Stories

LEAF Named Lead Administrator of Massachusetts Food Trust Program

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently announced that LEAF, in partnership with The Franklin County CDC, would be the lead CDFI administrator of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP), a healthy food fund that has been seeded with $1 million from…

LEAF Supports Worker Co-op, Cooperative Care

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LEAF, together with Shared Capital, approved a loan to Cooperative Care (CC) to finance the diversification of CC’s service offerings. CC is the third largest home care cooperative in the United States and currently has 38 employees — 30 of…

LEAF Approves Loan to Producer Co-op, Seattle Wholesale Growers Market

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SWGMC sponsors farm open days and events several times a year to help customers connect with farmers and see how the flowers are grown. LEAF, partnering with Shared Capital, recently approved a loan to Seattle Wholesale Growers Market Cooperative (SWGMC),…

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,…