Grounds for Success

Courtney Tobias found herself in need of capital for her start-up, Lunchroom Coffee, an organic fresh-roasted coffee distributor in Louisiana. Unfortunately, like too many women and business owners of color, she met resistance from traditional financial institutions that failed to see her vision and repeatedly turned down her loan requests. Ready to give up, she said, “I determined that I was done with lending institutions because they weren’t structured for people like me.” Fortunately, she did not give up and she turned to HOPE. HOPE provided a $10,000 loan through its Power of HOPE program, a low-interest loan structured to support entrepreneurs affected by the pandemic. Today, her product is sold in 13 retail outlets in Louisiana and she maintains a robust online presence. She’s also looking ahead to expanding through the purchase of a trailer and, ultimately, the construction of her own manufacturing facility.