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Efren Avalos, CA FarmLink client
14th
September
2021
Hollister, CA

California Farmer Uses CDFI Loans to Offer Healthy Food Options to Bay Area Communities

September 14, 2021

Client: Efren Avalos, owner of Avalos Farms

Client Location: Hollister, CA

CDFI: California FarmLink

CDFI Service Area: CA

CDFI Services Provided: 

Financing, with support from the Grow with Google Small Business Fund and Google.org Grant Program

Financial and Social Impact

Latino- and immigrant-owned business able to continue growing and promote community health and environmental sustainability

Efren Avalos grew up on a farm in Mexico and has been a leader in the Monterey Bay area’s small farm community for nearly 20 years. However, like many farmers, Efren often has limited cash on hand in winter for his business, Avalos Farms, to establish spring and summer crops. To overcome this challenge, Efren benefits from Mandela Partner’s Harvest to Market Fund’s forward-purchasing contract,  which enables him to access low-interest loans from California FarmLink and get paid in advance at the beginning of the season based on his prior-year sales.

Efren has farmed near Hollister, CA, for most of his farming career. For several years, his fresh produce has also been part of CSA boxes sold by Mandela Produce Distribution in Oakland. In addition, his commitment to community health has resulted in farmworker families in East Salinas being able to access his locally grown organic produce at the Alisal Farmers’ Market. Located adjacent to the WIC Office, the market is designed to promote and encourage residents’ use of WIC and CalFresh food assistance at the market.

“If I don’t come to the farm one day, I’m not happy, I’m not complete. It’s because I grew up on a farm,” Efren shared about his passion for farming and serving his community. “People love to talk and catch up at the markets, and they miss me if I’m not able to make it, always asking, ‘Where were you last week?’”

Tags: Entrepreneur of Color, Food Desert, Google.org Grant Program, Grow with Google Small Business Fund, Healthcare, Healthy Foods, Immigrant-Owned Business, Rural, Small Business, Sustainability

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