Click below to listen to the full conversation between 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck and Oliver Pau from Dojo Fresh
Welcome to “Thriving in Orange!” A monthly segment presented by Orange County Economic Development, “Thriving in Orange” features conversations with local business owners about what it’s like to live and work in Orange County, especially in light of the county’s small business grant program which launched in 2015 and has helped small businesses and small business owners with well over $100,000 in grants each year!
This month, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck has a conversation with Oliver Pau from Dojo Fresh, a plant-based local packaged food business that begun in 2021 in the Piedmont Food Processing Center.
“[Dojo Fresh is] a packaged food business,” said Pau. “What we produce is a plant protein mix that allows people to make their own meatless products at home. [It’s] a shelf stable mix — simply add water, your favorite seasonings or sauces, and you can make your own meatless, crumbles, nuggets, patties, whatever you like.”
Dojo Fresh’s presence in the local food scene and place on store shelves across North Carolina was sparked by the Orange County Investment Grant and the resources available to small businesses and startups in Orange County.
“The Orange County Small Business Investment Grant has really been the spark for our business,” said Pau. “You know, aside, aside from the money — and the money was great to help us with improving our packaging, we were able to get a non-GMO verification for our product, it helped us in getting retail ready so that we could get our products from the farmer’s market into stores, and also building our online presence. But, in addition to sort of the, the financial help, it really gave us some credibility within the entrepreneurial community … Really, that investment grant was the spark that kind of led to all of these great opportunities for us.”
Listen above for the full conversation!
Aaron Keck and Oliver Pau
In partnership with Orange County Economic Development, 97.9 The Hill presents “Thriving in Orange!” A monthly conversation discussing Orange County’s small business grant program, which began in 2015 and provides $150,000 in small business support each year to local businesses. Find more information about the program here, as well as guidelines for application to receive support from the grant and thrive in Orange!
You can find more conversations like this in the “Thriving in Orange” archive on Chapelboro, and each month in a special segment airing on 97.9 The Hill!
