Hispanic Heritage Month, observed each year from September 15 to October 15, is a time to celebrate culture, history and contributions. In Northwest Arkansas, those contributions are happening every day of the year.
Latino entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas are building businesses, creating opportunities for their families, sharing pieces of their culture and investing in the communities they call home. At Kiva Northwest Arkansas, we have had the privilege of watching many of those businesses grow, sometimes across multiple loans, multiple ventures and even multiple generations of the same family.
The four families in this story span the entire history of our program. One of them became Kiva NWA’s very first borrower when the hub launched in January 2020. Another has a loan fundraising on Kiva right now. In between are second and third loans, new brands, new menus and a growing list of relatives who decided that if one family member could do it, they could too.
We asked each of them to reflect on what being a Latino entrepreneur in Northwest Arkansas means to them, how their roots have shaped the businesses they are building and what makes them most proud.
Their answers tell stories that are different, but connected by a common thread: building something of their own while staying rooted in where they came from.
Flor Martinez | Kitchen to Table (formerly The Pasta Dream)
Flor Martinez holds a milestone in Kiva NWA history: she was the program’s 100th borrower. Her Springdale business began as The Pasta Dream and has grown into Kitchen to Table, which delivers chef-prepared, ready-to-heat family meals across Northwest Arkansas, along with wholesale and catering.
For Flor, entrepreneurship is proof of what can happen when perseverance meets purpose.
“Being a Latina entrepreneur in Northwest Arkansas means showing that through hard work, perseverance and refusing to give up, we can build something of our own and move forward without forgetting where we come from,” Flor shared.
Those roots are also woven into the way she approaches food and the people she serves. Flor says her culture taught her to work with passion, value people and recognize food as something bigger than what is on the plate.
“Food is a way to share our culture and connect with the people we love.”
As her business has grown, that connection has become one of the things Flor values most.
“I’m proud to see everything we’ve built and to know that our work doesn’t just feed people. It also allows us to be part of this community.”
Order a week of family dinners at kitchentotablenwa.com.
Geramy Rondon | La R Barber Shop
At La R Barber Shop, entrepreneurship is a family affair.
Geramy is part of what has become a Kiva NWA legacy family. His parents were the first in the family to receive a Kiva loan. Geramy later became a borrower himself, followed by his cousin. Now, his wife, Katiria, is actively fundraising for a Kiva loan of her own: a licensed esthetician, she is raising capital to open a studio in Siloam Springs and bring specialized skin-care services to her community.
For the family, each new business represents another chapter in something they are building together.
“Being a family of Latino entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas means working together to build a better future for our family,” Geramy shared. “The barbershop came from our desire to move forward, and we are proud to be Latino and to be able to build our business here in Northwest Arkansas.”
The values behind the business are equally rooted in family and culture.
“Our culture taught us to work hard, be responsible, respect others and always treat people like family. In our barbershop, we want every client to feel welcome, comfortable and part of our community.”
Seeing entrepreneurship spread through the family has made the experience especially meaningful.
“The barbershop isn’t just a business. It’s something we can build together as a family. We support each other, learn from each other and want the next generations to see that they can create something of their own, too.”
That sense of belonging extends beyond their own family to everyone who walks through the doors.
“What makes us most proud is seeing how our barbershop has grown and how we’ve been able to create a place where people feel welcome. We’re proud to know that our work represents our family, our culture and our determination to keep moving forward.”
Support the next chapter of this Kiva NWA family. Katiria’s $10,000 loan was 61% funded as of October 9, with $3,900 still to raise. Lend as little as $25, and the Walton Family Foundation matches every dollar while matching funds last.
Sandra & Laura | Bites & Bowls
Sandra and Laura hold a special place in Kiva NWA history. In January 2020, the owners of Bites & Bowls in Springdale became the very first Kiva NWA borrowers. Their $6,000 loan, for a panini press, waffle makers, a street sign and advertising, was fully funded in less than 24 hours.
Six years later, they are three-time Kiva borrowers, and the business they started continues to evolve.
For them, entrepreneurship has meant overcoming a barrier many immigrants experience before a business ever opens: believing that entrepreneurship is possible in the first place.
“Being a Latino entrepreneur in Northwest Arkansas means overcoming fear. Many times, as immigrants, we think owning a business isn’t for us. Entrepreneurship here means proving otherwise and showing our commitment to this community by investing our time and our money in the local economy.”
Their roots shaped the work ethic behind the business, too.
“We learned work ethic and consistency from our roots. Results don’t happen overnight, but they come when you keep going, even on the difficult days.”
That persistence has paid off in one of the most meaningful ways possible for a food business: customers have made their food part of their own routines and traditions.
“What makes us most proud is seeing how our customers have made our flavors their own. At Bites & Bowls, we created our menu from scratch, and today people come back again and again looking for their favorite dishes, in a place where they feel at home.”
