Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name: Santo Domingo Taqueria

Country of Origin: SE Oaxaca, TeMexico

Significance of Name:  The name of the restaurant came from the name of their hometowns Patron, Saint Dominic (Domingo de Guzmán) —a Saint they pray to. They initially chose the name without much consideration and although they would have changed it, they decided to keep since the clients were already accustomed to it as their popularity grew.

Goals for Business: The goals for Santo Domingo Taqueria is to continue to grow until one day they can expand by opening a new location or getting a bigger menu where they can have a bar and waiters. They are currently content with where they are and what they have achieved thus far however.

Gloria and Abraham’s Story

Meet Gloria Martel and Abraham Carassco who originate from a small town in southeast, Oaxaca, Mexico. After Abraham decided to migrate to the united states in 1984 to work in the crop fields in California. He lived there from the time he arrived up until 1989 when he decided to move to Portland Oregon. Gloria decided to follow along and moved to Oregon in 1991. They have been living in Portland Oregon ever since. They got married and had 3 kids who are now college graduates.

           They opened up their business in 2006 when Gloria's brother in law—who owns a foo cart—suggest they buy or start a business. That influence and the fact that they were tired of working for someone else is what led them to rent a location to open up a business. It was a tough decision because of how much work this meant and having small children didn’t help. They opened up their restaurant which offered a traditional Mexican menu on the corner of Killingsworth & 42nd Ave. A year later when the location next door to their restaurant opened up they decided to rent it to open up a new business with the goal of connecting the two to be able to provide a wider arrange of goods. This was a sort of goods and import store where you can find various things from clothing to medicine. These are very popular in the Latino community because they are one-stop-shop stores that will usually have everything you need. They ran both stores for 10 years until 2017 when they decided to close the goods store to focus on growing their restaurant business. 

             Around 2011-2012 they heard about Hacienda CDC who was providing entrepreneurial courses to help business owners run their business more efficiently. They initially doubted the program and did not want to share their personal business information because it was something they considered very private. Thankfully they decided to assist and realized the benefits of the program. They say owe the skills which have helped them run and grow their business to where they are now vs how stagnant they felt prior to receiving help.

                 It was in 2015 when the Portland Mercado opened, and the Empresarios Program became more established where they continued to learn and to receive direct help which they say has helped their business grow. They learned about how important things such as promotion and budgeting is which has helped them stay afloat during these harsh times of COVID-19. 

About Santo Domingo Taqueria

Abraham and Gloria, owners of Santo Domingo Taqueria, arrived at this country from the same Region Mixteca of Oaxaca at very young ages, Abraham at 17 and Gloria at 21. Abraham came to work in the fields of California and Oregon and Gloria to work in housekeeping, both in different industrial sectors but always thinking about how to improve and reduce the poverty of their families back home.

In 2006, they entered the world of commerce by starting their restaurant, Santo Domingo Taqueria, which has sustained and improved every day since then. Thinking about how to maintain and teach their new family of 3 children born in this country, in 2007 they acquired a clothing and accessories store attached to the restaurant where they worked and had the opportunity to keep the family together for ten years. Thanks to these risks and despite all the time-consuming work in the business, their children have managed to study at the university and have graduated ready to forge their future. 

Gloria and Abraham now focus solely on the restaurant and look for new strategies to expand their business without neglecting the services. The important thing for them is to preserve and share with the community the authentic flavors of their Region Mixteca Oaxaqueña. And at the same time, they hope to contribute to this country by creating job opportunities in the community, thus achieving the American Dream.

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Uhlman, Prosper Portland, 503-823-7994

Portland City Council has voted 5-0 to approve the creation of the Cully Tax Increment Finance district and adopt the Cully TIF District Plan for one of the city’s most culturally and ethnically diverse communities. 
 
An Exploration Leadership Committee (ELC) made up of community-based organizations and Cully residents, along with staff from Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB), co-created the Cully TIF District proposal in a four-year process that centered historically underserved, marginalized, and underrepresented community voices.
 
ELC partners included Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Our 42nd Avenue, Cully Boulevard Alliance, Verde, Cully Association of Neighbors, Hacienda CDC, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, and Cully community members at large.

These partners came together in 2018 with the stated goal to turn the traditional urban renewal district creation process upside down, to ensure the funds are focused on benefiting the very people who have historically been displaced by these projects.  They presented the idea to Prosper Portland and PHB who agreed to work with them. 
 
The Cully TIF District Plan, Report and Governance Charter are the products of multiple years of co-creation among City staff and the ELC as well as extensive community outreach. The vision for the work is to transform Cully into a place that provides a sense of belonging for its residents, particularly for priority communities.   
 
More specifically, that vision encompasses plentiful safe, affordable housing, thriving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned businesses, rewarding employment opportunities, safe and accessible transportation options, parks and open spaces, a clean and healthy environment, and climate resiliency, with places and programs that reflect the cultural diversity of BIPOC individuals. 
 
