With a $645,000 grant from Wells Fargo’s Open For Business Fund, the AgLaunch Initiative launches a Small Business Technical Program to support black, indigenous, and people of color in the Mid-South Delta region.
“This funding is supporting small BIPOC food companies and farmers to ensure that those hit hardest by COVID are able to weather the storm and recent supply chain disruptions,” said Jade Clark, Director of Talent Development at AgLaunch. “We are bringing together farmers and food companies into the national AgLaunch model with the goal of building a more resilient future food system that delivers healthy food for all.”
The technical assistance from AgLaunch includes access to experts in business planning, accounting, financial management, legal, marketing, GAP certification, and more.
Examples of funded projects include:
- Delta Diamond Farmer Coop, MS, TN, AR: Legal services
- Epicenter, Memphis, TN: Good Food Showcase
- Green Leaf Learning Farm, Memphis, TN: The Organic Trade Association’s Organic Week
- Happy Tea Company, Memphis, TN: Marketing and Outreach
- Memphis Tilth, Memphis, TN: Urban Farmer Academy
- Mileston Farmer Coop, Mileston, MS: GAP+ Certification and training program
Here’s a video about the Mileson Cooperative Association:
The Open for Business Fund is $420 million national small business recovery effort from Wells Fargo.
“We know the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color throughout our nation and right here in our communities. Wells Fargo is excited to support an equitable recovery in the Mid-South region through this collaboration with AgLaunch,” said Wells Fargo Regional Banking Senior Manager Teresa Morris. “With these resources, we aim to support communities and small business owners to emerge from the pandemic stronger and more resilient.”
AgLaunch’s Delta Ag Cluster spans 110 mostly rural counties in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. AgLaunch focuses on collaborations to bring cohort-based programming, business acceleration, commercialization assistance, mentorship, access to capital, market development, and other business services.
