Welcome

We are proud and excited to share La Cocina's updated strategy. This report outlines our renewed mission, vision, values, theory of change, and the impacts we strive to achieve. As we navigate the next few years, this report will serve as our beacon, guiding us through the dynamic and challenging landscape that lies ahead.

Now is a particularly opportune time for La Cocina to embrace a refreshed strategy. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary we have a unique opportunity to return to the core ingredients of our mission and refocus our efforts on what truly matters: solving problems of inequity in business ownership for women, immigrants and people of color.

The pandemic reshaped our world and the food industry, underscoring a vital truth that the wellbeing of our communities is deeply interconnected. When some are denied opportunities, we all feel the impact. Now, more than ever, we see the essential role of fostering entrepreneurship, supporting small food businesses, and investing in marginalized community members to create a more vibrant, diverse, and delicious economic landscape in the Bay Area as well as inspiring others to do the same in their communities.

We are not planning a drastic shift in our focus areas. Instead, through careful reflection and feedback from our stakeholders, we have affirmed that our core strategies remain effective in advancing our mission. The heightened need for equitable entrepreneurial investment and support due to the many impacts of the pandemic has reinforced our commitment to our vision.

Moving forward and re-imagining our future will require innovation, courage, and a willingness to embrace the unknown – all traits that La Cocina program participants and graduates naturally embody and have channeled to sustain their businesses over the last 20 years.  We are ready to face the next 20 years in community with them.

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