Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in agriculture but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maria Alonso, founder of Huerta Del Valle, located in Ontario, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Community Garden 501c3 Organization. Our customers are the community.

Tell us about yourself

I was motivated by my son's diagnosis of ADHD by his doctor. The cure was to take some drugs or change his diet. I decided to change his diet, but in the process, I found out that organic food was so expensive, and I wasn't going to be able to pay for it. After this, I started looking for opportunities and started working with Fresh Start, a non-profit organization. They allowed me to have two raised beds where we were able to grow our own vegetables. After I found out that Pitzer College had a Sustainability Program, I started working with Susan Phillips; she came to know what we were doing. She gave us the support to start our own non-profit organization. Then the city of Ontario offered us a partnership with Kaiser Permanente in a grant that Kaiser was offering for a new program called Health Zone.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is to be able to provide the resources to all the Maria that are out there looking to provide healthy food to their family.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

As a non-profit is always a challenge to be able to be fluent financially.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Persistence.
  2. Don't give up.
  3. Never forget where you come from.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I just want to say that wherever we do with passion is something that flourishes, and you always want to keep moving forward.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.huertadelvalle.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HDVhuertadelvalle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huertadelvalle/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_huertadelvalle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/huerta-del-valle/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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