Cornet Custard got a grant from the government. Then that grant got put on ice. | Paolo Bicchieri Cornet Custard received a federal grant. Shortly after Trump took office, the money evaporated. It’s hard to imagine that the Trump Administration’s unprecedented carving up of federal agencies could impact a tiny custard shop in Portland, Oregon. So just try to imagine Cornet Custard owner Mika Paredes’ surprise when exactly that happened. A 2024 Portland Eater Award-winner for Best Dessert, Cornet came on the scene as a shop in June 2024 after operating as a farmers market pop-up. The brainchild of Paredes and her then-business partner, Naomi Pomeroy, who died tragically last summer, Cornet is known for its luxuriant frozen dessert in flavors like Blood Orange Dreamsicle and snickerdoodle. Paredes, who will also lead the kitchen at Pomeroy’s final French bistro restaurant project L’Échelle, says the summer following the opening was “turbulent.” Cornet started with a refurbished two-door retail freezer, plucked from a shuttered Walgreens. But after a busy summer, “we just needed more space,” Paredes says. So she decided to apply for a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture and got accepted. Then, USDA froze the department’s grant program earlier this year, all at once, throwing Cornet Custard into financial limbo and national controversy. The grant worked on a reimbursement basis, meaning that, unfortunately, Paredes had already spent the money. So, she did the only thing she could think to do: She called all her local politicians and asked her fans to do so, too. Remarkably, within a few weeks, the grant was taken off ice: She got her money back. Here, Paredes reflects on the wild experience and what small business owners can do when the new administration turns its Sauron’s eye toward them. Zoe Ching Mika Paredes is the founder and owner of Cornet Custard. Eater Portland: So how did the USDA grant process work? Mika Paredes: I was looking for outside funding. I was having a hard time getting small business loans because we haven’t been open for a full year, or two years. I connected with the Oregon Dairy Council. They were like, “Hey, Micah, for businesses that are considered dairy processors or farmers and dairy, there are a lot of grants that you can reach out to for [that are] equipment-specific.” We needed a three-door freezer, a free-standing freezer. They guided me to this specific grant, which is called the Pacific Coast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative. It provides funding and resources to dairy farmers and businesses across six western states, which includes Oregon. It’s taxpayers' money, so there’s definitely a lot of hoops and bureaucracy and red tape. We applied in October 2024. We were awarded the grant in December. We have to use the funds within 60 days once it is awarded to us, which was January. I purchased the freezer through a local distributor. It was about an eight-week turnaround on delivery. Part of the protocol with this specific grant is it runs as a reimbursement program, so you have to upfront the cost yourself, and then you have to then apply for reimbursement. Then [the government] makes sure the equipment is on-site and operational to avoid fraud. The freezer arrives damaged, so we are waiting for the new arrival. Paolo Bicchieri Cornet Custard had a huge summer and needed more freezer space so it applied for a USDA grant in October. Tell me how you learned about the freeze. Two weeks ago, I get a call, and there they tell me that all funding for federal grants through the USDA have been frozen, and the freeze will be indefinite. So pure panic mode. How are we going to even get out of this hole? So I started to get creative. We have a pretty large following for our relatively new business, with almost 24,000 followers on Instagram and in a very hefty newsletter. I hit those platforms and started talking about it. I have really strong relationships with farmers in Portland and the surrounding areas. I got on my soapbox because this was actively dismantling our food systems. It caught fire. Within 24 hours media outlets had contacted me. With the encouragement of the community, I started a GoFundMe. Within 24 hours of that, we were about 70 percent to goal. And then about 12 hours after that, the freeze was lifted. I feel like amplifying the situation and using all of our outlets, I think we had a little bit of an influence in reversing the freeze. Did you ever get outreach or direct contact from anyone from the USDA? No, but I was in my posts tagging all of our local congresspeople and representatives and state representatives and calling them. It was a Norma Rae situation. I may be just screaming into the void, but it felt like I needed to do it. Did you hear from anyone else with a similar experience? A local farm had applied for a grant. They weren’t a part of the dairy sector, they were more agriculture-based. They wrote me and said, “Hey, we’re in the same boat. All our grants are frozen, and we’re left with the bill.” Then there’s Cottage Hill Dairies outside of Portland that got the exact same grant as me. They bought large industrial equipment. In the exact same boat. If you did have advice for this situation, would you say it’s to scream into the void? Yeah, that’s totally it. I think this is something that affects everyone. We need to be reminded that we have significant power in how government operates. And it’s just a reminder to us to use your voice. That’s it. Go to the street and do it. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. ...read more read less