Diaspora Groceries Building Markets, Building Confidence
How Diaspora Groceries’ Technical Assistance Track is Cultivating New Food Entrepreneurs
The Issue
Many small-scale food entrepreneurs and producers face significant barriers when entering formal markets. From limited access to capital to confusion around government registrations like UEI, a unique entity identifier required for accessing government funding at SAM.gov, these obstacles often prevent participation in USDA programs and restrict visibility in local food economies.
Diaspora Groceries supports a growing network of community farmers, Go Go Grocery Markets operators, and emerging food makers—many of whom are early in their business journey or operating informally. Through our partnership with the Southwest Regional Food Business Center (SWRFBC), we identified that while these entrepreneurs are passionate and eager, many are unprepared to meet the eligibility requirements for government funding or retail procurement. They didn’t just need information—they needed activation.
Our Response
As a SWRFBC partner, Diaspora Groceries developed a Technical Assistance track to help entrepreneurs transition from informal to investable. This track includes:
- Bi-weekly educational webinars on essential business topics such as pricing, registrations, and packaging
- One-on-one coaching for tailored support and guidance
- Monthly sponsored farmers market pop-ups, where clients apply what they’re learning in real-world settings. To eliminate financial risk and allow clients to participate without financial strain, Diaspora Groceries covered permit fees, vendor insurance, and table costs.
Our Impact
To date, we’ve supported over 100 businesses through this track and are delivering real results. Clients report:
- Increased confidence in navigating USDA and government systems
- Sharpened skills in pricing, product pitching, and vendor requirements
- A deeper sense of community through peer collaboration
Most importantly, food entrepreneurs are beginning to see themselves not just as vendors, but as valuable contributors to a resilient, diverse, and competitive local food economy. Our goal is that by lifting up leaders, we create scalable models that benefit other food producers, while deepening equity and sustainability in the communities we serve.
One standout is Derrick Chapman, founder of Go Go Grocery Markets. Based on his strong business development and commitment to serving underutilized communities, Derrick will receive $30,000 through a Business Builder award grant. This award will support the expansion of his mobile market infrastructure—with student-built farm stands mounted on electric vehicles (EVs) designed for local food distribution acting as mobile farmer’s markets. Each vehicle can travel up to 25 miles on a single charge and carry approximately 600 pounds of produce. They are solar-powered, street legal, and equipped with refrigeration and freezer capacity, making them ideal for transporting fresh produce from urban farms to neighborhood markets. For longer distances, Derrick also has a roll-off trailer attachment that expands both mileage and hauling capacity.
Our TA track coupled with SWRFBC’s financial support will allow Derrick’s Go Go Grocery Markets to circulate fresh, affordable produce and accept SNAP/EBT, significantly increasing food access in neighborhoods that need it most. These carts not only nourish families but also provide hands-on workforce development opportunities for the students who build the farm stands, multiplying the impact across generations.
Together with the SWRFBC, Diaspora Groceries is investing in the people behind the products and building an inclusive food future, one business at a