Together with a network of partners built over the years, we are working to ensure that mission-driven food enterprises emerge from the economic and health crises of the past year fortified to support the repair and recovery of their communities. 2020 laid the groundwork for many 2021 investments in the region, including those leveraging our Collateral Initiative.

We also continue to provide business assistance to high-impact companies. Last year we worked with Common Wealth Poultry, the largest poultry processor in New England, which is not only serving up humanely raised chickens, but creating well-paying jobs in rural Maine and supporting family farms across seven states. Our targeted business assistance helped them develop a financial plan and investor materials to support business expansion.

Finally, many of our longstanding portfolio companies — from Five Acre Farms to Radicle Greens — call the Northeast home. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team met with each business to explore operational adjustments to preserve cash flow. We also offered loan deferments or modifications and made ourselves available to provide intensive business assistance as they navigated this crisis.

While some businesses struggled, many saw increased revenue and we are thrilled to share that all businesses in our portfolio survived this unprecedented year and indeed helped sustain others in their communities through this crisis.