A Toledo business owner is coming to terms with the uncertainty of federal funding in the current political climate just as she gears up for her busy season.
After the United States Department of Agriculture paused reimbursements for Dairy Business Innovation Alliance programs across the country, Alissa Vieira, owner of Swanky Scoops, started looking for answers.
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association emailed Ms. Vieira the news on Feb. 25, she said, noting that this is one of the organizations administering the program’s federal funding. Eighty-seven other dairy businesses in the Midwest were affected by this freeze, with 420 dairy businesses impacted nationwide.
“It’s congressionally-directed funds,” Ms. Vieira explained, adding that she started receiving funding in December, 2023.
“Our total grant award was for approximately $74,000. We have spent and received reimbursements for the majority of it, but we’re still waiting on about $24,000 that’s owed to us.”
Swanky Scoops hosted a letter-writing event on March 2 at the shop, where both community and team members wrote more than 50 letters to the Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addressing their concerns.
“We were just talking about how these Dairy Business Innovation initiatives support small to mid-size processors and farmers,” Ms. Vieira said of the event. “We were just asking that they release the funds and talking about how important these small businesses are to our community.”
Not even two weeks after the initial email, Ms. Vieira said she received a follow-up message from the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association on March 7 stating that the reimbursements were being resumed, effective immediately.
“The release of this critical grant funding comes as an enormous relief to dairy farmers and processors — like Swanky Scoops — who had earned grants and needed reimbursement from USDA for business improvements they’d already made,” said Grace Atherton, communications director for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
“The targeted, small-dollar investments in dairy businesses provided through DBI have helped to stabilize and strengthen our nation’s food supply chain and rural economies. We’re grateful for USDA’s expedited review of this program and decision to release these funds, and for the dairy leaders and members of Congress who pushed to secure all committed funds.”
The ongoing impact
Ms. Vieira said the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance funding is being put toward equipment updates, scaling up ice cream production, adding regular retail hours to the shop’s downtown production location, 130 10th St., and more.
Although the downtown location doesn’t have regular store hours yet, there are pop-up events at the shop from time to time, along with ice cream cart services offered for both public and private events. Swanky Scoop’s ice cream is also available at select local retailers, like Walt Churchill’s Market in Maumee and Perrysburg.
The ongoing fight over and uncertainty around how federal dollars are used in the early days of the second Trump Administration means producers like Ms. Viera need to stay vigilant.
“I was very pleasantly surprised but a little bit shocked when I got the news that the funding was being released,” she said. “The shocking part is just there was no explanation or no elaboration on why this happened.”
The exciting part of the reimbursements resuming for the moment is that Swanky Scoops is able to expand its team, Ms. Vieira said, looking forward to another busy summer season.
“The main goal with our grant project was to grow and expand our business,” she said. “In doing so, we were looking forward to the opportunity to create jobs within our community and also supporting other small businesses in the process.”
From working with local vendors like Bench Farms for the shop’s sweet corn ice cream to working with the Dollop Shop cafe and bakery for some of its ice cream inclusions — sourcing local ingredients is a cornerstone of Swanky Scoop’s business model.
“It hits you hard as a small business owner, because grants like that are the way small businesses function,” said Claire Cameron-Ruetz, co-owner of the Dollop Shop. “I remember talking to Alyssa when she was applying for the grant. I was so excited for her, because I knew what those things mean for her.”
Lindsay Williams, marketing director for Swanky Scoops, joined Ms. Vieira in co-writing the grant proposal in fall of 2023 and was also working closely with her when the funds were frozen, and now resumed.
“We are in unprecedented times,” Ms. Williams said. “Hopefully we will not hear about another freeze. ... The DBIA did say we can do business as usual, but there also wasn’t a lot of background on the freeze being lifted.”
Advocacy is a great way to move forward, Ms. Williams said, noting that “if we can be loud, if we can make our voices heard, then Washington [D.C.] will be more likely to listen.”
Of the 88 businesses that the DBIA is funding in the Midwest, she said that 50 percent of those places have five employees or less — showcasing how critical this aid can be for helping a small business flourish.
“All we can really do is stay informed,” Ms. Williams continued. “If we approach things as a community, we can make the community that we want. We want a community with farmers. We want a community with small businesses. We want a vibrant community.”
For Swanky Scoop’s latest updates on this cause and more, visit its social media accounts at @SwankyScoops419.
First Published March 24, 2025, 4:51 p.m.
