Healthy Food Retail
Healthy Food Retail Loans
Access to nutritious food is a fundamental building block of community health and economic vitality. Our Healthy Food Retail lending program supports projects that bring fresh, sustainable food options to communities across South Carolina.
What We Offer
We provide comprehensive financing solutions for food-related businesses, including:
- Acquisition financing
- Predevelopment support
- Infrastructure funding
- Construction and renovation loans
- Equipment purchases
- Working capital
- Permanent financing
Our Food Access Impact
We focus on projects that:
- Increase access to fresh, nutritious food
- Support local food systems
- Create employment opportunities
- Revitalize neighborhood economies
- Address food desert challenges
Eligible Projects
Our loans support a range of food-related businesses:
- Grocery stores
- Farmers’ markets
- Food co-ops
- Local farms
- Mobile food markets
- Healthy food retailers serving communities with limited food access
Who Can Apply
We welcome applications from:
- Non-profit organizations
- Government entities
- For-profit businesses committed to improving food access
Our Approach
More than just a lender, we’re a partner in community nutrition and economic development. Our team provides personalized guidance, helping food retailers overcome financial barriers and create sustainable business models that nourish communities.
Cultivating Healthy Communities
Each loan we provide does more than support a business – it helps build a healthier food ecosystem. Investing in food retailers creates opportunities for better nutrition, local job creation, and economic revitalization. Our support helps transform food access from a challenge to an opportunity for community growth.
Healthy Food Retail Lending In Action
Market on Main
In Lake View, South Carolina, a rural town lacking access to nutritious food, community member Matthew Elvington transformed an old pizza place on Main Street into Market on Main—one of the town’s only grocery stores offering fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. After investing $60,000 of his family’s savings to purchase the building, Elvington faced challenges securing traditional financing.
Thankfully, he attended a SCCLF Loan Application workshop and collaborated with the Small Business Development Center to complete his business plan. With a $75,000 healthy food loan from SCCLF, he renovated the building and acquired the necessary equipment and inventory. “SCCLF staff went the extra mile to provide business advice, technical assistance, and a blueprint for success,” Elvington shared. The store’s name, Market on Main, honors his late mother, Diane, who contributed her 401(k) to help purchase the building before passing away from cancer.
Elvington reflected the community’s enthusiasm: “The community is tickled to death. They’re tired of travelling 13 miles to get a pepper .”
Read More
A Peace of Soul
A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen, formerly Lamb’s Bread Vegan Café, now has a permanent home in Columbia’s North Main Street neighborhood thanks to one entrepreneur’s persistence and a public-private partnership. Folami Geter, the owner of A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen, needed a permanent home for her restaurant and it was important to her that she be able to continue to serve the North Main Street community.