Local Fresno Entrepreneur Shares Mission to Lift Her Community
Shirley owns Grandma’s Old Fashion Butter Bunches, a local Fresno business that sells over two dozen varieties of gourmet popcorn across the Central Valley. Before her popcorn business grew, Shirley owned a local hot dog stand.
Shirley is part of the first cohort of members in Fresno, and learned about the Grameen America microfinance program at the culinary kitchen she uses to make her specialty popcorn. Since joining Grameen America, she has received three loans to expand her business. Shirley invested her most recent loan of $3,250 in wholesale ingredients and packaging. Shirley has since been able to secure five retail locations that sell her products, and is doing a pilot with Hilton Hotels to sell in their hotel convenience stores.
Before joining GAI, Shirley did not have a good credit store. She says her favorite part of the program is the ability to build and improve her credit. She credits Grameen America's support with her ability to rent a new van, which has allowed her to deliver and sell more product to customers.
A true entrepreneur, Shirley built her success through hard work, diligence and by being organized. Each popcorn bag displays a picture of a puzzle piece symbolizing that Shirley employs people of all abilities to help make her products. In the future, she hopes to grow her mission to provide work experience for more people in her community. Her success and contributions to the community have not gone unnoticed—she was recently profiled by ABC 30 Action News.
During the pandemic, she's sold her product outdoors at farmers markets to keep going and found new partnerships with stores. She is looking forward to expanding and providing more work opportunities for others in her community in the future.
“Grameen America really helped me get my business off the ground financially. I love what I’m doing. If you have a dream and believe in what you’re doing, It can become a reality. In my book, it’s a reality.”