Photo | Timothy Doyle
Rise & Grind Cafe in Fitchburg
September 29, 2023
Cafe receives $64K in financing for recently opened Fitchburg location
Photo | Courtesy of North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Pictured from left: Sandie Cataldo, economic development manager at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce; Alexander C. Schinas, co-owner of Rise & Grind Café and Smoothie Bar; Mark McCaffrey, co-owner of Rise & Grind Café and Smoothie Bar; and Norman Vigeant, vice president of lending at the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.
By Timothy Doyle
Rise and Grind Cafe and Smoothie Bar at 805 Main St. in Fitchburg received two loans of $32,500 from the City of Fitchburg and $32,000 from the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. in Fitchburg.
The loans will help the owners purchase equipment and supplies and hire four additional people, according to a Thursday press release from the North Central Community Development Corp.
Managers Mark McCaffrey and Alexander Schinas opened Rise and Grind Café and Smoothie Bar in 2021, sharing a location with a Leominster gym, and then opened the Fitchburg location in March.
“We are grateful to the community for supporting our business over the years and enjoying our smoothies at Empire Athletics,” McCaffery said in the press release. “With the support of our community, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, NewVue Communities and the City of Fitchburg, we were able to expand our offerings of delicious smoothies, coffee, and a variety of café foods and desserts to a second location in the heart of downtown Fitchburg.”
NewVue Communities, a Fitchburg-based nonprofit community development corp., helped the business owners by providing guidance on business projections.
As part of its relationship with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Fitchburg-based NCMDC can provide loans up to $250,000 for working capital, equipment, real estate, and expansion. NCMDC is the lending division of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.
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