Tampa Café Grows Business Operations with Help from Local CDFI
Client: Maria Rumlin, Owner of M&R Café Southern Cuisine
Client Location: Tampa, FL
CDFI: Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF)
CDFI Service Area: Florida
Small business funding and educational resources
For Executive Chef Maria Rumlin, food has always been more than a profession—it’s a calling. After facing challenges in the workforce due to past incarceration, Maria turned to her lifelong passion: cooking. Encouraged by friends and family, she began catering and eventually opened M&R Café Southern Cuisine in East Tampa, Florida.
Her goal was to offer working families a dinner option that feels like home. Instead of fast food, M&R Café began serving Southern-style dishes that evoke memories of home, quickly becoming a trusted part of the neighborhood. But when Maria expanded the café from primarily takeout to a full-service dining experience, she encountered new financial roadblocks. Her business’s development shift increased sales, but also brought higher operating costs, a need for renovations, and new equipment.
CDFIs Step in Where Mainstream Finance Doesn’t Reach
Uncertain about her chances with mainstream lenders, Maria connected with Florida-based CDFI Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF) after attending some local business networking events. Maria chose BBIF for its strong community presence and hands-on, personalized support that made it a natural fit for the café’s next stage of growth.
BBIF provided Maria with a loan that helped her with higher operating costs, renovations, and new upgrades for the kitchen and dining area. They also offered invaluable technical assistance, including financial preparation and business planning to make sure she was loan-ready. Maria not only secured funding but also deepened her understanding of financial management. That education proved transformative, building her confidence and strengthening her leadership as a small business owner.
“They [BBIF] provided tools and access to opportunities that gave us valuable exposure to people and resources that support growth the right way,” Maria said.
With help from BBIF, Maria retained three staff members and hired six more, expanding her team and increasing her impact in the East Tampa community. Today, M&R Café serves as a place of opportunity and belonging—reflecting Maria’s own journey of resilience.
In FY 2024, BBIF provided $13.87 million in business loans to people like Maria, closing 35 loans across various industries, including construction, real estate, education, and business services. These investments helped create or retain 619 jobs, highlighting the critical role of mission-driven lending in supporting local economic growth.
CDFIs Uplift Small Business Owners and Local Economies
Small businesses are the backbone of our nation’s economy. Securing financing, however, can present challenges and roadblocks to many entrepreneurs. Without the experience, cash flow, credit, or equity required by many traditional banks and financial institutions, many small business owners cannot access capital they need to grow. This issue often leaves small business owners at the mercy of predatory lenders and high-cost financing.
CDFIs fill the gap to provide safe, responsible options for borrowers that traditional banks do not reach. In addition, they also offer technical assistance and professional development tools tailored to the unique needs of their small business clients to help them grow and succeed.
Through 2023, OFN members have originated more than $124 billion in financing, which has supported 1 million businesses and microenterprises and helped to create or retain 3.4 million jobs in communities across America that many of us call home.
To learn more about how OFN and our network of CDFIs prioritize small businesses, visit our small business page.
To read other stories about thriving small businesses funded by CDFIs, visit our impact stories page.
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