Our Impact
Since 2011, Propeller has incubated and accelerated 263 ventures through the Impact Accelerator and Social Venture Fund. Collectively, they have generated over $262 million in external financing and revenue and created 485+ full- and part-time jobs. Our businesses and nonprofits overall have an 84 percent survival rate, compared to the national average of 56 percent.

Food Focus Area
In a city famous for its food, Propeller envisions a local food system that is economically sustainable and vibrant, where local food products are manufactured here and shared with the world, building a stable local economy that ensures all its residents have enough to eat. Through our Impact Accelerator, Propeller works with entrepreneurs who are starting or growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, with a focus on sustainable, healthy, and affordable products made with locally-sourced ingredients. Together with our ventures and partners, we are working to grow New Orleans’ food manufacturing system, prioritizing products that preserve our city’s unique food culture, advance equity, and positively impact the environment. Propeller leads research initiatives related to increasing access to nutritious food for K-12 students, and advocates for specific policies and regulations that can increase equitable access to fresh, healthy, local food for all New Orleanians.

Propeller Ventures working in this Sector

Soba Hibiscus

Firdaws Ashiru, Vondero Weir

Areas of focus: Food

Daydream Koffucha

Dalton Honore

Areas of focus: Food

Paw Bakery

Myishen Haines

Areas of focus: Food

Hotties Tamales

Dior Ellis

Areas of focus: Food

Mandela Burger

Ogban Okpo, April Okpo

Areas of focus: Food

Grey Bird Baking Co.

Taylor Moore

Areas of focus: Food

FOWLMOUTH

Ozzie Mendoza

Areas of focus: Food

Diva Dawg

Ericka Lassair

Areas of focus: Food

Vaucresson’s Sausage Company

Vance Vaucresson

Areas of focus: Food

Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Susan Sakash & Nicola Krebill

Areas of focus: Food

Piety and Desire Chocolate

Christopher Nobles

Areas of focus: Food

NO Hunger NOLA

Alyssa Hernandez

Areas of focus: Food

Cajun Fire Brewing

Jon Renthrope

Areas of focus: Food

Provost Farm

June Provost, Angie Provost

Areas of focus: Food

Insanitea Kombucha

Jordi Figueras

Areas of focus: Food

Bailey’s Grocery and Market

Conrad M. Bailey, Wanda G. Bailey

Areas of focus: Food

24 Carrot Garden

Angel Chung Cutno, Lauren Barron

Areas of focus: Food

RePurpose Food Co.

Shani Christopher

Areas of focus: Food

Ma Momma’s House of Cornbread, Chicken, and Waffles

Nicole P. Mackie & René P. Guzman

Areas of focus: Food

Recirculating Farms Coalition

Emily Shinn

Areas of focus: Food

Cupcake Fairies

Michele Burton-Oatis & Melissa Woods

Areas of focus: Food

Bellegarde Bakery

Mollie Sciacca

Areas of focus: Food

Bhoomi

Arpit Bhopalkar & Elora Turner

Areas of focus: Food

Clean Course Meals

Kim Sawyers

Areas of focus: Food

Instar Farms, LLC

Erika Nolan, Maggie Kaiser

Areas of focus: Food

Schmelly’s Dirt Farm

Nicola Krebill

Areas of focus: Food

Greek Girls Rice Pudding

Artemis Antippas

Areas of focus: Food

2nd Chance Donuts

Chris Keefe

Areas of focus: Food

Southern City Farm, LLC

Andrew Prat

Areas of focus: Food

Sugar Roots Farm

Sharessa Garland & Ecoee (Joan) Rooney

Areas of focus: Food

Descant Ranch Food Hub

Seth Descant & Chris Fry

Areas of focus: Food

Garden on Mars

Jeanette Bell

Areas of focus: Food

Descant Ranch

Seth Descant

Areas of focus: Food

The University Medical Center Urban Farm

Catherine Hudson

Areas of focus: Food

Sugar Roots Farm

Sharessa Garland

Areas of focus: Food

Mothers & Caretakers Mending Family Foundations

Charmaine Washington, Chanda Washington, and Joan Surgent

Areas of focus: Food

Sankofa

Rashida Ferdinand & Rosamar Torres

Areas of focus: Food

The Healthy School Food Collaborative

James Graham

Areas of focus: Food

Grow Dat Youth Farm

Johanna Gilligan & Mike Kantor

Areas of focus: Food

Top Box Foods

Sam Heyman & Connor DeLoach

Areas of focus: Food

Friends of Lafitte Greenway: Growing the Greenway

Sophie Harris & Nellie Catzen

Areas of focus: Food

Gator & Crane, Inc.

Emily Gaddis and Darrell Griewe

Areas of focus: Food

Louisiana Farm to School Alliance: Farm2School Database

Katie Mularz

Areas of focus: Food, Economic & Workforce Development

Capstone

David Young

Areas of focus: Food

New Orleans Food and Farm Networks @ Edible Enterprises

Ashley Mann and Sanjay Kharod

Areas of focus: Food

The Cookbook Project

Adam Aronovitz and Alissa Bilfield

Areas of focus: Food, Education

Community Plates

Melissa Spiesman, Lauren Rudzis, Kevin Mullins, and Jeff Schacher

Areas of focus: Food

VertiFarms

Douglas Jacobs & Kevin Morgan-Rothschild

Areas of focus: Food

Nola Tilth

Megan Webbeking

Areas of focus: Food

VEGGI Farmers Cooperative

Khai Nguyen & Daniel Nguyen

Areas of focus: Food

Healthy School Food Collaborative

James Graham

Areas of focus: Food

New Orleans Food Co-Op

Lori Burge

Areas of focus: Food

Dryades Public Market

John Burns

Areas of focus: Food