Belknap EDC supports Clarena’s Coffee

LACONIA — Clarena’s Coffee is a woman-owned, woman-grown specialty coffee business. Owner Clarena McKinney, started her e-commerce coffee business in April of this year, and has found great success, thanks in part to the support she received from Belknap EDC and NH Small Business Development Center.

Clarena was born in one of the coffee regions of Colombia, the third largest coffee producer in the world, where her relatives were farmers. When asked what drove her to start her e-commerce coffee business, Clarena reflected, “I have memories of the landscape of coffee trees and cherries. Pickers gathered in the morning, me walking barefoot in the coffee beds drying in the sun, jeeps carrying coffee on their rooftops, and, of course, the smell of coffee percolating on a wood stove. I’m proud of that heritage.”

In addition, Clarena has memories of socially disadvantaged women around her. She wanted to support them. “I created a company to help women in agricultural areas where coffee is produced and where most female coffee growers don’t have many opportunities,” she says. “It’s a for-profit business, but it’s also about helping and empowering these women and their communities. I’m proud to bring high-quality coffee from small, women-produced coffee farms worldwide.”

Clarena received a grant from Belknap EDC, which allowed her to develop her e-commerce website and produce her recyclable coffee bags. The Belknap EDC recently partnered with the Community Development Finance Authority to present New Hampshire’s Community Navigator Program with a goal to help more small businesses like Clarena’s Coffee.

In addition, through its partnership with NH SBDC, Belknap EDC connected Clarena to NH SBDC Business Advisor, Rita Toth for some business advising at no cost to her.

The Community Navigator Program is designed to reduce barriers to accessing critical resources for small businesses with a focus on microenterprises, cooperatives, and businesses in the early stages of development, owned by women, veterans, socially and economically disadvantaged, and underserved entrepreneurs. Clarena’s Coffee is a great example of the types of small businesses that can be supported and find success through this program. For more, visit nhCommunityNavigator.org.