The newly adopted Plan will guide future five-year action plans and establishes the project list, a list of legally eligible housing and economic development project types for future TIF investment that will help move the community toward its vision. TIF spending will be administered under the guidance of the Community Leadership Committee. The city will hold an open application process to recruit committee members in the spring; action planning, the process by which specific investment priorities are identified, will kick off next summer. 
 
Quotes from partners: 
Chach M. Heart, mobile home resident, Community Engagement Committee member, and ELC member: “[I’m] proud of the work we have done and inspired to see what this community will create collaboratively with this funding.”
 
Mayor Ted Wheeler: "I am deeply impressed by the level of partnership and collaboration that went into developing this new TIF district, which will guide more than $300 million in public investments in Cully over the next 30 years.  These resources will fund affordable housing and economic development projects that will help address some of the displacement pressure that Cully is facing, and advance other community priorities." 

Paul Lumley, Native American Youth and Family Center: “We’re proud of being a part of creating a new model of collaboration, partnership, and dialogue between the community and the public sector. We look forward to continuing to work with the Cully community and partners to implement their priorities while upholding the plan’s vision, values and principles.”
 
Commissioner Dan Ryan: "Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau have led a collaborative effort in partnership with the Cully neighborhood community to take a fresh approach to TIF districts. The Cully TIF district represents a 30-year vision for the neighborhood's future and continued success of this project requires deep neighborhood involvement, and the community must persist as the glue that implements this just and ambitious vision. I see the fire in the belly of the Cully community, I have confidence they are committed for the long term, as such, I am enthusiastic about the Cully TIF district."

Kimberly Branam, Prosper Portland: “We believe this collaborative model of district development and priority setting is the future of TIF, and we appreciate the historic action taken by City Council. While we recognize this new district is not a panacea, we do look forward to working in partnership with the Community Leadership Committee to achieve the vision for Cully.” 

Maddie Norman, community engagement and research coordinator with Living Cully: “People who have been doing anti-displacement work in Cully said, what if we can use this tool that’s caused harm, instead, to stabilize? And we have created a way that we think that can happen.”  
 
Tracee Wells-Bryant, Training and Education Specialist at PCC Workforce Development Center and ELC member: "As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, 'The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.’”

Molly Rogers, Portland Housing Bureau: “This is a historic opportunity to use our resources in a new way to support a community-led vision for Cully that is equitable, inclusive, and vibrant. Affordable housing investments early on in the life of the district will be critical to preventing displacement and ensuring that existing Cully residents can share in the benefits and opportunities these investments will generate. We look forward to working in partnership with the community to create housing opportunities that reflect the needs of one of our city’s most diverse neighborhoods.”
 
Elizabeth de Jesus, Community Engagement Leader, Cully TIF ELC member: "I appreciate that this plan supports people of color and low-income people, and they don't focus on their status. It betters our community, especially kids. Our community is tired of false promises. We want to make sure our community is receiving what we ask for so the community can have trust." 

Steve Messinetti, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region: “Redefining urban renewal for the nation, such that it is for the people, by the people! This is historic. Everyone who put the hard work and long hours into this should be very proud.” 

David Sweet, ELC member representing the Cully Association of Neighbors: “This TIF district is unique in that it was conceived and led by the Cully community.  We set out to find the resources to prevent displacement from Cully.  Now we can work with the City to make that happen.”  

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Name of Business: How Sweet It Is

Country of Origin: California, United States

Significance of Name: The name was selected with the idea of having a broad spectrum of products vs being tried down to a specialty product. With a broad range of skills and recipes, the owners plan into venturing to other products such as pastries and deserts. Ultimately, the name was selected through trial and error and a lot of deliberation.

Goals for Business:  Bryan and Pilar want to focus on expansion and partnerships with major retailers. Currently their focus is to survive past COVID-19, and to continue to grow their small shop located at Multnomah Village French Quarter, once businesses can safely open up again. To survive, they are selling through their shop online and through other vendors, while still offering custom orders with local delivery.     

Pilar and Bryan’s Story

Meet Pilar and Bryan Vocker they are the owners of How Sweet It Is—a candy shop company in Portland, Oregon. They have been married for thirteen years and have four kids. About three years back they began contemplating the idea of opening a candy shop and utilizing their skills. What was then simply an idea, quickly turned into a reality when Bryan lost his job.

Bryan is a candy maker with about ten years of experience, and a graduate of culinary school. His path to this carrier began while working restaurant jobs in his youth which eventually led him to venture into jobs at bakeries and similar shops. In search or a new discipline, he reached out to the old candy shop Preston's Candy and Ice Cream, in Burlingame, California to learn the tradition. There he learned many original recipes which he would later fuse with his own ideas to create new and traditional products.

