Japu

Japu restaurant, located in downtown Lawrence's historic Duck Mills building, is owned and operated by the mother-daughter team Nieves Torribio and Delania Acosta and with brother/son Arturo Acosto as the head chef who brings extensive experience in the restaurant industry. Japu brings Lawrence, MA a unique fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine with all original recipes.

Nieves and Delania worked with Mill Cities Community Investments’ (MCCI) staff to develop a business plan and financial projections for the restaurant before they opened Japu. With a business plan and savings, they qualified for a $50,000 community loan through the Lawrence Venture Fund to open Japu’s doors in 2018, employing nine full-time employees. Japu’s owners continued to benefit from MCCI’s programs, graduating from Bookkeeping, QuickBooks, and Tax Prep classroom training.

During the height of the pandemic, MCCI provided one-on-one support to help Japu qualify for a $60,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan that helped keep their staff onboard and their doors open.