For over two decades, Mountain BizWorks has helped small business owners in WNC. As a nonprofit community development financial institution, Mountain BizWorks provides training, coaching, and financing to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. This includes family farms and food business entrepreneurs, both of whom are important to the small business community and economic development in WNC.
Jonathon Flaum, entrepreneur and owner of Farm to Home Milk, says, “the [Mountain BizWorks] foundations class was an indispensable tool for starting my business. It gave me the space, time, and support to build a plan that could work in real time.” Flaum’s business—a home and business delivery service for fresh milk, local produce, and a wide variety of value-added goods—is a testament to area residents’ dedication to and support of local. Early Girl Eatery, another prominent business that sources local goods from local farms, similarly utilized support from Mountain BizWorks to launch what is now one of the most famous restaurants in Asheville. With the support of Mountain BizWorks, the business owners planned, budgeted, and financed their operation, which has been serving happy customers since 2001.
Farm to Home Milk and Early Girl Eatery are excellent examples of area businesses committed to building our region’s local food system and supporting the long-term vitality of our communities. Without the small business lending opportunities and financial planning advice an institution like Mountain BizWorks can offer, successful local food businesses like these might not exist.