Three area businesses are among 20 small businesses that have been awarded more than $275,000 in grants from the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.

La Perla Jarocha Store in Webster City, Woods Super Market in Pocahontas, and Wildcat Distilling Co. in Duncombe were all recipients of grant awards which were announced Thursday.

“Entrepreneurship in rural areas builds sustainable, resilient communities,” said Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Finance Authority. “These grants help businesses continue to turn a profit and grow, while providing good-paying jobs and keeping wealth right at home.”

Woods Super Market was awarded $25,000 which will allow the rural grocery store to utilize electronic shelf tags.

La Perla Jarocha Store was awarded $18,315 which will allow it to add perishable goods, locally sourced produce, and website and online ordering.

Wildcat Distilling Co. was awarded $5,000 which will allow it to add a larger boiler and improved processing room.

Applications for the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative opened in September. Businesses were only eligible if they operated in a community of less than 20,000 people that is not near a city with more than 40,000 people.

This year’s Rural Innovation Grants focused on independently owned grocery stores struggling to upgrade technology or adopt new service delivery models; small food producers, to assist in getting their products into new markets; and second-stage growth companies — those that have been operating for a few years with sales typically more than $1 million — that are looking to sell to markets outside Iowa.

More than 40 Iowa businesses sent in grant applications including 27 rural grocers, nine food producers, and four second-stage growth companies.