ALAMOSA — SOIL Sangre de Cristo welcomes AMICAS, Soulcraft Brewing, and First Southwest Community Fund as its inaugural business sponsors. SOIL Sangre de Cristo, a peer-to-peer lending program, hopes to make its first round of zero-interest loans this fall to small farmers based in the greater San Luis Valley. Business sponsorships begin at $1,000 and sponsors are eligible to vote on loans made by SOIL Sangre de Cristo. Chair PJ Bergin says community business members will be crucial to achieving SOIL Sangre de Cristo’s fundraising goals.

“Investing in the local economy keeps our money here where the returns build for future generations,” Bergin said. “We hope news of these sponsorships will become a catalyst for others in the community to step up in support of local farmers, small ranchers and food processors in the South Central Colorado region.”

Kathie Younghans of AMICAS Italian restaurant in downtown Salida said the employee-owned company was an early supporter of SOIL because they believe in the local food movement. “We want to do whatever we can to support it,” Younghans said. “We have been doing so for a long time and this was one more opportunity to become involved. We trust that SOIL can give some much needed support to local, innovative entrepreneurs in food production and manufacturing.“

The mission of SOIL Sangre de Cristo is to unite the Valley’s communities by improving food security through direct support for local farmers, ranchers and food producers. Since its launch this spring, SOIL Sangre de Cristo has raised $33,000 through memberships and a 50-percent matching grant from the Mighty Arrow Foundation. The organization’s goal is to raise $50,000 by October. SOIL’s business sponsors are joined by voting members who contribute $250 or more annually. Farmers and food producers can join for as little as $25 per year.

“As a community-connected small business owner, I realize the essential nature of local farming and food,” said Michael LaCroix, CEO of Soulcraft, the Salida-based brewery and tasting room.

“I meet so many people that are putting their dreams and passion into action and know firsthand how difficult finding local financial resources can be. Diversity and intention make for a better and more dynamic community. We support SOIL with hopes that small, local farms will thrive and become an even greater resource for all of us.”

SOIL is an acronym for Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally and is based on the principles articulated by activist and author Woody Tasch in Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered and SOIL: Notes Towards the Theory and Practice of Nurture Capital. In Colorado, SOIL-affiliated groups are creating more resilient food systems in the communities around Boulder, Durango, and Carbondale, with more than $700,000 in loans for crucial items such as tractors, worker housing, and irrigation.

“The Slow Money model is creative and innovative and enables SOIL Sangre de Cristo to provide needed resources to our agricultural business owners,” Cass Walker Harvey, executive director of the First Southwest Community Fund, said. The Alamosa-based fund supports economic opportunity in rural Colorado with non-traditional loans and gap financing.

“As we’ve seen in the COVID-19 crisis, local food production is crucial to a healthy ecosystem and we look forward to seeing the impact SOIL has for the San Luis Valley.” Membership and sponsorship information can be found at soilsangredecristo.org.