Pilar comes from a family in the upholstery business, so her entrepreneurship spirit is something she inherited. Being the resourceful person that she is, she began looking for help on getting this business started after her and Bryan hit the green light in moving forward with the idea. With the knowledge of programs such as La Cocina, in California, they sought after help from non-profit organizations here in Oregon until eventually learning about the Portland Mercado. She reached out to be part of the Empresarios Bootcamp but missed the enrollment date. They would apply a year later and entered with an already established company with the hopes of expansion. There they learned about to how structure their company and other technical business details.

Together, Bryan and Pilar are a power couple that will stop at nothing to continue their growth. Although, COVID-19 has impacted them greatly, they are currently focused on their digital contact with their clients. They are also currently looking to enter retailers or digitals shops. They are also currently offering products to order and through their shop on their website. Delivery to your doorstep is also available within in Portland, Oregon so give them a call

About How Sweet It IsHow Sweet

It is, is a husband and wife owned, small batch, handcrafted confectionery company. They create and sell a variety of candy, chocolates, cookies, caramel corn, and other seasonal sweet treats.

With a small shop at the Multnomah Village French Quarter, they have offering fresh made products up until their temporary closure due to COVID-19. Currently you can place a custom order or shop through their website. Each batch is made fresh with local ingredients and lots of love. They live by the idea that behind every sweet treat, there is a story to tell. Whether a treat takes you back to grandma's kitchen or if you have memories with a friend while on vacation—memories are the foundation of their recipes and business!   

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

This season, Hacienda supporters can make their gift go farther and enjoy some benefits along the way.

• The Winquist Family will match every donation up to $10,000!

• And, the first 50 donors to Hacienda CDC will receive a $6 gift card to Nico's Ice Cream!

Ready to make your gift? Click the donate button below!

Your donation helps build community.

Watch the video below to hear directly from residents of Hacienda’s Rockwood Village.

But Wait! There’s more!

Donate to Hacienda on a Big Give Day and you'll be entered to win one of several prizes. Learn more about the prizes here.

• Thurs, Nov 3 - An e-bike giveaway from Splendid Cycles.

• Weds, Nov 9 - Three prize packages from the Portland Trail Blazers.

• Thurs, Nov 17 - Four $250 gift certificates from Atlas Tattoo.

• Weds, Nov 23 - Two $500 gift cards from Powell's Books.

• Tues, Nov 29 - (This is also Giving Tuesday) - One-night stay at Salishan Coastal Lodge.

• Weds, Dec 7 - A shopping spree and product giveaway from New Seasons Market.

• Thurs, Dec 15 - Four Cotopaxi Allpa Travel Backpacks stuffed full of of gear.

• Weds, Dec 21 - A Trek Bicycle package courtesy of Portland's Trek Bicycle stores.

• Weds, Dec 28 - Five $200 gift cards from John's Marketplace.

• Thurs, Dec 29 - Two $500 gift cards from Portland Nursery.

• Fri, Dec 30 - A Mt. Hood – Timberline Lodge Experience package thanks to the Cultural Trust.

Follow us on social media and set your notifications to never miss a BGD!

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name: El Paisano Salsas

Country of Origin: Michoacán, Mexico

Significance of Name:  The name is inherited from previous owners but to Margarita it stays relevant considering her roots and origins as an immigrant to the U.S. It is tradition for people from Latin America to call themselves or others alike, “Paisano”.

Goals for Business: Margarita hopes to continue to venture and grow in the packaged salsa business while continuing to grow her clientele at her restaurant. Things are uncertain considering the current circumstances but she is optimistic and that she will will continue to thrive or at least stay afloat. She also hopes to see her Salsas in as many local grocery store shelves as possible so she is also focused on branding and promotion.

Margarita’s Story

Meet Margarita Guzman, owner of Taqueria El Paisano and Salsas El Paisano. Originally from Michoacán, Mexico, she first moved to the Unites States twenty nine years ago, in 1991. She moved because her husband at the time, had been living in the U.S already as a resident so she wanted to join him. Unlike her husband however, she had to cross the border as an immigrant through the Arizona desert with the hopes of starting a new life and family.

When she first arrived she did not work much due her status, but as she met more people from her community she got connected to El Programa Hispano, who were kind enough to offer her work in child care. She did that for many year until her and her husband were in a car accident back in 1994. They received money as compensation and It was then when they decided to invest that money into a business in 1997. Since her husband had been working in the restaurant industry for many years they decided to buy a food cart, which they placed outside of a local dance club on Friday and Saturday nights. Initially the husband was the only one working the cart until about two years later when they had the opportunity to lease a physical location. A few years later they sold the business after personal issues let them to divorce a split assets. After a reasonable and smooth divorce, Margarita stayed with the business and the husband with the house. It is then that Margaritas entrepreneurial spirit sparked brighter. She now had to focus on all aspects of the business versus before when all she would do was help prep and make the salsas. Salsas which would eventually take off as a business of their own.

