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One way some Americans avoided steep losses in the stock market in recent years was by making unusual alternative investments in small farms and food businesses. These angel investors are organizing loose networks to match their money with cash-hungry local producers.
Farmers Crystie and Keith Kisler proudly pour samples of their hard cider and fruit liquors in the tasting room of the new cidery on their small organic farm. But four years ago, the Kislers weren't sure they could keep their farm whole, let alone launch a new venture. Crystie remembers she didn't even bother to apply to bank to borrow the money.
"We didn't have the income, or the assets or the confidence perhaps even to approach a bank at that time," says Crystie.
Investing locally
At that same time, Steve Moore - who'd retired after making lots of money in the software business - was looking for investment alternatives. "I started thinking about where else could I get some kind of reasonable rate of return where return can actually be defined more fully than just how much money did I make."
"This notion of an angel investor seemed just right to us. It seemed miraculous." says Crystie.
The two parties were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. They sat down at the farmhouse's kitchen table and negotiated the terms of a $205,000 private loan.
"This isn't charity. I'm not giving them money. It's not about a tax deduction," Moore says. Moore charged no interest, but instead received a minority share of the new cidery business. "I am actually getting return in full of what I originally put forward, plus a participation in the cidery, plus consumables as dividends." Like cider and blueberries. "I did pretty well."
"And we love writing the checks to folks whose names we know and whose faces we see on our farm." says Crystie.
LION's club
Moore is one of the founding members of a group in western Washington state dubbed the Local Investing Opportunities Network or LION. He says the well-to-do members have various reasons for joining.
"They wanted out of Wall Street. They wanted to diversify. They just wanted to help strengthen the community fabric."
The members of LION screen investment requests together, but it's up to each individual to decide whether or not to put up their money. Retired pediatrician Kees Kolff also invested in the Kisler's Finnriver Farm. In addition, he's loaned money to and taken an equity stake in a local artisan and a cheese maker, the Port Townsend Creamery. Kolff says he gets some unusual dividends.
"Those of us who have invested get seven percent return per year in cheese," Kolff says. "We get a cheese card. I can show you my cheese card, right here."
Kolff admits there are risks to consider as well. Most of the loans are unsecured, meaning there's no collateral. The equity investments are long term and illiquid, meaning investors can't pull their money out quickly. There is also no regulatory oversight because these are all private transactions.
That presents more risk than a traditional bank would take on. But Mark Bowman, a senior loan officer with the commercial lender Enterprise Cascadia, says private loans and seed money can provide a lifeline to new businesses.
"Having local investors like the LION group is very complementary to the lending that we do," he says. "It even fills gaps of higher risk lending that we can't."
Steve Moore says that LION is fielding lots of calls from across the country for how to copy their local investment model. He sees it as a sign that more people want to give literal meaning to the old phrase, put your money where your mouth is.
cider: an alcoholic drink made from the juice of apples 蘋(píng)果酒
（來(lái)源：VOA 編輯：崔旭燕）
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