The future is bright for Maisie Jane’s! What started as a 1999 high school FFA project has now expanded to a full-time retail and shipping business that employs four full-time and six part-time workers. Maisie Jane’s offers dried fruit, nuts and other locally grown food products. They are planning to expand the varieties of nuts and dried fruit products offered, while eventually acquiring additional company owned orchards.
Maisie Jane’s has success has been built on personal relationships and treating their employees like family. They make a conscience effort to create a warm atmosphere. Both Maisie Jane and her husband, Isidro, are hardworking and dedicated, spending all day in the retail store and evenings working in the orchard.
“3CORE really wants small businesses to succeed,” Hurtado said. “They care about local businesses and realize it is what makes Chico special.”
When it came time to expand the business the Hurtados found 3CORE offered the same customer service Maisie Jane’s believed in. The Hurtado’s credit their cousin, a local City Councilman, with putting them in contact with 3CORE. This partnership has allowed Maisie Jane’s to hire additional staff and allowed their operation to run even smoother.
“We enjoy working with 3CORE,” Hurtado said. “We can pick up the phone, call them and they always listen to what I have to say. They even meet with me on a one-on-one basis when needed.”
Through one on one mentoring and the right financial assistance, Maisie Jane’s was able to do in one year what most do in three, all while keeping their commitment to customer service their number one priority.