After taking over the business, Margarita began searching for help on properly running and growing her business. For many years she did everything on her own until 2017 when she found out about the Empresarios Program while visiting Hacienda’s CDC headquarters for help on a mortgage. She saw a flyer which promoted program and decided to enroll. She took Empresarios Bootcamp and successfully completed it that same year and has continued to participate in the one on one business advice coaching. She thanks the program and her business advisor, Adriana Lopez, for the help in learning how properly run the business and for helping her venture into the packaged products business as well .

Thanks to customer and peer feedback, Margarita had always wanted to package and sell her Salsas but never knew where to begin. Thanks to the knowledge, help, and connections from the Empresarios Program, Margarita was able to develop, test, and package her products and currently has three different packed salsas ready for the shelves.

About Taqueria El Paisano

Taqueria El Paisano is proudly a woman owned business, offering traditional Mexican food in Beaverton, Oregon. Established by prior owners, Margarita Guzman and her husband first took over the business to become self-employed and with the goals of expanding to other location together. With a long history in the food industry, their recipes and dishes were well accepted by their new community and slowly continued to grow. After a divorce, Margarita became the sole owner and decided to seek for help on how to properly manage and grow. All this was new to her since the husband would take care of everything before the divorce. With help form the Portland Mercado Empresarios Program she was able to learn key technical business skills which have helped her run her business till today, through COVID-19.

Prior to COVID-19, however, she began to venture into the packaged goods industry with three of her salsas. These are the: Avocado Salsa, Habanero Salsa, and the Chipotle Salsa which are now ready to hit the shelves. Sadly, most of her promotional opportunities for the salsas have vanished due to the virus, but she continues to focus on her restaurant business which now offers Take-out and delivery via Grubhub and Postmates!

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name: HAB Sauce

Area of Origin: Los Angeles, CA | Portland, OR

Significance of Name:  David and his wife chose the name while brainstorming. They chose “HAB” because of the Habanero chili, which they use most. The final name being “HAB Sauce” due to the fact that they are a sauce company.

David’s Story

Meet David van Overeem, owner and creator, of HAB Sauce. He was born from diverse family lineage and a childhood filled with the flavors of Indonesia and Latin America. His father was born in Indonesia and moved to Holland to enroll in the Dutch navy. Later on, he moved to the United States in the 50s, where he would meet the woman who is Davids mother. She is from Latin decent, born native to Los Angeles California. It was there where David was born in 1981.

David grew up in a very diverse family household and community which played a huge role on who he is and what HAB Sauce is. Growing up he would spend time with both parents, whose cuisine variance exposed him to a wide range of flavors and recipes. All which would inspire his sauces today.

In his teen years, David moved to Selam, Oregon where he lived for a few years until 2004, when he moved to Portland, Oregon, where he currently still resides. David is a person of many virtues, and has experience as a DJ, Producer and Performer, amongst many other talents. Talent that has taken him around the world to perform as a turn tableist with other well known artists in the genre.

Through his adulthood, David settled down from his travels and worked locally in PDX. He built a family and settled down while continuing with his passion of music and art. Year later,David had a daughter, which led him to make the decision to become a stay at home dad—with the goal of spending his time raising his kid and planning out his next move in life. Eventually she grew older and he had to make the decision to go back to work or to find another way of making income. While on the verge of signing up to a coding class with the idea of becoming a coder, he stopped himself last minute and talked himself into making a hot sauce company instead. The idea came from his hobby of grilling and his love for spicy food growing up. He says that for along time, while getting together with friends for BBQ’s, he would always make the salsas happen somehow! “We wouldn’t have much, but I would take whatever ingredients we had and made it work. Make the most out of what you have!”.

Fueled by his desire to create sensational sauces that could be shared with family and friends, he began HAB Sauce using recipes he could pass down to his daughters. Drawing inspiration from his young age where he was able to taste flavors from all sides of the family, he now finds himself recreating those flavors from his childhood and expanding on them. Handmade in small batches with carefully selected fruits and an array of hot peppers. HAB Sauces strikes the perfect balance of sweet and heat. David’s passion for food and flavor radiates when he speaks, a passion he largely attributes to his diverse background.

About HAB Sauce

HAB Sauce is a company based in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by a passion of grilling and making sauces for friends and family, to now being an awarded, well known local sauce found in dozens of shelves around town. 

        When David decided to take the plunge into the industry, he enrolled in the Portland Mercado Business Foundations, Empresarios Boot Camp; where he learned the basics and procedures to properly establish his business. It is also there where he met a buyer from New Seasons who eventually helped him get HAB Sauce on their shelves.

      According to David, it’s not just the pepper that makes the sauce. It is the belief that a killer hot sauce starts with fresh, high-quality ingredients. He can find the highest-quality ingredients for his recipes through the strong relationships he has with farmers throughout Oregon. Such as the peaches and firewood he gets from a farmer in Dayton, Oregon. David’s passion for ingredients is evident when you try his sauces. They have a body and depth, unlike most commercial hot sauces. Together the onions, garlic, tomatillos, and chilis create an aromatic flavor that completely invigorates your palate.

