Kitchen Incubator
Encyclopedia
A kitchen incubator is a business incubator
dedicated to early-stage catering
, retail
and wholesale
food businesses. Kitchen incubators are mostly found in those countries with significant levels of food safety
regulation where capital investment in commercial kitchen
equipment can be prohibitive for a new business. By covering the capital cost of shared kitchen facilities which are lent on a timeslot basis to incubatees, the kitchen incubator enables a business to develop to the stage where it can invest in its own kitchen facilities.
Kitchen incubators share the wider business ideals operated within business incubators and will usually assist their tenants with business planning
, access to finance
, mentoring, and other business facilities.
Throughout the past decade over 50 “kitchen incubators” have opened across the country and many more are in the planning stages. By mitigating start-up costs and providing a nurturing environment, business incubators have successfully graduated over 87% of their firms and kept an astounding 84% of these thriving businesses within their local communities for years after graduation (The National Business Incubation Association).
The culinary business incubator, often referred to as a “shared-use commercial kitchen”, has taken a time-tested successful concept and swapped out office space for kitchens. They have opened to much acclaim, nurtured successful businesses and been embraced by their communities.
Kitchen Incubator, "A Center for Culinary Entrepreneurship"TM provides a comprehensive overview of the industry, advisory services on launching incubator kitchens, and a database of relevant industry press, along with sharing the story of a kitchen incubator from start-up to maturity on their blog.
The concept relies on the fact that FDA and state regulation prohibit the sale of food that is not produced in a licensed facility. Culinary start-ups are unlikely to receive venture capital or bank financing, as profit margins are too slim and volatile for such a highly competitive market. Food products must be tested and tweaked over time before they are economically viable. Even once proven viable, the entrepreneur must navigate a complex network of regulation, packaging and distribution before running a profitable enterprise. This entrepreneur often lacks a business background and an understanding of what is involved in the start-up process.
A study of individual demand for kitchen rentals reveals that start-up costs and licensing complications are the two main deterrents to opening a private kitchen. Availability and reliability are listed as the two major deterrents for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Kitchen incubators are likely to be used by the following end-users:
These businesses include caterers, personal chefs, bakers, street venders, cake decorators and producers of specialty food items such as condiments and candies
(from the Knol
"Kitchen Incubators").
Kitchen Incubators - Regional:
Business incubator
Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts...
dedicated to early-stage catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
, retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
food businesses. Kitchen incubators are mostly found in those countries with significant levels of food safety
Food safety
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
regulation where capital investment in commercial kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
equipment can be prohibitive for a new business. By covering the capital cost of shared kitchen facilities which are lent on a timeslot basis to incubatees, the kitchen incubator enables a business to develop to the stage where it can invest in its own kitchen facilities.
Kitchen incubators share the wider business ideals operated within business incubators and will usually assist their tenants with business planning
Business plan
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
, access to finance
Access to finance
Access to finance refers to the possibility that individuals or enterprises can access financial services, including credit, deposit, payment, insurance, and other risk management services...
, mentoring, and other business facilities.
Throughout the past decade over 50 “kitchen incubators” have opened across the country and many more are in the planning stages. By mitigating start-up costs and providing a nurturing environment, business incubators have successfully graduated over 87% of their firms and kept an astounding 84% of these thriving businesses within their local communities for years after graduation (The National Business Incubation Association).
The culinary business incubator, often referred to as a “shared-use commercial kitchen”, has taken a time-tested successful concept and swapped out office space for kitchens. They have opened to much acclaim, nurtured successful businesses and been embraced by their communities.
Kitchen Incubator, "A Center for Culinary Entrepreneurship"TM provides a comprehensive overview of the industry, advisory services on launching incubator kitchens, and a database of relevant industry press, along with sharing the story of a kitchen incubator from start-up to maturity on their blog.
The concept relies on the fact that FDA and state regulation prohibit the sale of food that is not produced in a licensed facility. Culinary start-ups are unlikely to receive venture capital or bank financing, as profit margins are too slim and volatile for such a highly competitive market. Food products must be tested and tweaked over time before they are economically viable. Even once proven viable, the entrepreneur must navigate a complex network of regulation, packaging and distribution before running a profitable enterprise. This entrepreneur often lacks a business background and an understanding of what is involved in the start-up process.
A study of individual demand for kitchen rentals reveals that start-up costs and licensing complications are the two main deterrents to opening a private kitchen. Availability and reliability are listed as the two major deterrents for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Kitchen incubators are likely to be used by the following end-users:
- Start-up food businesses in need of their first facility
- Home-based businesses that wish to legalize and grow their operation
- Established businesses relying on one-off or difficult situation kitchen rentals
- Established businesses looking to grow or reach a new market
These businesses include caterers, personal chefs, bakers, street venders, cake decorators and producers of specialty food items such as condiments and candies
(from the Knol
Knol
Knol is a Google project that aims to include user-written articles on a range of topics. The project was led by Udi Manber of Google, announced December 13, 2007, and was opened in beta to the public on July 23, 2008 with a few hundred articles mostly in the health and medical field.Knol has no...
"Kitchen Incubators").
External links
Kitchen Incubator Databases:Kitchen Incubators - Regional:
- HBK Incubates: New York, NY, USA
- Chef's Kitchens: Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Kitchen Incubator: Houston, Tx, USA
- ACEnet Food Center: Ohio, USA
- Western Mass Food Center: Greenfield, MA, USA
- The Starting Block: Hart, MI, USA
- La Cocina: San Francisco, CA, USA
- Food Centre Wales: Horeb, WALES
- Toronto Food Business Incubator: Toronto, ON, Canada
- Chefs Center: Pasadena, CA, USA
- Elixir Kitchen Space: Fort Worth, TX, USA