Kitchen Incubators

Kitchen incubators are another trend that I’m seeing more of in my travels. I saw my first in Athens, OH, which is also the home of the National Association of Business Incubators. I’ve talked with a number of people who are looking at starting similar operations because of the perceived great interest of people in developing their own unique food products.

Late in 2005 the largest food incubator east of the Mississippi River opened in Huntington, WV. Called Mountain Bounty Kitchen, the $2 million, 14,000 sf USDA certified facility will be open 24/7 in order to accommodate all types of businesses. The money to build the incubator was raised from federal, state and local sources.

Kay Kingry was one of the first clients in the incubator. She had been cooking her homemade meat sauce in her kitchen since 1999, distributing it under her brand name Dark Hollow Foods. At Mountain Bounty Kitchen she will be able to produce in one day what takes her three days in her home kitchen, allowing her to expand her sales into larger supermarkets.

Do you have small food companies or aspiring food entrepreneurs that could benefit from a food incubator? If it is too big for you to do in your own town, why not look at this as a regional effort? It could be a great way to build bridges with area towns and change the economy at the same time.