       In addition to the unique flavor profiles that HAB Sauce sauce offers, consumers will also notice vibrant, beautiful artwork on each bottle they purchase. This is something that David is particularly proud of. “The labels are completely inspired by my friends and my brother, who is a graphic artist,” David explained. “I have friends from old graffiti crews I was in and they’re designing with me and it’s great. Their art inspires me so much and I want to put it out there in the world. Who would have thought that when you go to the grocery store you also see our art on the shelves?”

       Today, HAB Sauce has six signature hot sauce flavors with occasional limited-edition flavor releases, like their Smoked Cherrywood Hot Habanero sauce. You can find HAB Sauce in dozens of grocery

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

Over the past two years Hacienda has worked quickly to meet the urgent needs of our community during the COVID-19 crisis. Read the infographic below to learn about our work to support the health of our community.

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name : Tita’s Kitchen

Area of Origin: Lima, Peru.

Significance of Name: "Tita" is how her younger sister started calling her since she was a baby because she couldn't pronounce "Hermanita" and after a while all of her cousins started to call her by the same name. Since Tita's Kitchen is a family oriented Food Truck, it only makes sense to name it after her family-given name.

Goals for Business: Tita’s goal is have a successful launch and acceptance from the community. She hopes to one day grow and expand her business to a location outside of the Portland Mercado and eventually have multiple locations throughout the North West.  

Tita’s Story

Meet Fabiola Chipoco a 28-year-old entrepreneur from Lima, Peru, and owner of the new Portland Mercado Food Truck: Tita’s Kitchen. Fabiola's story as an entrepreneur began early on thanks to her father's influence. As the oldest daughter of two, she always had an urge to get things done. She entered college at the age of 16 and graduated with a Digital Marketing and Advertising degree from a university in Peru. During her schooling, she began working with local businesses as an independent contractor in advertising and branding to make extra money. Little did she know that was the start of what was to become her first company. When she graduated, she got a full-time job at an advertising company while she continued to work independently with private clients. It was during her time at this job when she realized that she preferred the more intimate interactions of her side hustle versus the agency job. She explained that the difference in how the work gets done and the freedom of creativity is unmatched between both jobs. When working with smaller clients, she felt more listened to and with more space to propose unique and creative ideas that she had. 

After quitting her full-time job, she focused a lot more on her own company and eventually worked with up to 8 businesses simultaneously before deciding to drop everything and go! She wanted a change in her life; One with new ventures and opportunities where she could be herself and utilize her skills. At the age of twenty-three, she sold her car and used up her saving to move to explore the world and eventually settled in Miami, Florida, where she knew some friends. As always, Fabiola did not have trouble adapting to her new life. She utilized her talents and skills as a dancer to become a dance instructor and even performing in videos for famous musicians. She was creative and with a drive to be successful. Sadly, she never felt at home and always felt out of place. One day, thanks to a friend's recommendation, she decided to move to Portland, Oregon, with hopes of filling the void.

About Tita’s Kitchen

Titas Kitchen offers innovative, tasty, and healthy Peruvian food in the North West. They specialize in Peruvian cuisine and are influenced by traditional recipes and with a fresh touch of local ingredients to enhance or replace seasonal and foreign ingredients. 

Owner, Fabiola Chipoco, who is from Lima, Peru, says her inspiration behind the business is the idea of bringing the warmth and the sense of home that food brings to her and her family, to her whole community. Fabiola, who goes by the nickname “Tita” left Peru at the age of 23 to travel around the world. When she did she left behind two of the most important things in her life: her family and her home. Tita was lucky enough to meet amazing people and see new places during her travels, but nothing ever felt like home. Tita's Kitchen is her way of recreating the atmosphere, flavors, and traditions that she so dearly misses from Peru. The feeling of unity and the connection with family while sharing a meal was something that she could not feel anywhere else, so she wants to create it.  

Tita has always had a love for food and cooking. After arriving in Portland and seeing the diversity of foods from all over the world available, she felt inspired and urged to bring her culture to our table. Her venture in the food industry started thanks to the guidance of a well know Peruvian restaurant in Seattle, Washington, known as Don Luchos. Tita reached out to the business owner of Don Luchos and asked for a chance to meet him in person to ask him some questions. Thanks to his generosity, he helped her learn and perfect traditional Peruvian recipes while teaching her about the food industry. As a sort of apprentice, she grew knowledgeable enough to leap into starting her own business. A vision that started to manifest itself when she learned about the applications for the vacant Portland Mercado carts. She did not doubt in applying and expressing her vision and instantly became a reality.

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

Hacienda’s community card is a new initiative that will enable you to seamlessly access programs and services in Hacienda’s network. Read more to learn about this card and its benefits. 

About the Community Card  

Hacienda’s affordable housing and holistic programming have supported our residents and broader community since 1986. During that time, we have grown to over ten communities with thousands of residents and community members.  

