Business Description
Food for the People is a small collective that supports agriculture activism in the community through tropical permaculture technique, gorilla gardening, and workshops. We produce high quality organic vegetables, value added food products including but not limited to kombucha. We also produce tinctures, natural organic body products, original art printed reusable bags to stop the use of plastic bags, as well as having created a community supported art subscription. It is through this we effect positive change.
All the profits of our healthy and eco-geared products go to support our activist work. We decided to start Food for the People, in the last few months, as one answer to respond to the debt in Puerto Rico. Producing our own food, lends us food security, instead of relying on outside sources. We address that through our work. Our biggest challenge however, has been our start-up.
We currently have several customers in our neighborhood and vend at a monthly farmers market. We plan to expand our business across the island to different markets, as all as vend our products in local established stores.
What is the purpose of this loan?
The loan is going to buy the supplies we need to build new needed equipment: a cold oil press, and solar dehydrator which includes the hand tools, wood, component pieces: $250. We are also purchasing items for our apothecary including jars, bottles, bulk: soap base / extraction alcohol / oil, and recycled packaging: $200 And lastly the items needed to start our print shop: inks, canvas, drawing fluid, and wood screen: $60
We have researched the market for our products, and already have a marketing plan set up as well as interested buyers when we can get more of our products available. We have been limited by the capacity of being only to produce a few products, and while we have been successful in the market, we want to expand.
This would help get everything going with a running start, and as a result we could help organize more action days in the community. But, for me, this is personal. For once I would be able to live the dream of working for myself, promoting environmental and human causes, making a difference. For my partner it holds the same big impact. Working for ourselves is the only way we choose to live, and this would help us get there.