FEATURED PROJECT
Making Healthy Foods & Sustainable Farming Models More Accessible with NTMC
HIGHLIGHTS
$17.55 Million Total Project Cost
30,000 Square-Foot Community Center
73 Full Time Jobs
Agriculture & Sustainability Educational Programs
Economic Security for Local Farmers
4Roots Foundation
ABOUT 4 ROOTS FOUNDATION
Building Healthy Communities Through Sustainable Food
4 Roots Foundation promotes healthy communities through sustainable, locally-grown produce. They aim to overcome challenges posed by a broken food system and envision a future where children are nourished by local food, farmers thrive, food isn’t wasted, and the local economy prospers. They inspire action through education, innovation, and community engagement.
THE CHALLENGE
Sustainable Farming Education and Practices are Inaccessible and Confusing
Our broken food system is unsustainable and doesn’t nourish our population properly. With a lack of education, farmers aren’t taught and trained on the best techniques to farm sustainably and effectively. 4Roots set out to solve this by providing the resources to farm more efficiently while growing the local economy.
THE SOLUTION
Better Farming Practices and Resources for a More Robust Food System
BBIF invested $6.75 million in NMTC financing for the construction of the 4Roots Foundation, Inc’s 30,000 square-foot community-oriented food education center, creating 73 full-time jobs. The campus will provide solutions for a more robust food system and build programs around 4Roots’ four core values: education, health, economy, and sustainability.
THE IMPACT
Increasing Access to Healthy Food for Underserved Communities
This trailblazing farm campus project encompasses one of BBIF’s key NMTC focus areas: providing underserved communities access to healthy food. “The 4Roots Foundation is creating a comprehensive model for food resilience right here in the heart of Orlando,” said Duane Lewis, COO, BBIF. “We believe their work will not only provide healthy food options to food-insecure families, agricultural education to the community, and job security for local farmers, but will also create a shift for a more sustainable food system in underserved communities throughout Florida.”
We are proud to partner with Black Business Investment Fund for our 4Roots campus,” said Jim Bruce, CFO, 4Roots. Together, we are investing in the education and training of not only future farmers and agriculture-related businesses, we are investing in the health and quality of life for our community for generations to come.
Jim Bruce
CEO of 4Roots
