| Loyal customers, There's exciting news to report that's coming on the heels of a big transition in the Lionette family: After 12 years of enjoying a full and rich relationship with South Enders as restaurateurs, Bob and Mary Lionette are retiring. Garden of Eden has been an integral South End spot that helped the neighborhood grow. In short time it connected families and friends, and allowed the Lionette family to bring creative, local, clean, and sustainable food to diners for more than a decade. Sons Robert and James are excited for the kind of change that only comes from one experience ending so another can start. So they have decided to fully focus on expanding Lionette's Market-- Boston's only source for local, grass-fed meats, and sustainably grown and produced products -- into a one-of-a- kind storefront that will better represent the family's belief in supporting local farmers, suppliers, and purveyors of sustainably produced fare. You've likely heard about CSA -- Community Supported Agriculture -- where gardenless city dwellers may purchase a seasonal "share" of a farm before the farming season even begins, and then reap the benefits of a year's harvest of produce, flowers, and herbs, among other things. The up-front money helps the farmers plan their plots, buy seeds, and rightly pay employees while keeping their farm afloat while letting urban folks enjoy the goodness that only comes from knowing exactly where their food comes. CSA shares are sold across the country, but nowhere is there a CSM -- a Community Supported Market. So Robert and James have decided to think outside the proverbial grocery cart and morph Lionette's Market into a place where they will sell "shares" to interested "investors" who wish to come to the market, weekly, to purchase foods from the market. Using this one-of-a-kind business model, Lionette's Market will use the up-front money to offer more diverse ingredients, a greater breadth of local products, and to become a larger showplace for New England and Northeast corridor farmers, producers, and purveyors of sustainably prepared foods. Plus, with more space and this shiny new concept, Robert and James hope to increase in-house production of items -- like the market's well-known pates and sausages, guanciale, bacon, pancetta, porchetta -- and increase demonstrations by the folks they've loved bringing in to show you how they make their goods. But for Lionette's Market to grow and continue to be your one-stop purveyor of local, sustainable ingredients and to remain in the South End -- its home since the start! -- Robert and James need your financial help, immediately, to make this new concept successful. Here's a preliminary look at how Robert and James envision the CSM working: ► A $10,000 investment in the Lionette's CSM would grant you $125/week stipend to be spent at the store, for two years. With that money you would be able to come to the store and choose $125 worth of food. By paying the up-front "share" cost of $10,000, your food investment over the two years would equal $13,000 worth of food purchased at Lionette's, for a $3,000 return-on-investment. ► A $5,000 investment would grant a $55/week stipend to be spent at the store, for two years. As described above, by paying the $5,000 up front, the total value of this investment would equal $5, 720. ► A $2,500 investment would grant a 10 percent discount off of every item purchased in the store, for two years Robert and James want this concept to be born, grown, and rooted in the South End just like Garden of Eden was. SO ... if you or someone you know wants to invest money in the Lionette's Market CSM -- the legacy of the Lionette family, the South End, and the local farmers and producers the family tries so hard to represent -- ring the market between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and ask for James at 617.778.0360. The benefits are many: The up-front money helps Robert and James make the transition swiftly, and grants you, the consumer, a wonderful return spread across two years of your grocery buying from the store you already support and patronize. We hope you find this concept as thrilling as the Lionette's do. Robert and James can think of no greater way to honor what their parents created at Garden of Eden than by continuing their beliefs, and morphing the market into a wonderful reflection of what each family member believes in: Sustainable farming is the only option. Having said that, the most important thing right now is expanding the business! So if anyone has any other fabulous investing ideas apart from what Robert and James have outlined here, ring them up and share. It's going to take help from the greater community to bring this vision to fruition. Thanks for your time. We look forward to hearing from you. ________________________________________________________ L i o n e t t e ' s M a r k e t Your Boston connection to grass-fed meats and sustainably produced fare |