North Bay business news from Bellwether Farms, Kistler Vineyard, Emily’s Kitchen and more
Bellwether Farms in Petaluma has launched Project Spilled Milk, an indiegogo campaign with the goal of raising $50,000. The funds will be used to buy milk from current producers and produce yogurt that will be donated to Northern California food banks.
For every $2 raised, Bellwether Farms will be able to produce food for a family in need. To thank donors for supporting Project Spilled Milk, Bellwether Farms is offering social media shout-outs, handwritten Thank You letters, and company t-shirts. For those who are not in a position to contribute financially to this project, Bellwether Farms’ announcement asks that they help spread the word by sharing the campaign through social media networks and using the hashtag #ProjectSpilledMilk.
Bellwether Farms is a family-run farm that produces cheeses and yogurts from locally sourced cow and sheep milk.
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Kistler Vineyards of Sebastopol has raised $100,000 for three foundations to assist restaurant workers who have been laid off as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant industry has been a key sales channel for many local wineries who have had to quickly focus on online or off-premises retail sales.
The money was raised through a special release of spring wines and went to the Restaurant Employees Relief Fund, the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation and the United Sommelier Foundation.
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Emily’s Kitchen in Santa Rosa owner Emily Nagan said that one of her longtime employees, Pina Zarate, is planning to take over the popular breakfast and lunch spot in Montgomery Village.
Although details are still in the works, Nagan said the restaurant will remain open as she teaches Zarate the ropes of restaurant ownership.
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Landscapes Unlimited in Petaluma purchased a 7,596-square foot-building located at 4330 Bodega Ave. in Petaluma, expanding from a 12-acre leased lot and creating two new jobs, according to Bay Area Development Company, which funded part of the Section 504 Small Business Administration financing.
Landscapes Unlimited opened for business in 1981 and its current owner, Cameron Dennis, purchased the company in 2005. Landscapes Unlimited is a wholesale nursery that works primarily with landscaping companies and small nurseries throughout the greater Bay Area.
When the owner of the Bodega Avenue building decided to sell the property, Dennis had first right of refusal and, working with Bank of the West and with Bay Area Development’s Bob Thompson, received 504 funding that allowed him to purchase the property. Doing so ensures that his business can continue operating from the space it has occupied for over 40 years, and the loan’s favorable rates locked in his occupancy costs for the long term.
Founded in 1981, Bay Area Development Company is an SBA licensed lender that works with banks and the SBA’s 504 program to provide small and mid-sized companies with long term commercial real estate financing.
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The company five19publishing has announced the launch of the new Marin Living magazine.
The first issue will be mailed mid-July and the full website, marinlivingmagazine.com, will launch shortly after. Social media channels are up and running @marinlivingmag on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Beginning late July, the company’s newsletter, Living Well Marin, will begin to appear in readers’ inboxes, it stated.
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The second annual International Canned Wine Competition is now accepting entries for the July contest. The competition includes numerous categories of canned wines, including red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, as well as wine coolers and wine spritzers.
The organizers have made arrangements to assure the health of all judges and staff by expanding the event to three days, July 21 through 23, 2020 to ensure social distancing.
The competition will be held at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville. All canned beverages that contain grape wine as a component are eligible, sponsors stated. Registration and entries are done through Enofile. The entry fee is $40 per product before June 20, $50 thereafter. Entries must arrive between June 15 and July 10.
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Savage & Cooke Distillery, whose owner, Dave Phinney, retooled his Mare Island facility in Solano County to produce hand-sanitizer, has been named Senate District 3’s Small Business of the Year, State Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, announced.
The office stated the sanitizer has been sold at cost - or donated - to numerous companies and organizations including first responders, hospitals and community groups. Phinney opened Savage & Cooke Distillery in 2016, specializing in bourbon, whiskey and rye. He moved to Mare Island in 2018. Phinney also is known for his involvement in Napa County winemaking, growing companies such as The Prisoner and Orin Swift Cellars into multinational brands.