Hacienda CDC’s Portland Mercado is the hub for our Empresarios programming that 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: Que Bacano!

Country of Origin: Cali, Colombia

Significance of Name:  "Qué Bacano!" is colombian slang used to describe something as cool, hip, or radical

Goals for Business: Building a relationship with the community is most important to Andres. They plan to introduce Colombian history and culture to the community by sharing their authentic Colombian recipes and food.

Andres’s Story

Meet Andres Felipe Perez he has been part of the development of the Mercado since 2013. Originally a dentist in Colombia, Chef Andres learned culinary skills from his grandmother and from studying in Italy. In order to prepare for their first business, a food cart, Andres worked in various restaurants, including Pambiche and La Carreta, and selling food at various farmer's markets in the city. Que Bacano! brings their regional flavors of Colombia to the Portland Mercado. 

About Que Bacano!

Qué Bacano! is on a mission to introduce us to rich gastronomy and culture of Colombia that is uncommonly known in Portland, by introducing us all to a deliciously unique culinary experience. Their menu is filled with traditional Colombian dishes, such as arroz con pollo, arepas, empanadas, and sancocho, treats one would find in town and cities across Colombia. Their home country is truly as diverse in landscape as it is in cuisine -- from the Caribbean sea to the Pacific Ocean - the amazon jungle to the foothills of the northern Andes mountain range, !Qué Bacano!

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

Hacienda CDC is proud to announce the grand opening celebration of Las Adelitas, a new community in the heart of Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The community was brought to life on the site of a once-neglected piece of land has now blossomed into a community designed for families and individuals looking for safe and affordable homes. Built with community in mind, Las Adelitas is now a place where residents can thrive and grow and access additional support through Hacienda’s holistic programming and services. 

Attendees at the Grand Opening celebration were able to witness firsthand how Hacienda CDC’s commitment to creating affordable and accessible housing for families and individuals has most recently transformed the Sugar Shack into Las Adelitas, a community named after Female Mexican Revolutionaries, which aims to prioritizes the well-being of its residents and provides a platform for growth and opportunity. 

The program started at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 9th, with opening remarks by Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda CDC, who shared his vision for the project and spoke about Hacienda’s mission to support its existing and growing community. Also in attendance were Governor Tina Kotek, Director Andrea Bell of Oregon Housing and Community Services, Commissioner Carmen Rubio of Multnomah County, Councilor Mary Nolan of Oregon Metro, Bryan Guiney of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Molly Rogers of the Portland Housing Bureau, Cat Vielma of Red Stone Equity, Alex Salazar of Salazar Architect, Jaclyn Sarna of Hacienda CDC, and Vanesa Mendoza, a long-time Cully community member and Hacienda CDC staff. 

 “We are thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Las Adelitas and to see this community come to life,” said Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda CDC. “Our commitment to creating affordable and accessible housing for families and individuals has transformed the Sugar Shack into a community that prioritizes the well-being of its residents and provides a place for stability, growth, and opportunity. People thought it couldn’t be done, but here we are in the heart of this beautiful space celebrating together. 

 “When we all work together and we’re bold, and tenacious, we get stuff done… This is a community triumph. This project, this community, this home is going to transform this community… and it wasn’t easy but should be easier for communities to put resources together to get people homes in a place like this.” says Governor Tina Kotek  

 “We talk about change and today we are actualizing turning a vision into a force of action. And for me, from my seat, that is what hope looks like, that is what optimism looks like… This is not about numbers or abstracts, but how people are doing. How are the people we serve? And what we are seeing today is the manifestation of that course of action,” says Director Andrea Bell, Oregon Housing and Community Services.  

 The grand opening celebration concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours of the community, a dance performance by Peru Baila Asi, and musical performance by Freddy Vilches.  

Ernesto Fonseca, speakers from the grand opening event, and a resident from Las Adelitas are available for interviews by request. 

For more information about Las Adelitas, visit lasadelitas.org 

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: BARRIO

Country of Origin: California

Goals for Business:  To be an integral part of the Portland Mercado as a social enterprise which brings people together and gives them a reason to stay and come back.

