Learn how hard work and Tri-County EDC made Mooney Farms a success!
Mooney Farms credits luck and a lot of hard work for making the business a success. Mary Mooney and her family began the business in 1986 after their kiwi ranch stopped performing to a level needed to support the family.
"We started by selling kiwi jam at the local Farmer's Market," said Mary. "At the time we also saw that sun-dried tomatoes were selling well so we began making them too. From there we started selling our sun-dried tomato products to Price Club."
Mooney Farms' future goals include staying with their core business while trying to utilize other Northern California attributes in producing new products. They plan to continue to explore bigger markets for their sun-dried tomato products while building on their pasta sauce and olive oil product lines.
For Mooney Farms it has always been family first. Two sisters and a brother run the production, sales and marketing side of the business, while another brother and their mother run the olive ranch. Mooney Farms knows it will be successful in the future because the family has tenacity. They will not give up and they love to win! "We are still having fun and enjoying it," said Mary. "We have a good time at work."
Their business philosophy boils down to the one question, "Can we make something fabulous that people want to buy? If we say yes, then we can do it and find the money." As a result Mooney Farms focuses more on the longevity of the products and the ability to deal with the stress of being self-employed. They believe if you have the will to risk everything, it is both rewarding and exciting.
While attending a funding/small business growth seminar in Gridley, Mary met Marc Nemanic, Tri-County EDC Executive Director. At the time Mooney Farms' sales had outgrown their production capabilities and they desperately needed to invest in their inventory. Tri-County EDC helped them bridge the gap in inventory so they could start the production process and continue to expand their sales.
"My favorite experience working with the Tri-County EDC staff is they are not just people with money, they have good business sense," said Mary. "They are willing to go further than a regular bank. They have great employees with helpful information. I believe them to be friends who helped us decide how to use this money best."
Without Tri-County EDC's assistance, Mooney Farm's growth would have been curtailed. "Tri-County EDC gave us a big step up where it may have been baby steps otherwise," said Mary. "We got to where we wanted to go faster."
TCEDC's financing services are unique in that they are willing to sit down and look at the financials to see how their help will assist business make money. They are willing to take a risk to help others be successful.
