Meet Plantable: Coffee, Plants, and Beignets
Sep 12, 2024
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS
Donna and Kirkwood Hale first envisioned Plantable while living in Scotland for 8 years and then in Rwanda for 2 years. Donna has been an educator for over 30 years. She managed a Training Center for Women, African Bagel Company, in Rwanda, and fell in love with the model of a sustainable social enterprise. Kirkwood has created beautiful landscapes for over 30 years. His business, Garden Authority, offers landscape design services.
PLANTABLE'S MISSION
Plantable Nursery and Café is a nonprofit training center located in Redding, dedicated to providing hands-on job experience to underserved populations pursuing careers in horticulture and food service. These populations include individuals facing barriers to employment, such as people experiencing homelessness, former foster youth, individuals with criminal records, and those with disabilities.
You may know these individuals as the founders of Plantable, but we see them as friends and community visionaries.
"We received invaluable support from the WBC…"
Donna and Kirkwood, the founders, completed the Business Accelerator program at the Women’s Business Center two years ago. They also received a $5,000 Dream Fund Grant from the State of California through our program, which was instrumental in building their business. Since then, Plantable has expanded its staff and volunteers while continuing to enhance the downtown Redding area through partnerships with Caltrans and the City of Redding. In addition to running the nursery café, their work can be seen in the beautification of city trails and bike paths.
Their success is not only commendable but inspiring to all. If you’ve ever dreamed of starting a business, why not take the first step today? Consider enrolling in our Startup Accelerator, like Donna and Kirkwood did, and turn your business dreams into a reality.
The Women’s Business Center is proud to celebrate Plantable’s journey and highlight the community’s ongoing support for this incredible project. Since participating in the Dream Fund training, Plantable has brought tremendous value back to the community with efforts like the Caltrans and City of Redding beautification projects.
Next time you explore downtown, don’t forget to snap a picture of their work and tag their business!
UPCOMING PLANTABLE EVENTS
Check out their website(see link) for more information about their upcoming events, like their 1st Fundraiser Dinner, this Saturday, from 5:30pm - 8pm at Plantable! (2024 California St. Redding CA 96001). If you didn't buy tickets for the BBQ dinner you can still stop by and take part in the raffle and browse and purchase plants!
