Success stories

Success stories

  • Owner and Founder Maria Lara-Bregatta serves up a delicious meal at Cafe Mamajuana

    Just 29, She’s ‘Off to a Pretty Good Start’

    The name of the restaurant is not exactly a common word, and pronouncing it correctly is a challenge for many of its patrons. It’s mangled so often, in fact, that owner and founder Maria Lara-Bregatta...

  • A kitchen worker prepping ingredients on a steel table.

    It Takes a Global Village

    In seven years, a small business in White River Junction has transformed itself from a single restaurant to a company that offers its African cuisine in more than 200 stores throughout New England...

  • Pieces of chocolate on a table

    Best Chocolate. Period.

    Word of mouth may be the most inexpensive and flattering form of advertising. An individual becomes so enchanted with a product, she can’t help but tell her friends to try it. The friends try it, and...

  • Business owner and family inside store

    It Started With Carmen’s Ice Cream. The Rest Is History.

    She is in her 30s, college-educated, and has already logged more than 20 years working at the same place. And it’s the only job she has ever had. Meet Bonnie Paris, president of Freighthouse Market &...

  • Fat sheep farm and Cabins owners pose together with pet dog

    Beauty and the Sheep

    Tucked away on a hilltop in Hartland, VT, sit five stand-alone cabins offering breathtaking views of the Green Mountain State. It is rare for one to be unoccupied. But the owners of these cabins, Todd...

  • Tara and Fred photographed standing in front of an office desk.

    The Road To Success Is Paved

    Ten years ago, a newly established business didn’t have trucks, employees, or even a paver, which seems like it would be pretty important if that new business is a paving company. “But we did have...

  • Windsor Vermont jams on a shelf

    Specialty Foods Are Their Jam

    Raspberry with Wild Bergamot Flower, and Jalapeño & Lime may not seem like typical jam flavors, but it is unique offerings like these that have made a Windsor Vermont jam maker a consistent national...

  • Miriam's Cooking Success Story Photo

    SBA Microlending Success Story: Miriam’s Earthen Cookware Bootstrapped and Built in Her Own Backyard

    While Miriam Kattumuri was pregnant with her first child in 2008, she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Curious and determined to face her diagnosis head-on, Kattumuri did extensive research on...