Fork Food Lab (website, facebook, instagram) has closed on the purchase of a building, enabling them to now move forward with their project to establish a shared commercial kitchen/business incubator in Portland. The 5,700 sq ft building is located at 72 Parris Street in West Bayside. Founders Neil Spillane and Eric Holstein are hoping to move quickly on fitting out the space and hold a soft opening this August.
Fork provides the equipment, serves as a business mentor, runs catering, and distributes the product, leaving the food entrepreneur to focus on what they do best: creating delicious, innovative food. Did we mention there will be a tasting room on-site to test your creations on the public?
Since last May 30 businesses have signed letters of intent with the food lab ranging from bakeries to packaged food producers to food trucks and carts. Spillane and Holstein hope to market the space to prospective restaurateurs who would use the kitchen and tasting room to test out restaurant concepts with the general public (think week-long pop-up).
Funding for Fork has come from CEI, the Bangor Savings Bank, the Small Business Administration and private investors.
If you’re interested in learning about using the food lab for a project of your own email Spillane and Holstein at info@forkfood.com.
Fork Food Lab is modeled after the highly successful Union Kitchen DC. Fork will provide an essential service to entrepreneurs who are starting food businesses. This is not just a commercial kitchen, but rather a full service operation which teaches the entire food supply chain to its clients, from sourcing ingredients, to production and distribution. Fork will also provide mentoring in a wide range of support services from legal to product branding and marketing. And best of all, the monthly membership fee is very affordable and a terrific value for the services provided.
Dave Bourke
dbConsulting
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dbConsulting