About Our Loans
Access to capital is only one piece of the puzzle. Read what else Samuel Adams Brewing The American DreamTM program has to offer. Visit the "Brewing the American Dream" Website for more details on education seminars and speed coaching events!
Business Incubator Owners? Talk to us to learn more about our Kitchen Incubator Loans and how they can benefit your clients! Email Erica Dorn for more information.
Carlene O'Garro grew up in an inner city Boston neighborhood. She attended the Boston Public Schools and then went on to college in Florida. After college she opted for an office job while she searched her true path but remained frustrated that she wasn't building anything for herself that would ultimately "be hers". Listening to her inner voice and passion for baking, she enrolled in the newly created Pastry Chef program at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.
After graduating she worked grueling 10-14 hour days at a Boston restaurant "for scraps." She began taking some small baking orders but soon became overwhelmed juggling her day job with her private baking. Recently Carlene decided to make the jump to full business ownership financing it all on her credit cards and paying exorbitant interest rates. Realizing this was not a sustainable business model, she applied for a loan from the Samuel Adams Brewing The American DreamTM Fund. She is baking in a kitchen incubator where she has found natural mentors and a caring, supportive community. "All of us are struggling in one way or another with barriers to starting our own businesses. Some are personal, some are financial, but all are standing in the way of us realizing our dreams. But with this loan, I am really on my way!"
In Fast Company's feature "How Sam Adams...