New incubator kitchen will boost food entrepreneurship in the Sault

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE INNOVATION CENTRE

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The Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN), a division of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, officially unveiled the new RAIN Incubator Kitchen this week at Harvest Algoma.

The unveiling brought together local entrepreneurs, agency partners, funders, and food-sector leaders to celebrate the opening of a fully equipped, health-inspected commercial kitchen designed to accelerate food entrepreneurship in the region.

The RAIN 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.

“Entrepreneurs don’t need significant capital to launch a food business anymore,” said David Thompson, VP of Programming at SSMIC.

“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.”

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 early-stage and expanding businesses.

Several entrepreneurs toured the space during today’s launch, including early users such as The Daily Press.

“Having access to the RAIN Incubator Kitchen gives us room to grow,” said Madelin and Miranda Meyers, 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.”

How Entrepreneurs Get Started

Idea-stage entrepreneurs

• Contact RAIN for support with concept development, product planning, and funding options: [email protected].

Entrepreneurs ready to produce

• Begin onboarding directly through the Incubator Kitchen web page.
• 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 here.

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.

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