There were plenty of reasons why Yvonne Cunningham—a former government contractor who’d never worked in sales or food service—decided to launch her small, food-related business in Crozet. “I noticed the area was a Mecca for foodies,” she said, “with wineries, breweries, orchards and farms.” Central Virginia seemed just the place for Nona’s Cucina, the authentic tomato sauce brand she hoped to produce in small, flavorful batches.

She found resources to help her as a novice businesswoman and a systematic path forward at the Charlottesville Investment Collaborative (CIC), an nonprofit offering financing, education, mentoring, and networking for beginning entrepreneurs. But Crozet’s biggest draw was more personal and emotional than practical, she said. “We were in Charlottesville and we found Crozet and just fell in love with it.”