FORT COLLINS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Food Corridor, in partnership with Fruition Planning & Management and Purdue University Extension Services, has launched a comprehensive Shared Kitchen Toolkit. Shared Kitchen Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Planning, Launching, and Managing a Shared-Use Commercial Kitchen will assist organizations and businesses in developing and operating shared kitchens and food incubators.
Artisanal food sales are on the rise and the sharing economy continues to surge. The economic potential for consumer packaged foods is great, however scaling can be difficult due to high production costs and the lack of market access. Once a homegrown food startup is ready to grow, where can they turn? Enter the shared-use kitchen: a licensed commercial space that provides a pathway for food entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses, without needing to invest in their own facility during a stage when capital and cash flow are a challenge. These kitchens have been spreading rapidly around the country with new and innovative models to support food entrepreneurship, economic development, and increase local food security.
The Shared Kitchen Toolkit is a free web-based resource that delivers guidance on feasibility and planning for new kitchen projects, as well as management practices for the day-to-day operations of shared-use kitchens. It also provides an overview of emerging kitchen models and highlights opportunities for kitchens to expand their community impact and enhance financial sustainability. The Toolkit is available as a 166-page downloadable PDF via The Food Corridor.
In addition to the three project partners, 16 shared-kitchen professionals and food systems experts contributed to the content. The intended audience includes those seeking to launch a shared kitchen, operators of existing facilities, food entrepreneurs seeking revenue diversification, economic development professionals, food industry consultants, and community kitchen managers seeking additional information and instruction on everything from kitchen storage to kitchen culture.
The Toolkit was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, North Central Region.
The Food Corridor helps shared kitchens manage their time, space, equipment, and clients through a software that was co-created with shared kitchens around North America. They also facilitate the Network for Incubator and Commissary Kitchens (NICK) community.
Fruition Planning & Management is a community development consulting firm that provides insight and builds capacity in mission-driven organizations focused on entrepreneurial ecosystems, food systems, ethical cacao and chocolate, and affordable housing.
Purdue University Extension Local Food Program uses an interdisciplinary approach to local food systems redevelopment for Indiana. They work collaboratively to create programming, provide educational materials, and build a community of scholarship for local food systems issues.
