Kitchen Incubators

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Kitchen Incubators Community Shared KitchensA
Possibility for Australias Regional Economic
Development

• Julian Webb

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Kitchen Incubators

• Key Features
• Rental of fully equipped kitchens on an hourly
  basis
• Technical assistance converting the stove top
  recipe to commercial utility
• Food Health Safety Assistance
• Specialised assistance to access niche food
  markets - a key to success

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Kitchen Incubators

• Target Market
• People who have experimented at home or on the
  farm, but want to see if the venture is viable
  before investing in the development of their own
  infrastructure
• When they graduate then they know the business is
  working and are prepared to make the investment

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Kitchen Incubators

• Clients
• Food Manufacturers/processors
• Caterers
• Established operations (small and corporate)
  wanting to use a test kitchen

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Kitchen Incubators

• Policy Drivers
• Barriers to entry to the industry
• The cost of a commercial kitchen
• Specialised technical and marketing skills
• Food health authorities - not wanting commercial
  food preparation at home
• Agricultural re-structuring and farm
  diversification - helps keep families on the land

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Kitchen Incubators

• Other Comments
• Can be expensive to establish, especially where
  constructing from scratch
• The best example in the USA (Denver) is linked to
  a general purpose incubator
• A new model for Australia, but is is fast
  becoming a proven model in the USA.

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Kitchen Incubators

• Work best when integrated with other related
  activities, e.g.
• General incubators
• TAFE colleges
• Regional product showcasing
• Regional tourism
• Regional branding
• E.g. Food Barossa
• Export marketing initiatives
• E.g. Supermarket to Asia

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Community Kitchens

• A newer variant especially for small rural
  communities
• Shared kitchen
• Lower level technical and marketing assistance
• No graduation