Los Angeles Food Enterprise Uses PPP Loan to Meet Surging Demand While Prioritizing Safety
Client: Jennifer Piette, owner of Narrative Food
Client Location: Chatsworth, CA
CDFI: Opportunity Fund
CDFI Service Area: National
Financing and technical assistance, with support from the Grow with Google Small Business Fund and Google.org Grant Program
Owned by Jennifer Piette, Narrative Food is a farm-to-table home delivery service, market, and certified B Corporation based in Los Angeles. While the COVID-19 pandemic brought a surge in demand to Narrative Food, it also put Jennifer’s staff at risk and disrupted the business’s supply chain, which relies heavily on small suppliers and growers. After closing up shop twice last summer, Jennifer received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan administered by Accion Opportunity Fund to keep her business going.
“I’ve never had to work so hard, seven days a week, under the stress of COVID. I was exhausted,” Jennifer shared. Thanks to the PPP loan, which was one of $11 million worth of PPP loans administered by Accion Opportunity Fund in FY20, Jennifer was able to protect the health of her employees, their families, her customers, and herself by paying her staff to stay home while COVID spiked. Additionally, the small, local nature of Narrative Foods has now proven to be an asset. Jennifer has found her suppliers can rapidly rethink their operations, pivoting faster than corporate chains.
“So far, we’ve all been healthy and we’re able to keep other people healthy, helping them stay at home, cook healthy food, and build connections with their loved ones around the dinner table,” Jennifer added.