Type of Co-op: Producer
Need it’s Serving/ It’s Goals: Provide food entrepreneurs with access to a high-end, state-of-the-art kitchen for the purpose of mass production. Also provides the proper certifications to sell food products, which consumer-focused members can purchase at a reduced rate or free via dividends.
Who Should Join: Food Entrepreneurs (caterers, chefs, bakers). Anybody who is looking to produce their food products on a greater scale than their kitchen at home. whether you’re starting a business, or growing a business, a commercial kitchen is an avenue to keep costs low.
Benefits for Members:
- Access to commercial kitchen for mass production
- Dividends
- Purchase fellow members products at reduced rates
- Bulk purchasing of raw food products
- Collaboration through local catering events, etc.
- Lowers barrier to entry
- Access to shared knowledge and resources
Membership Fee: $50
Origin: Tired of the seemingly endless hours of working in a kitchen and managing somebody else’s restaurant, Matt began thinking about going into business on his own. This same thought goes through just about every cook’s mind at some point during his or her career. Most never take that leap of faith on their own because of the risk involved.
After years of working in restaurants, Matt also realized that he didn’t necessarily want to open up his own restaurant. The headaches of annoying customers, long hours, and employees who mysteriously are sick every Saturday morning just aren’t worth it. Starting a catering business or a local food product line is all Matt really wants to do, and opening a community kitchen would allow him to do that as well as give others the same opportunity.
We have all heard about the high failure rate of restaurants and food related businesses but by utilizing a community kitchen, food entrepreneurs are able to start their food related venture with far less risk. Risk is minimized by allowing users to just rent out the kitchen by the hour rather than having to sign a lease to have their own kitchen and invest capital in equipment. In this environment, users can afford to make mistakes without huge consequences. This allows users to experiment while they grow their business and learn what works best for them.