GROCERY SMALL BUSINESS LOAN

Numero Uno Market

LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles may be famous for Hollywood, Disneyland and the Lakers, but behind the glamor lies a stark reality: This sprawling city of 4 million people is also home to several food deserts.

These are large, often low-income communities that have been passed over by the big-box grocery stores, leaving residents with limited access to affordable, nutritious foods.

One independent supermarket chain, however, is helping fill the grocery gap for thousands of inner-city Angelenos.

Numero Uno Markets owns and operates 13 stores across greater Los Angeles, where many food deserts are predominantly Hispanic. Numero Uno has embraced its customer base, offering Hispanic foods, including select meats and customized produce. But the chain doesn’t stop there.

“We try to cater to the immediate community,” says Doug Minor, Numero Uno’s president and CEO. “So, even though we have a Hispanic name and format, we cater to all ethnic backgrounds, including African-American, Central American and Asian.”

“NCB has a 35-year history of lending to independent grocers,” says Mike Novak, NCB senior vice president and corporate banking manager. “We’re proud to help these retailers, who are serving an underserved population, empower themselves and their local communities.”