Our growing impact requires innovative new systems that increase access to our array of programs and services. The new Community Card initiative will provide Hacienda’s current and future clients with a seamless way to access our programs with the scan of a single card. 

This card can currently be used to access to our bi-weekly food pantry, transit assistance, and our state-of-the-art Learning Centers. In the future, Hacienda's Community Card will be implemented in additional Hacienda programs.  

Why a Community Card? 

This new initiative allows residents and community members to seamlessly access our array of holistic programming with the scan of a single card.  The Community Card allows Hacienda to centralize our program intake process and support accurate and efficient data collection while ensuring a positive client experience.

A pilot of the Hacienda Community Card began in June 2022 and has been successfully implemented with over 100 community members. Through this pilot we learned that the Community Card created a better client experience, improved accuracy of information collected, and increased engagement within other Hacienda programs that currently accept the Community Card. 

Where can I get one? 

Register for a Hacienda Community Card at a Learning Center near you or visit our bi-weekly food pantry at the Hacienda headquarters to receive a card and gain seamless access to our services. 

What information is collected? 

Hacienda’s Community Card gives us insight into individual and community trends so that we can do our best work.

When requested, demographic and programmatic trends may be shared with partners that support Hacienda CDC’s work.  Information collected via the Community Card will only be distributed as numbers and trends that broadly demonstrate the impact of our work. Individual information is confidential and never shared with third parties.

How To Use the Community Card

(New Users)

Receive a card from a Hacienda employee

Click
“I need to register”

Fill out Intake form

Scan the QR code to finish registering!

How to Use the Community Card

(Returning Users)

Click
“Check-In”

Select method for check-in

Scan the QR code or enter your unique pin and

follow the prompts on screen to check-in!

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name:

Nana’s Exquisite Confections

area of Origin:

Gresham, Oregon

Significance of Name: 

The name was selected because Florence wanted a name that was classy and celebrates yesterdays. She included “Nana’s” later on when she became a nanny and also to celebrate the other women in her life who taught her what she knows: Her mother and grandmother.

Goals for Business: 

When COVID-19 hit, Nana’s Exquisite Confections shut down completely due to the fact that she did not want to be liable for anything and she was not too sure what the county would mandate. As she learned more about the precautions needed to fulfill orders in a sanitary way, she opened back up and has since followed all the safety protocols to provide the highest quality and service possible. Her goal to grow her digital presence to connect with more individuals and customers who love and appreciate the fine work of yesterday deserts.

Florence’s Story

Meet Florence Jenkins, owner, and founder of Nana’s Exquisite Confections. She was born and raised in Portland, OR, and was blessed to have parents and grandparents that advocated and role-modeled the importance of working hard. They intentionally instilled entrepreneurial characteristics in their children hoping that one day they would go on to be their own boss. In 2008, Florence brought that investment from her parents into fruition by starting an In-Home Baker business that focuses on providing high-quality, up-scale “Yester Year” style desserts to a varied audience.

Florence has a love for children and especially the youth. A few years ago she began facilitating Cooking Classes for youth (Teen Cuisine) where she’s not only able to teach the youth basic cooking skills within their own homes, but she’s also able to speak words of affirmation through the process and see on-site transformations in the kids she teaches. Florence has had the opportunity to provide cooking session services for, Kitchen Commons, HomeForward, New Avenues for Youth, The Oregon Youth Authority’s MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, and for a host of private participants. Florence declares that our youth shall live and not be destroyed from having a defeatist mentality. Although Florence’s vision hasn’t come to full fruition, she firmly believes that even baby steps are deemed as a forwarding movement.

Florence is a kind lady who is ready to put a smile on your face and full belly with a clean plate. Her recipes are traditional and made with high-quality ingredients.

About Nana’s Exquisite Confections

Nana’s Exquisite Confections is proud to be a women-owned bakery that passionately produces up-scale versions of “Yester-Year” desserts. They believe that there is an untapped, limited market for home-style desserts made of premium ingredients, traditional recipes, and a lot of love. If you’re an individual that appreciates the time and preparation that goes into making high-quality desserts from scratch, then Nana’s is the bakery for you!

The fruition of Exquisite Indulgence Desserts, now called Nana’s Exquisite Confections, was not something that happened by chance. In 2006, through the tugging of her heart and soul, Florence Jenkins felt the need to begin using her gifts, talents, and abilities to make a difference for others. As a middle child, she has always been a peacekeeper and always loved sharing and showing love to others. She decided to start a bakery because of her love for cooking which came from growing up baking with her mother and grandmother. She loves to see the warmth and happiness in people’s faces as she presents them with a cake or dessert. What she loves the most, however, is spending time teaching the youth about basic home cooking while talking and coaching them in life to become better people and making sure they know they are loved. Love is a key ingredient in all of her confections.

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

Effective September 1st Hacienda CDC offices will be closed on Fridays. Existing clients, partners, and funders have been notified of the upcoming change. read on to learn more about this initiative.

