Wildfire Recovery Spotlight: U Ferment

In Jackson County, the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Labor Day wildfires and straight-line winds created a perfect storm of emotional and financial adversity for some small business owners.

The ReOregon Planning, Infrastructure, and Economic Revitalization (PIER) program funds helped Brian and Alissa Kolodzinski, owners of U Ferment in Talent, not only survive, but thrive, even in a time of rising costs.

“The 2020 Almeda Fire had a real impact on our region and on small businesses like ours," Brian said. “Receiving the PIER grant was a turning point for us in ways that went beyond the funding itself."

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) administers the PIER program, which provides Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help Oregon communities recover from the 2020 Labor Day Disasters. These funds are awarded to nonprofits, schools, local governments, and other qualified entities to support projects that address unmet planning, economic revitalization, and critical infrastructure needs, ensuring communities can rebuild and be better prepared for future challenges.

To date, 28 microgrants of up to $15,000 and two small business loans up to $50,000 each have been distributed by the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCanDo) in Jackson County.

In addition to the obvious benefits the grant funds provide, even the act of applying for them proved impactful to the Kolodzinskis' business, which specializes in selling supplies and ingredients for making fermented products.

“The application process challenged us to step back and really reexamine how we were operating," Brian said. “We reviewed our priorities, purchasing strategies, and money management practices."

In preparation for the grant funds, they implemented a more structured financial management system to help them make the most of their opportunities. The grant allowed them to buy inventory in higher quantities, giving them access to better pricing from their suppliers and thereby increasing their margins.

Now U Ferment can focus on helping their community create more affordable, self-sufficient fermented food and beverages at home while also making sure wineries, cideries, restaurants, and event organizers have the supplies and expertise they need.

“In that way, the grant has helped us better support and stay connected to other small businesses and the local food community around us," Brian said.