Incubator Kitchen at Harvest Algoma to ease entrepreneurship

Article content

Rural Agri-Innovation Network, a division of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, unveiled its new RAIN Incubator Kitchen at a launch and networking event hosted at Harvest Algoma.

Article content

The event early last week brought together local entrepreneurs, agency partners, funders, and food-sector leaders to celebrate the opening of a fully equipped, healthinspected commercial kitchen designed to accelerate food entrepreneurship in the region, says a media release from RAIN. The Incubator Kitchen provides producers, processors, caterers, bakers, and other food innovators with commercial-grade space and equipment needed to develop products, scale production, and enter new markets.

Article content

Recommended Videos

Article content

“Entrepreneurs don’t need significant capital to launch a food business anymore,” David Thompson, vice-president of programming at the Innovation Centre, says in the release. “This facility gives them a compliant, professional space so they can get out of their home kitchens. It removes one of the major barriers that has held local food businesses back.”

Article content

The facility features a blast freezer, commercial and convection ovens, steam kettle, tilt skillet, dehydrator, vacuum sealer, proofer, heat sealer, mixers, slicers, and dedicated prep space.

Flexible rental options and advisory services through the Innovation Centre support both earlystage and expanding businesses. Several entrepreneurs toured the space during the launch, including early users such as The Daily Press.

“Having access to the RAIN Incubator Kitchen gives us room to grow,” Madelin and Miranda Meyers say in the release. They are partners at The Daily Press. “We can now produce our fresh pressed organic juices in a professional space and begin expanding into smoothies and smoothie bowls. This kitchen removes the barriers we faced at home and opens the door for us to scale.”

Article content

How Entrepreneurs Get Started

1. Idea-stage entrepreneurs: Contact RAIN for support with concept development, product planning, and funding options: [email protected]
2. Entrepreneurs ready to produce: Begin onboarding directly through the Incubator Kitchen webpage. After submitting the required documentation and selecting a rental plan, users will complete a mandatory orientation covering safety, sanitation, and equipment use.

Start the onboarding process via tinyurl.com/2p9tab65

Before proceeding, all users are encouraged to speak with a public health inspector at 705-759-5286 to confirm requirements for their specific food product and process. A formal inspection will be scheduled once the business is ready for production.

Media release

Article content