Tropical Foods, located in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, has been around since 1974. It was founded by Pastor Medina, an immigrant from Cuba, who originally rented a small location and sold only plantains. At the time, plantains were not widely known in the U.S., but the Hispanic clientele who shopped there took to calling the store “El Platanero,” a name some customers still use. However, Tropical Foods has grown considerably since its days as a plantain shop. Read More

This fall, small businesses in Greater Boston will have the opportunity to participate in a pioneering program: “Cultivate Small Business,” recently launched by Santander Bank in partnership with ICIC, Commonwealth Kitchen, and Babson College. This initiative will support entrepreneurs and their businesses in the food industry with resources and education to help them sustain and grow. Read More

Every year at ICIC we honor the Inner City 100 (IC100), a list of the fastest-growing inner city businesses in America. Here's what the outstanding 2016 honorees have been up to since the Awards and Conference. Read More

Last month Northeastern University announced it was committing $2.5 million in seed funding for a newly created “Impact Lending” program, offered in conjunction with LISC Boston. The seed money will capitalize a $6.5 million revolving loan fund (RLF), and the RLF will enable LISC to provide $1,000 to $1 million loans to women- and minority-owned small businesses located in or around Northeastern University. Read More

What can Boston do to address rising income inequality and increase economic opportunities for its inner city residents? One potential solution may come from increasing leverage of the Fairmount Indigo Line, a nine-mile commuter transit line that runs through Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park. Read More