Nav Awards $10,000 Small Business Grant to Houston-Based Vegan Restaurant
Herban Frequency uses new funds to transition from food truck to store front
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nav, the simple and intelligent financing platform for small businesses, today announced Herban Frequency as the latest $10,000 grand prize winner of its quarterly Small Business Grant. Owned and operated by Alexis Allen out of Houston, Herban Frequency is reimagining vegan cuisine. Allen plans to use the grant money to move into Herban Frequency’s first brick and mortar location.
Oftentimes today’s small businesses have to navigate a complicated lending landscape without guidance, which can lead to higher rates, difficult rejections, and too many confusing options to choose from. That’s why resources like Nav’s are integral to supporting truly small businesses who need access to capital today to survive and thrive. Nav is excited to be able to give back to those small businesses who need it most with our Small Business Grant, while we continue to streamline the financing shopping process so all small businesses are able to more easily access the capital they need to succeed.
“Wherever they may be in their journey, supporting small businesses continues to be integral to not only Nav’s mission, but the health and success of our communities and national economy,” said Greg Ott, Nav CEO. “That’s why it’s an honor for Nav to support business owners like Alexis Allen who is working hard to bring her vision for vegan food to the Houston-area. We can’t wait to see all the ways in which she’ll continue to enrich her community with her unique take on plant-based cooking.”
Founded in 2019, Herban Frequency brought plant-based, organic meals to Houstonians with only a food truck. Allen is the powerhouse behind Herban Frequency’s success, bringing her expertise as a professional audio engineer and love of Houston’s culture to design vegan meals that truly sing. With this business grant from Nav, she’ll be able to create an in-person hub for plant-based food in the Houston-area.
“I am passionate about illuminating the narrative & depiction of what a vegan should ‘look, sound, and act’ like. That’s why we’re infusing Houston and urban culture with veganism. This grant money from Nav has allowed me to expand into a much needed brick and mortar location and remain open,” said Alexis Allen, owner of Herban Frequency. “I needed capital for my business, and traditional banks weren’t an option. Nav was there to help present options. This grant is a great example of how Nav supports small businesses.”
Nav also awarded a runner-up prize of $5,000 to Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream, a New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream shop in Port Angeles, Washington. Owners of Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream, Lillie and Jacob Phillips, started serving customers in July 2021 after beginning to draw up business plans at the end of 2020. Currently, Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream is operated out of a small trailer, but Lillie and Jacob plan to use the funds from Nav to help set up a storefront, which they are hoping to open next year.
“We knew we wanted to do something different with our careers. We both were working fairly standard 9-to-5 jobs, but it wasn’t the right fit for us. Lillie had spent a year living and working in New Zealand back in 2016 where she was introduced to real fruit ice cream and briefly worked at a little ice cream shop in Tairua,” said Jacob Phillips, co-owner of Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream. “Ice cream is such a happy treat and was the best way out of all our business ideas to have a focus on connecting with the community of Port Angeles. We want to help create a special moment that becomes a forever memory. And while the style of ice cream and our blender is from New Zealand, you’ll find that most of the products we use are from Washington.”
Nav created the Nav Small Business Grant in 2018 to raise awareness about the obstacles small business owners and entrepreneurs experience when building and maintaining their businesses. As of December 2021, Nav has awarded $185,500 to small businesses across the country. In the last round of grant winners, Nav provided a $10,000 grand prize to Roseland Born Logistics, a black-owned logistics company in Minneapolis.
The next round of Nav’s Small Business Grants are open now and will close on January 11, 2022. Learn more about the grant and how to apply here.
About Nav
Nav uses real business data to quickly match small businesses with the best loans and credit cards. The leading Business Financial Management app, Nav’s intelligent business financing solution powers insights and opportunities for daily financial decisions that fuel their success. Nav’s solution is also leveraged by other business service providers to enhance their customer experience. More about Nav is available at Nav.com.
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