USDA Helps Rural Small Businesses With Financial Support and Information to be a Successful Entrepreneur
4A-Packing in Doña County recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 18, 2022 –United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director Patricia Dominguez for Rural Development is thanking everyone in New Mexico for your support of all small businesses especially those in rural communities.
“This week we celebrated entrepreneur’s week where we honored our small businesses. Let’s not forget how local commerce has made our lives better by providing us with the many products that we use every day. And we also thank the small business owner for being a part of the recovery of our nation’s economy.”
Our state is known for many things and one of the best things known about New Mexico is our red and green chili. It’s a major contributor to our economy because it’s a staple in kitchens across the nation and around the world. Because of this fact ag producers are always seeking ways to provide more of their product to the public, making them true entrepreneurs.
One such entrepreneurial business is 4A Packing based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The company processes green chili grown in the Hatch Valley for the products they sell. USDA Rural Development has helped with the success of this business with two grants totaling $500,000.
The financial support has helped 4A Packing grow its business to make chili oil, kabobs, and many other products such as its new Chili Relleno Pack. To create the Chili Relleno Pack, the company flame roasts, peels, and stuffs the green chili with cheese, and then batters and fries the fresh chili creating a chili relleno. The product is then shipped across the nation to people wanting to enjoy a chili relleno from New Mexico.
By providing the financial support to 4A Packing, USDA Rural Development has helped the business grow and create 26 new jobs.
The Rural Entrepreneur Week celebration was created to bring attention to the development of sustainable businesses such as 4A Packing. And, to do so USDA and other federal agencies have created a resource guide to help people start and grow their business. The goal is to create good-paying jobs in rural communities and continue the strengthening of America’s economy.
The guide features information on how rural entrepreneurs can use USDA and other Federal programs to access financing and other assistance to help start and expand their businesses. It includes tools to help them:
- expand their access to capital to create small business incubators.
- create value-added agricultural products.
- access high-speed internet to connect their businesses to national and global markets.
- cut energy costs.
- access health care resources to enhance the quality of life for their employees.
- access workforce development and training opportunities to improve their skills, products, and services, and more.
To learn more about investment resources for rural areas, visit www.rd.usda.gov, or contact the nearest USDA Rural Development state office.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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