El Pájaro CDC Welcomes and Celebrates Partnership with Staff of Life

  El Pájaro CDC is a non-profit organization that offers culturally relevant services to underserved and underrepresented entrepreneurs throughout the Central Coast. 

Watsonville, CA, May 19, 2021 — In recognition of the recent inauguration of the Staff of Life Natural Foods Market in Watsonville, El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) is excited to welcome them and continue a partnership that benefits several small businesses in our community! 

El Pájaro CDC is a non-profit organization that offers culturally relevant services to underserved and underrepresented entrepreneurs throughout the Central Coast. We support our clients in launching their businesses and developing their brands by providing no-cost information, training, resources, and business loans. Now, in collaboration with Staff of Life, we are working to take our clients’ small businesses to the next level by opening the door to a wider market that allows them to sell their products at a larger scale. 

About Staff of Life Natural Foods Market

In 1969 Gary Bascou and Richard Josephson founded Staff of Life Bakery in the Santa Cruz, CA area. Their goal was to make nourishing and natural old world-style bread as a healthy alternative to the highly processed and chemical-laden bread that dominated the market. At the time there was no clear definition of “organic” but Gary and Richard sought out the best ingredients that aligned with their principles. They found wheat from family farms that were still practicing traditional agricultural methods that were pesticide-free and healthy for both individuals and the planet: essentially the principles of what is now considered organic farming. 

Over time the bakery grew into Staff of Life Natural Foods Market and helped create and fuel a natural foods and organic movement that is now widely accepted, all while maintaining their principles and tradition of working with regional producers and local family farms to provide the best quality products. 

 “We take pride in our history of working with and helping boost the growth of small producers in our community.  It allows us to further our mission of providing delicious natural and organic foods while supporting our local economy,” said Jason Bazarnick, co-owner of Staff of Life Natural Foods Market. 

About Our Partnership

At El Pájaro CDC, we provide our clients with the resources and tools they need to launch and/or create their product, including access to our kitchen incubator where many of our clients prepare their food-related products. However, one of the challenges that new small businesses often experience is a lack of network and marketing skills that prevents them from successfully promoting and expanding their brand and products. 

To help remedy this issue, we partnered with the team at Staff of Life Natural Foods Market, and together we are helping our community’s small businesses thrive as they now have the exposure they need to serve a wider consumer base. We acknowledge that the process of working with small producers requires additional work and effort as a commercial store, and for that, we appreciate the commitment of the Staff of Life team in this collaboration and praise their continuation of this tradition. 

We encourage all of our community members to visit their store and help us support small businesses while also making healthier choices that benefit you and your family. 

 

This is a list of some of the products you can find at Staff of Life and that directly support our local entrepreneurs and small businesses:

 My Mom’s Mole - award-winning mole packaged in powder form and refrigerated for additional versatility. Made with 25 spices and ingredients, it is vegetarian and vegan-friendly! (Currently only available at the Santa Cruz location). 

Hakouya Probiotics - healthy, delicious products that will add flavor to your life and probiotics to your gut. Hakouya’s Miso is a must-try! 

El Nopalito Produce - fresh nopales that are locally grown, paddled, and processed. Free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

Teresa’s Gourmet Foods - tasty fresh salsas and simmer sauces made with all-fresh ingredients, and that contain no additives or preservatives. Teresa’s Salsas products are also vegan and gluten-free! 

Quinoa from Agripacific Trading Co. - bringing you a variety of organic and gluten-free quinoa from Bolivia, an excellent source of protein, fiber, and many other vitamins and minerals. It can be found in the bulk section of the store where you can take as much or as little as your heart desires. 

Berries and produce from Sun Valley Farms - offering a select variety of fresh and locally-grown berries and produce, farmed and harvested in organic-certified land. 

The Green Waffle - offering an array of frozen waffles; each loaded with wholesome ingredients and NEVER adding sugar, artificial flavors, or preservatives. The Green Waffle is a great healthy and delicious on-the-go breakfast option! 

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
The Buzz PR, LLC.
Salinas, CA
(831) 747-7455
https://www.elpajarocdc.org/

Watsonville Business Owner Ricardo Rocha Honored with Statewide Entrepreneurship award, Gives Thanks to El Pájaro CDC for Helping him Overcome Barriers

As a child growing up in Mexico, Ricardo Rocha always dreamed of owning his own business and speaking a second language.

Watsonville, CA, January 21, 2020 - As a child growing up in Mexico, Ricardo Rocha always dreamed of owning his own business and speaking a second language.

Years later he immigrated to California, finding work picking berries and landscaping. Not willing to sacrifice his dream and settle for less, Rocha enrolled in night classes at Cabrillo College while continuing to work in the fields.

There he found his calling.

“I fell in love with computers and what they could do,” he said.

Rocha eventually opened a small computer sales and service office in downtown Watsonville. But his business knowledge was limited, and he ran into multiple barriers.

Then he found El Pájaro Community Development Corporation’s Business Incubator Program at Plaza Vigil in Watsonville. El Pájaro provided him with business coaching, technical assistance and paths to funding.

Today, Rocha operates RVS Technology Group, employing 12 full-time staff with a bimonthly payroll of more than $30,000.

In recognition of his success story, CAMEO (a statewide micro enterprise association) bestowed on Rocha one of only two Faces of Entrepreneurship awards given each year.

Rocha did more than succeed in business, he created an entire industry that was previously nonexistent in Watsonville. Through it all RVS became the city’s first-ever company to start from ground zero through the efforts of an immigrant.

Rocha is immensely proud of that, and does his best to give back. RVS employs young people who are just starting their careers in tech, providing them with good-paying jobs, highly sought-after skills, and growth opportunities.

“It’s an industry that is local, provides jobs for local kids, and gives them growth opportunities,” he said. “It’s great to see these kids come forward and succeed in life, and I’m happy to be a little bridge.”

Rocha pays it forward because he knows he found a helping hand in El Pájaro CDC.

“I was very, very naive about all the aspects needed to run a business,” he said. “I was very blessed to find El Pájaro. They have the foundation to help anyone start a business. They give you a basic understanding of finances, teach you how to read a profit-and-loss statement, and what it all means.”

Another challenge Rocha faced surrounded funding. Whether it was his language limitations or lack of a credit history, banks refused to give him a second look. But with the help of El Pájaro, Rocha was able to secure a loan through the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union.

“I had no credibility, I had no history,” Rocha said.

Ricardo’s determination and unwillingness to give up in the face of adversity put him where he is today. But he also knows he couldn’t have done it without help from others.

El Pájaro CDC celebrates 40 years of transforming people’s lives through entrepreneurship by taking the confusion, guesswork and complexity out of starting small businesses. By offering technical, legal, financial and managerial assistance, El Pájaro has helped launch and nurture countless small businesses while bolstering economic development within the community.

“If you give someone an opportunity it can change lives, and lead to generations of success,” said Carmel Hererra, executive director of El Pajaro CDC. “To see a journey from farmworker to entrepreneur — many started that way when they came to us — is so rewarding.”

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.Chatterboxpr.com