Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My inspiration comes from my family and my community. We began conventional farming in Chicago in 2009. We have supplied several neighborhood farmers markets through the years. Due to one of our parents cancer battle, we we're motivated to begin growing medicinal herbs and plants.

How do you stay motivated?

We are just one group of farmers amongst the many that are part of a local organization in the Inglewood neighborhood of Chicago. Our collective work provides our conventional produce, and our value added products to farmers markets twice a month. We keep each other motivated via our collective positive work.

What would you do with the $25,000?

With $25,000, DuSable City Botanical Farms would convert a shipping container into a climate-controlled mushroom growing unit to produce culinary and medicinal mushrooms year-round. Funding would also expand our elderberry and medicinal herb production, purchase processing equipment, and create community-based workforce opportunities while increasing access to functional foods on Chicago’s South Side.