Chris’s Story

Chris Shimamoto, the owner, partnered with the Portland Mercado to open BARRIO a social enterprise beer and wine bar. Their other venture, the wine nomad, is a mobile wine bar that provides wine and beer on tap at events throughout the region. Their expansion into a full-time space at BARRIO compliments their knowledge and expertise in the beverage and events industry, and our desire to build a sustainable project.

About BARRIO

Cultural beverages to compliment your cultural foods and services!? Si, Señores! This small "Old World style Cantina"  is located on the Northwest corner of the building, serving up wine in bottles and draft from regions of Latin America and cold, crisp beers to accommodate everything from the spiciest of dishes to the more delicate flavors. For your convenience, BARRIO leads both directly into the market hall, where you can eat food and drink, and to their patio, providing indoor and outdoor eating and drinking options at the Mercado. It is even outfitted with a covered, heated patio for the less tropical Portland months. It's a comfortable laid back space where you can hang out and enjoy. Our hope is that we've created a unique and alternative option to other drinking establishments in the neighborhood.

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.

Name of Business: Xōcotl

Country of Origin: Mexico

Significance of Name: Xōcotl: Náhuatl word meaning "fruit".

Favorite Dish: Tangy Sweet & Sour Spiced slushie made with natural frozen mango and pineapple blended with fresh squeezed lime and pineapple juice topped with fresh mango, homemade "Chamoy" sauce and powdered chili pepper

Vanessa and Omar’s Story

 Meet Vanessa and Omar, Xōcotl’s owners, hope to bring the symbolism of our pre-Hispanic roots to PDX. Xocotl transforms fruits and vegetables into beverages and nutritious foods that fill us with life and health.

Vanessa and Omar grew up in Mexico City and emigrated to Oregon in 2002. Their entrepreneurial spirit and past business experience eventually drew them to the Portland Mercado’s Entrepreneurship Programs. On March 2018, they launched “Xōcotl - Fresco & Natural”, their first business in the United States.

About Xōcotl

In the Aztec worldview, the tenth month of the calendar is called Xōcotl-Huetzin (the fall of the fruit). It was a time to harvest and celebrate the "the dead days”. The "Xōcotl", a red fruit, was placed on top of a polished pole, symbolizing the tree of fertility. Young men would dance around and climb the pole to knock down the Xōcotl.

Great taste is the name of the game and we're committed to stepping up to the plate. To get the fresh flavor we're known for, your juice is made fresh after you order. We refuse to compromise on quality at our juice bar. We only use 100% natural ingredients. No added sugar or preservatives

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

We are proud to announce Chalise Fiol has been named a 2023 NACLAB Pete Garcia Community Economic Development Fellow!

The Pete Garcia Community Economic Development Fellowship is a year-long leadership training program for Latino leaders from around the country. This year, 18 professionals were selected for this prestigious program that aims to cultivate future Latino leaders.

Established in 2010, the Fellowship was developed to ensure that the next generation of Latinx leaders build practical, personal and professional skills needed to fill the increasing leadership gap in the community development field. It provides mid-career Latinx practitioners with specialized professional development training, preparing them to become strong executive director candidates at non-profits that serve Latino communities.

Chalise currently serves as Hacienda's Economic Opportunity Program Manager. Over the course of 11 years, Chalise has served communities and staff alike, sharing her expertise and dedication to creating economic opportunities for everyone. We celebrate this outstanding accomplishment. We appreciate Chalise’s dedication, passion and leadership and are grateful for her impact in our organization and community!

This year’s title program sponsor is the JPMorgan Chase Foundation with additional support from Capital One.

About NALCAB

The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) is the hub of a national network of 200 member organizations that are anchor institutions in geographically and ethnically diverse Latino communities in 45 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. NALCAB supports its member institutions through funding, training, research and advocacy, enabling them to invest in their communities by building affordable housing, ensuring equitable neighborhood development, supporting small business growth, and providing financial counseling on issues including credit building and homeownership. As a grantmaker and US Treasury certified CDFI lender with offices in San Antonio and Washington DC, the NALCAB Network serves hundreds of thousands of low- and moderate-income people, advancing economic equity and inclusivity in the communities we serve.

