbing and HVAC business, he had two options: sell to private equity firms consolidating family contractors across the Midwest, or close the doors forever.
Instead, he chose a third…Read More
MLK’s Words Continue to Guide LEAF’s Work (Boston, MA)
LEAF Guided by MLK SpeechRead More
Flower Growers Rooted in Cooperation (Seattle, WA)
In local farming, growing begins with a vision and then in and with the soil. The Seattle Growers Market (SGM) is an example of small-scale farmers cultivating their selling power through their Cooperative in a healthy way, just like they…Read More
CRECHE Builds an Alternative, House by House (Boston, MA)
On a quiet Dorchester street, an elderly man lived alone for decades in an 1880s single-family home. As his health declined, the house declined with him. The old house became too large for an elderly person to manage on his…Read More
Gifts that Build Community (and Delight!)
This holiday season consider high-quality gifts that strengthen local businesses and the communities they serve. Each of these enterprises is part of the LEAF portfolio, and their businesses create jobs, build ownership, and uplift the community. A purchase from any…Read More
The Revival of the West Georgia Farmers’ Cooperative (West Georgia)
Meeting a Legend
When Eric Simpson met Ralph Paige one day, he did not realize he was meeting a legend. Although they knew each other from living in the same neighborhood in LaGrange, Georgia, Simpson did not know that Paige,…Read More
From Garage Dreams to Boston’s Blooming Scene (Boston, MA)
When Yanique Shaw, founder of Boston Flower Co., arranged flowers for her uncle’s 70th birthday, she discovered a passion that would soon reshape her career. The oldest of her siblings, Ms. Shaw had always taken charge—but this time, creativity took…Read More
Still Driving Forward: San Francisco Green Cab (San Francisco, CA)
In 2007, longtime taxi driver Mark Gruberg and his colleagues decided to change how their industry worked. Tired of corrupt, top-down companies, they built San Francisco Green Cab—a driver-owned, environmentally responsible cooperative. Every driver became a part-owner, and they launched…Read More