Peasant Pies, with a restaurant on the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Campus, has become the first on-site UCSF retailer to earn two small business designations from the City and County of San Francisco.
Peasant Pies has earned the Local Business Enterprise (LBE) and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) designations. Businesses earning these designations can compete more effectively on city contracts and receive a 10 percent discount on all bids for catering and restaurant services.
Marliz Copado, UCSF’s Supply Chain Management Anchor Institution Initiative Strategic Sourcing Professional, encouraged Peasant Pies Owner Ali Keshavarz to apply for the designations.
“UCSF’s Anchor Institution Initiative promotes the investment of university procurement dollars with historically disadvantaged populations and with businesses based in the local communities that we service,” Copado said. “When a business has a registered business diversity certification it increases their marketability. The UCSF community will recognize and know they are supporting our mission.”
Ali Keshavarz (photographed above), owner of Peasant Pies, said he first learned of the program from Jen Dowd, UCSF’s associate director of Retail Services in Campus Life Services. “At first, I didn’t think it was all that important and I figured there was a lot of paperwork involved so I put it on the back burner,” he said.
A subsequent conversation with Copado convinced Keshavarz to apply for the designations. “Marliz explained that the City/County of San Francisco Contract Monitoring Division and UCSF are trying to advance all small businesses by way of a strategic partnership. She simplified the concept and told me how being certified could benefit my business.”
In UCSF’s Bear Buy portal, users will notice Peasant Pie’s diverse designation when ordering catering through America to Go for UCSF events. Additionally, a new user experience was implemented by Supply Chain Management where purchasers and requestors can track their spend on the homepage. Details are available at Supply Chain Management.
While getting certified is an involved process, Keshavarz said Copado’s help made it easier. “I had to provide a lot of information,” he said. “They look at everything in your business to determine if you are eligible. I really appreciate the help and guidance Marliz provided.”
Peasant Pies, with a restaurant on the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Campus, has become the first on-site UCSF retailer to earn two small business designations from the City and County of San Francisco.
