We meet entrepreneurs where they are
Since 2017, BII has deployed $18 million across New England through flexible debt and equity financing to businesses, cooperatives, and real estate projects.
Directly from Our Portfolio
88 Acres
88 Acres is an artisan food company that produces healthy snacks free of the top eight food allergens. Their Dorchester-based manufacturing center generates good jobs for the local community–the enterprise created 53 new jobs in 2019 alone! They also prioritize ingredient sourcing from New England-based farmers.
Casabe Fruit Store and Delicatessen
At the time of the original investment, Casabe was an alternative to the traditional bodegas of Lawrence, offering fresh and durable offerings, with conventional and organic options that would accept payments from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards. In 2023 Casabe opened a second location at Lawrence General Hospital, which has now become their primary location.
Democracy Brewing
When BII invested in Democracy Brewing, they were a small worker-owned start up brewery with a tasting in South Boston. Today they continue their worker owned model and have a tap room and restaurant in Downtown Boston.
Hillside Harvest
Hillside Harvest is a Caribbean-American natural condiment brand that sells at regional grocery stores, local farmers markets, direct-to-consumer on their website, and even at Fenway Park! Hillside Harvest has developed three hot sauce flavors and two Jamaican jerk marinades. Founder Kamaal Jarrett’s vision was to create a brand that would bring the Caribbean flavors of his heritage out of the specialty international markets and into mainstream supermarket aisles.
Waku
Waku is a gut healthy drink that is inspired on an ancestral recipe, “horchata lojana”, created in the Andes Mountains. Waku’s raw ingredients are sourced from indigenous farmers, bottled in New Hampshire and distributed in the Northeast Region of the United States.
Fresh Food Generation
Fresh Food Generation started its food truck business with an intention to serve healthy food in the low-income neighborhood of Boston. Today they are a restaurant, food truck and catering company. FFG combines New England ingredients with bold Caribbean and Southern flavors to create enticing locally sourced fresh food. In 2018, BII Fund provided a line of credit and convertible debt coupled with an innovative “self-liquidating equity” structure which allows management to buy back equity at fair and mutually agreed upon price.
Roundhead Brewing Co.
Roundhead Brewing is the first Latino-owned craft brewery in the Boston area. The brewery sells a variety of craft beers and fresh pizza in the taproom and serves as a community space, hosting events with local partners and musicians at the brewery and around Boston. Roundhead Brewing also supports its workers by creating career pathways and paying a living wage, instead of sub-minimum, tipped wages. In 2021, Fund I provided a term loan as part of a larger equipment financing facility in partnership with RSF Social Finance to purchase electric brewing equipment.
Urban Farming Institute
UFI uses urban farming practices as a means of addressing various societal challengs, including food insecurity, limited access to fruits and vegetables and the decline of community connection. In 2018, BII Fund provided bridge finance to support the acquisition of equipment and supplies for the upcoming farming season.
Join Us in Building a
Just and Sustainable Economy
Invest in BII Fund II and support the growth of enterprises, building a more equitable future.