In August 2010, a group of social entrepreneurs and activists combined their passion and expertise into an online lending platform called The Hoop Fund. Along with Co-founders Marc Mathieu and Deborah Hirsh, CEO Patrick Donohue set out to create a Fair Trade ecosystem, where consumers can directly help farmers behind products they use with a small loan to improve their communities.

How did the team come together to form The Hoop Fund?

Deborah Hirsh and I came together in the spring of 2010 with a grave concern about the financial well-being of producers in the developing countries. We asked ourselves, ‘how do you get consumers to own a small piece of the story and have a lasting financial impact?’ We used our backgrounds in cooperatives here and overseas to form a group. We pulled partners, like Marc Mathieu and Kevin Jones, who each brought expertise in social and economic realms, to build The Hoop Fund. We believe this platform would change the way we buy and consume products.

How does it work?

The Hoop is a combination of a micro-lending platform and consumer movement that connects consumers to the makers of the chocolate or coffee they enjoy daily. Participants can make a loan to the farmer or artisan, then purchase Fair Trade products from a partnering brand on our site, making their roles as lenders much stronger. As a result, this helps fund small businesses, improve labor conditions and product quality. *For example, visitors on the site can buy Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Quinoa bar grown by Acopagro Chocolate Cooperative in Santa Rosa, Peru, but they can also make a loan to help the cooperative increase access to medicinal remedies and increase farmer revenues.

What has the response been?

We were excited about how enthusiastically people responded to our vision of invested consumption. People realize that we can all invest in the makers of great products in underprivileged countries, and create our own personal stories about how we turned our consumption into meaningful connections.

What has changed in social enterprise during the last year?

I think it’s become more mainstream and more acknowledged. Ten years ago it was hard for people to understand or hear it mentioned in conversations. Now, everyone is talking about social enterprise, and people understand that businesses have a profound influence on social and economic change. In San Francisco alone, there is a wide range of social enterprise startups, therefore, allowing more people entry into the movement.

How will The Hoop Fund improve the face of social enterprise?

Well, nobody talks about the ownership side of social enterprise. We’re hoping to democratize it and show consumers that they don’t have to be Angelina Jolie or Bill Gates to make an impact. The Hoop provides the tools for people to be advocates and ignite change in the market spaces. By creating more bridges to empathy with better tools, we can multiply products and communities, and better their world and ours.

Join The Hoop by trying some of its featured products.

* The Medicinal Plant Garden Loan Project has been fully funded!