Rosalva, Owner La Verbena Juice Bar and Cafe

Rosalva Diaz is owner of La Verbena Juice Bar and Café in Fruitvale, Oakland. Since immigrating to the U.S. 20 years ago, Rosalva has worked as a babysitter, housecleaner, and community service worker. When she decided that she wanted to be her own boss and start her own business, Rosalva looked back to her childhood in Mexico — where she helped her aunt sell fresh fruit to the local community — and came up with La Verbena, which offers juices, organic drinks, and traditional Latino beverages. Rosalva came to Opportunity Fund for a $10,000 loan to help her set up the business with refrigeration, insurance, and supplies. Opportunity Fund’s loan is leveraged by the advising and support Rosalva receives as a member of Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Unity Council — Opportunity Fund’s community partners — and by her own savings through her participation in Opportunity Fund’s IDA Savings program. La Verbena is part of the Fruitvale Public Market, a project of the Unity Council to create a marketplace that assists entrepreneurs and serves as a catalyst in neighborhood revitalization.