Hacienda CDC is proud to announce a four day, 32-hour workweek pilot for our 56 employees effective September 1st, 2022. This initiative aims to support Hacienda’s team in prioritizing their wellbeing and build sustainable work-life balance as they continue to put the needs of the individuals and families we serve at the forefront. Hacienda remains committed to maintaining high-quality services for its residents and community members and looks forward to the positive benefits offered by this alternative work schedule.

A host of data demonstrates the benefits of a 32-hour work week on staff wellbeing, productivity, creativity, and retention. Hacienda CDC hopes that this change will bring lasting impacts to its existing and dedicated workforce, to the organization, and to the community we serve.   

This initiative spearheaded by top leaders at the organization will begin September 1st. In anticipation of this change Hacienda CEO, Ernesto Fonseca remarks, “I am proud to work with a team that is as dedicated and driven as the group we have at Hacienda. Our team takes care of community members, often treating them like family, and now is our opportunity to do the same for our staff. We are excited to pilot a 32-hour work week and we hope this pilot will demonstrate that investing in our team’s wellbeing can bring lasting positive impacts on the work that we do collectively.” 

This change follows an unprecedented pandemic, throughout which, employees in all sectors reflected on the importance of work/life balance, family, and security. Hacienda’s pilot is an effort to support existing staff and their wellbeing as they champion the needs of individuals and families across Northwest Oregon.

“We know that this will take some time to adjust, but we are hopeful that the benefits will outweigh the learning curve of implementing this initiative. Our current and prospective clients will continue to be served to our fullest abilities and efforts.” Says Carolina Castañeda del Río, Chief Operations Officer at Hacienda CDC.   

With this initiative Hacienda CDC is redefining what work can look like during a time when individuals and organizations have been forced to innovate and adapt to changing tides. Hacienda hopes others in Oregon will take innovative steps to support their team’s wellbeing and be inspired by similar initiatives that have been successfully implemented around the world.

Hacienda CDC’s Empresarios programming supports entrepreneurs to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Read more about our featured Empresario and learn about our amazing community of small business owners.

Business Name:

Principe Maya

Country of Origin:

Chumayel, Yucatán, Mexico

Significance of Name:

The name was selected because by the owner because he wanted to represent his origins in the name and the fact that a lot of these recipes are often served to royalty or people of high status.     

Goals for Business: 

Edilberto’s focus is to settle down and find his rhythm with his new business and to grow. He hopes to one day open up a restaurant where he owns the property to avoid paying rent but most importantly, he wants the independence that being a small business owners can offer him.

Ediberto’s Story

Edilberto Puch arrived to the United States in 2001, leaving his hometown after his brother suffered a critical accident which put him in a coma. He wanted to be able to help pay the bills which were stacking up.

After arriving to the U.S, Edilberto settled down and worked in restaurants as a dishwasher. With time, he gained and improved his skills. Eventually, he moved up positions to being a cook where he learned essential skills and techniques which have helped him improve his craft.  

As time passed by, he began to miss the foods and rich flavors from his hometown. This led him to reach out to his family for their traditional home recipes with the hopes of learning them. Later on, he was able to connect with an aunt who also immigrated to Portland, and he asked her to teach him how to properly cook these ancient recipes. She was delighted to help and not only did she help him perfect his recipes but she also now helps cook in this new venture. You can be left assured that these recipes will take you back centuries to the era of the Mayan civilization. 

It was not until years later after connecting with his aunt that this dream of opening up his own business became reality. In 2020, during the start of the pandemic, Edilberto lost his job due to labor cuts. Because he was having so many difficulties finding a new job, he decided to start looking into the opportunity of starting his own business. He reached out to the Portland Mercado after learning about their services and entrepreneurship opportunities. After a lot of coordination, paperwork, and handwork, Ediberto was able to finalize a deal on renting a food Cart at our Portland Mercado Location. He and his traditional flavors and recipes are members of our beloved family and community! 

About Principe Maya

Principe Maya joined the Portland Mercado food carts with a focus on recreating traditional recipes from the Mayans, who once flourished in the Peninsula of Yucatán. Their Ancient Mayan diet focused on four domesticated crops: maize, squash, beans, and chili peppers. Tortillas, cooked on a “comal” were also staples of their diet. These were often used to wrap other foods like meats, beans, etc. Tortillas are perhaps the best-known pre-Columbian Mesoamerican food but they used maize in many ways. Some notable uses were on their Tamales and Pibes, which were usually “Masa” stuffed with meats, adobos and wrapped in banana leaves to be slowly cooked in dug-out fire pits.

Ediberto grew up eating these dishes from his mother and elders who learned the recipes through their elders. Having survived generations, most of the dishes have evolved now that we are in the 21st century. The way these dishes are made and cooked have adapted to our modern life and thus fire pits are no longer used. The goal at Principe Maya is to prepare dishes true to their origins by using local ingredients mixed with imported spices. Sadly, no fire pit is possible. 