Now, Sandra and Laura are taking those flavors beyond the walls of Bites & Bowls with their new brand, Guapa Foods, which will bring some of those same flavors into packaged products families can enjoy at home.
“There is nothing more beautiful than sharing what we make with love.”
From Kiva NWA’s first loan to a third loan and a new brand, Sandra and Laura’s story is also a reminder that access to capital is not only about helping entrepreneurs start. It is about giving them opportunities to keep building.
Stop in for breakfast or lunch: lovebitesandbowls.com.
Lizette Franco | El Trompo Loco
For Lizette Franco, who owns El Trompo Loco in Springdale alongside her son, Jesus Pedraza, entrepreneurship carries a message she wants other people in her community to hear: sí se puede. It is possible.
Lizette came to the United States as an immigrant at 17 years old, carrying, as she describes it, dreams, hope and a determination to build a better future.
“For me, being Latina in Northwest Arkansas means carrying my roots, my culture and my values with me,” Lizette shared. “But it also means having the opportunity to send a very powerful message to our community: that we can do it.”
Over the years, that belief has helped her family establish two businesses. But for Lizette, the businesses themselves are only part of the story.
“I’m proud to represent our culture while also showing our community that through work, perseverance and a real desire to move forward, we can accomplish great things here in Northwest Arkansas.”
Food has become one of the ways her family shares that culture.
“Through food, we have the opportunity to share our flavors, our traditions and that special way we have of gathering around a table. For us, a meal often isn’t just a dish. It’s a moment to spend time together, share and be with family.”
That same warmth shapes the experience she wants customers to have at El Trompo Loco.
“At the end of the day, what gives me the most satisfaction is knowing that people remember not only our food, but how we made them feel when they visited us.”
When Lizette looks back at what her family has built, she thinks about the journey behind it: immigrating as a teenager, the sacrifices that followed, building businesses and now running one alongside her son. She hopes sharing that journey can make someone else see possibility in their own.
“I want people to think about more than just the business itself. There is an entire journey behind it, a story and a path filled with resilience. I like to think that one day someone might read my story and realize that what they are going through isn’t the end, that there is a light at the end of the road.”
More Than a Business: Latino Entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas
These four stories span different industries, different families and different stages of entrepreneurship. One began with Kiva NWA’s very first borrower in 2020. Another has grown into a family tradition of entrepreneurship. Some are expanding into new products and ideas. Others are building businesses alongside the next generation.
But each reflects something bigger than a single loan or business.
They reflect the role Latino entrepreneurs play in the economic and cultural fabric of Northwest Arkansas: investing locally, creating places where people feel welcome, sharing culture through food and service, supporting their families and showing others what is possible.
Built for Entrepreneurs Like These
Stories like these are the reason Kiva NWA works the way it does for Latino entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas and for every other underbanked business owner in our region.
Kiva NWA is a 0% interest, no-fee crowdfunded micro-loan program for underbanked and underserved entrepreneurs in Washington and Benton counties. Approval is character-based: no credit score minimum, no collateral and no citizenship or immigration documentation. Loans range from $1,000 to $15,000 for first-time borrowers and up to $25,000 for returning borrowers, and every loan in Washington and Benton counties is matched dollar for dollar by the Walton Family Foundation. Borrowers also receive no-cost consulting through Startup Junkie’s business support programs, so capital arrives alongside the help to put it to work.
Earlier this year, Kiva NWA expanded its Spanish-language support. Ignacio Balderrama, a bilingual Capital Access Manager and the host of Startup Junkie’s Spanish-language podcast, Querido Emprendedor, now walks prospective borrowers through intake, advising and loan readiness in the language they are most comfortable in. Bilingual support runs from the first conversation through loan readiness, and the Kiva NWA website is also available in Spanish at kiva-nwa.org/es.
“For many entrepreneurs, access to capital is about clarity and trust as much as eligibility, and entrepreneurship takes courage,” Ignacio said when the expansion was announced. “The least we can do is make sure the path forward feels clear and welcoming.”
Three Ways to Celebrate This Month
- Lend. Katiria’s loan is live right now, and every dollar is matched while matching funds last. You can also browse every Kiva NWA loan currently fundraising on our For Lenders page.
- Shop. Visit Kitchen to Table, Bites & Bowls, El Trompo Loco and La R Barber Shop, then find more Kiva NWA borrower-owned businesses in the Borrower Directory.
- Apply. If you own a business in Washington or Benton County and have a next step in mind, start a conversation with our team, in English or in Spanish.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, we are proud to celebrate Flor, Geramy and his family, Sandra and Laura, Lizette, and the many other Latino entrepreneurs whose work continues to shape Northwest Arkansas.
And when Hispanic Heritage Month ends, their work continues.
So does ours.
Kiva Northwest Arkansas is a 0% interest, no-fee crowdfunded micro-loan program facilitated by the Startup Junkie Foundation, with support from the Walton Family Foundation.
