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By: New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
How many trees does Ben’s Sugar Shack tap to meet demand for their pure, sweet and delicious maple syrup?
This spring, it was 29,000 — enough to cover hundreds of acres.
For founder Ben Fisk, the number is always growing, just like his business. His passion and persistence turned Ben’s Sugar Shack into one of the top maple producers in New Hampshire.
Ben is one of the many local business owners who come to the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund with ideas for growth but without access to conventional banking. They just need the right support to bring their vision to life.
His story — and that of Elyssa Alfieri, owner of Lilise Designer Resale — show how flexible funding and customized coaching from the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund help businesses thrive.
Powered by a “neighbors-investing-in-neighbors” model with a 100% repayment record, the Community Loan Fund’s impact investors have provided patient capital to support more than $100 million in loans to businesses and nonprofits in New Hampshire.
Investing locally means Main Street businesses can create local jobs, connect neighbors, and keep money circulating close to home.
Ben’s Sugar Shack Sees Sweet Success
In 2014, Ben had 10 employees and an expanding customer base for his pure maple products.
Yet, as customers increased, so did the need for more cash flow.
“We didn’t have a lot of assets to borrow against, and we were very new in business,” Ben said.
When Ben connected with the Community Loan Fund, he found more than capital — his personalized coaching helped him strengthen his business from the inside out.
Fast forward to today and Ben has more than 70 employees. He reached a milestone two years ago when he opened The Maple Station Market in Temple, which has become a community hub and tourist destination.
Step into the market and you'll see locals buying groceries, hikers enjoying deli sandwiches, and tourists grabbing maple candy for the road home.
More customers means tapping more trees for more sap. And Ben’s already on track to tap 50,000 trees next year.
Lilise Designer Resale Maximizes Joy and Sustainability
Over on Main Street in Concord, Elyssa was busy trying to meet the rising demand for “slow fashion” as the owner of Lilise Designer Resale (LDR).
With designer, vintage, second-hand, and new clothing and accessories, LDR is a staple of the downtown shopping scene.
After buying the business in 2016, Elyssa struggled to find funders who understood her vision for a second-hand store that she describes as “all needles, no haystack.”
"When I was looking for financing previously, banks weren’t really interested in me because I was a smaller business with smaller revenues, more risk," she said.
This time, when she was ready to expand, she successfully applied for a loan from the Community Loan Fund.
“It makes me feel good to know that the Community Loan Fund is out there looking for the right small businesses to put the right money with — it feels like an extra pat on the back from our neighborhood,” she said.
She transformed the store’s basement into rentable booths for local sellers, bringing more community members into the resale economy and ensuring a sustainable future for her business.
Two-thirds of the booths were rented within the first few months.
The Community Loan Fund’s hundreds of impact investors believe that investing in small businesses like Ben’s Sugar Shack and Lilise Designer Resale provides both financial and social returns.
Learn more about impact investing with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund.
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