Learn more about our Empresarios program and other businesses at the Portland Mercado.

Hacienda CDC is proud to announce funding from the Portland Clean Energy Fund—the first ever climate fund in the country created and led by people of color.

This investment in Hacienda’s MEE Casa initiative will provide cleaner air, increased comfort, better health, reduced financial burden, and improved social outcomes by upgrading six multifamily affordable housing communities with a total of 243 units.

These upgrades will positively impact over 1000 low-income residents in our communities, 92% of whom are people of color. The project includes removing gas-powered heating, installing solar arrays totaling 849.5 kW, heat pumps and cooling devices where needed, as well as LED lighting, and new bathroom fans. An average energy savings of almost 70% is expected for residents.

This MEE Casa initiative aims to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and related greenhouse gas emissions, improve indoor air quality, and support the well-being of over 1,040 members of our resident communities, including 473 children. The vast majority of our residents identify as black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and all households earn 60% of Area Median Income and below.

The MEE Casa initiative will directly benefit these historically underserved communities and give them the opportunity to directly benefit from climate action investments that will build a stronger Portland.

This $9.4 million investment is critical to providing green and healthy affordable housing in North and NE Portland and includes solar power installation; new cooling and heating units; transition to all energy efficient electrical systems and appliances; heat pump water heaters; LED lighting and bathroom fans.

Hacienda CDC will implement the project over a four-year period with our strategic partners Neil Kelly Company, International Center for Appropriate & Sustainable Technology (ICAST), PAE Engineers, and the Oregon Environmental Council.

“We are thrilled the PCEF Committee is recommending Portland City Council fund this investment which will improve the lives of over 1,000 people. We feel strongly that this is the exact type of investment the Portland Clean Energy Fund was created for– improvements that will measurably decrease energy consumption and increase the quality of life for Portland’s community members.”- Ernesto Fonseca, Chief Executive Officer of Hacienda CDC.

Residential buildings account for one-third of Oregon’s climate emissions. Retrofitting existing buildings is critical to meet decarbonization goals and create green and healthy homes and communities.

Low-income and underserved communities bear the burden of rising temperatures and climate-driven events such as heat domes and wildfires associated with a warming planet. As a Latino-founded and led organization that is an owner and steward of affordable housing and community building, Hacienda CDC is a leader on this front and is committed to increasing the well-being and resiliency of our communities.

Hacienda CDC places the health and well-being of residents front and center, especially now as the warming climate becomes a threat to their well-being. Investments made through the MEE Casa initiative will improve their safety and comfort, resulting in healthier and more resilient households. The implementation of this initiative will allow residents to not only feel supported and secure enough to successfully navigate their day-to-day lives but to also advocate and champion preventative climate-related investments after feeling the benefits of such policies firsthand. 

Multnomah County, City of Portland announce cooling shelter and cooling center locations starting Tuesday, July 26 

Overnight cooling shelters opening Tuesday at 2 pm

Charles Jordan Community Center: 9009 N. Foss Ave., Portland

East Portland Community Center: 740 S.E. 106th Ave., Portland

Portland Building: 1120 S.W. 5th Ave., Portland

Sunrise Center: 18901 E. Burnside, Portland

Daytime cooling center opening Tuesday, from 2 to 10 pm

Old Town: 435 N.W. Glisan St., Portland

Transportation

TriMet will not turn away anyone riding to a cool place who cannot afford to pay fare. TriMet asks riders to let their driver know they are headed to a cool place.

When riding transit during extreme heat, riders will want to plan extra time and check trimet.org/alerts before traveling, as there may be heat-related delays to service.

Anyone who needs transportation support to a cool space can also dial 2-1-1 (866-698-6155).

Libraries Many libraries are open until 8 p.m.

Extended hours until 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday:

Central: 801 S.W. 10th Ave.

Gresham: 385 N.W. Miller Ave.

Holgate: 7905 S.E. Holgate Blvd.

Misting stations

12 pm to 8 pm starting today (Tuesday 7/26):

East Portland Community Center: 740 S.E. 106th Ave. 

Glenhaven Park, near skate park: 7900 N.E. Siskiyou St.

Harney Park, near restroom: S.E. 67th Ave. and S.E. Harney Street

Knott Park, west restroom: N.E. 112th Ave. and N.E. Russell Street

Lents Park, at Walker Stadium: 4808 S.E. 92nd Ave.

Mt. Scott Community Center, near playgrounds: 5530 S.E. 72nd Ave.

Community spaces, including Lloyd Center

Community locations, including pools, splash pads, senior centers and Lloyd Center mall, which is welcoming people with extended hours starting Tuesday : Interactive Map of Cool Spaces

The Joint Office of Homeless Services supply center is providing water, electrolytes, sunscreen and more for groups doing outreach. Email JOHSSupplies@multco.us for an appointment.