Construction is underway on six prototype homes headed to Oregon communities this summer

PORTLAND, Ore.— Inside a sprawling warehouse at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2, a potential solution to ease Oregon’s housing shortage is swiftly taking shape. Workers are assembling six prototype modular homes using Oregon-produced mass timber that will soon house pre-selected families and individuals in four communities (Madras, Otis, Portland and Talent). Led by Hacienda CDC, the pilot project (among the first of its kind in the nation) aims to demonstrate how modular housing built with mass timber could provide a more efficient, faster and less expensive way to build housing. The pilot was spearheaded by $5 million in funding from the Oregon Legislature.

On Friday, Hacienda offered a first look at the prototype homes, called Mass Casitas, to city and state officials, including Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Senator Jeff Merkley, community leaders, and the media at the Port of Portland’s Marine Terminal 2.

“We need more homes now to address Oregon’s urgent housing crisis, and traditional systems alone will not be enough to get the job done. Mass Casitas is innovative because we’re combining mass timber with modular single-family home construction to develop a process that could help Oregon add more high-quality housing, faster,” said Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda.

State economists have said that Oregon has a shortage of 110,000 housing units for current residents at all income levels. To accommodate future growth, the state may need to build more than 580,000 homes by 2040. The greatest need is among residents with the lowest incomes. 

“I was excited to advocate for $5 million dollars to support this vision in its infancy, and I’m thrilled today to see its first major step forward. The Mass Casitas project is proof that, together, we can act with the urgency people across our state are demanding. Bold ideas, concrete solutions, disciplined follow through. That’s how we can deliver results,” said Kotek.

The vision of Mass Casitas extends beyond housing, Fonseca said. With additional public and private investment, the model has the potential to accelerate the growth of Oregon’s mass timber industry and create new jobs — and in the process, help to revitalize former logging communities and increase economic opportunities for Oregonians, especially in rural communities and communities of color.

Visitors who toured the Mass Casitas production site on Friday saw the six prototype homes under construction. Once complete, the homes will be donated and delivered to nonprofit organizations in four Oregon communities by June 2023. The nonprofits will select which individuals and families will live in the homes. 

The six prototype homes (which range in size between 1-3 bedrooms) are headed for these four Oregon communities: 

• 1 home is going to Madras (Jefferson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

• 1 home is going to Otis (Lincoln County); partner is Cascade Relief Team

• 2 homes are going to Portland (Multnomah County); partner is Community Vision

• 2 homes are going to Talent (Jackson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

Following delivery of the prototypes, the Mass Casitas team will monitor how the homes perform in different climates and their utility to residents, using what they learn to improve the design, inform the production process and assess the potential of creating the units at scale.

"Mass Casitas is helping transform Terminal 2 into a site for innovation, mass timber industry transformation, and opportunity for Oregon families," said Keith Leavitt, chief trade & equitable development officer at the Port of Portland. "This project is even more evidence that mass timber can be transformative for Oregon, and it's full of opportunity for those who have been left behind, from new housing options to the creation of good-paying jobs along the timber and housing construction supply chain."

During the December 2021 special session, the Legislature allocated $5 million for Mass Casitas to the Port of Portland, which is providing the warehouse space and fund management and partnered with Hacienda, the housing organization leading the project. Other key team members are: Salazar Architect Inc. (design), Walsh Construction Co. (general contractor), VALAR Consulting Engineering (engineering), and Freres Engineered Wood (mass timber supplier/expert).

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About Hacienda CDC

Hacienda CDC is a trusted Latino/x-led community-building organization that strengthens BIPOC and low-income communities through affordable housing and holistic services for adults, families and youth. Founded in 1986 in Portland’s Cully neighborhood, Hacienda has grown to support underserved communities that face barriers to opportunity throughout urban and rural Oregon. Through our own innovative approaches and high-impact partnerships, Hacienda develops affordable housing and provides client-centered services and programs that enable people to thrive and achieve their dreams of home ownership, entrepreneurship and education. Learn more at haciendacdc.org.

Learn more about Mass Casitas and this Innovative solution to address the housing crisis