Low-tech business incubators such as this can stimulate the economy of a low growth area, provide primary or secondary income, and even provide a general source of hope through vitality. It’s important to help micro producers become knowledgeable about the pertinent regs to eliminate a source of failure on the rather difficult path of creating a food business. I hope that the intro education reveals that a sustainable business is based on much more than a recipe.

Well, they already have an established track record of success, which is why they are planning on expanding. It will be interesting to follow the progress of this and similar endeavors.

There are a lot of commercial kitchens here for small batch makers. Even so, they're oversubscribed and people are leaping to grab time slots in the middle of the night, because many can't even get in the door. There is no way that most kitchens at small (as in not "mega") religious institutions could be kept licensed for commercial food service, but your idea about utilizing space off hours in places like public schools, which are probably already in compliance is great! The issue would be how to make it so that the off hours use didn't interfere with the primary purpose. I know there are restaurants that rent out their kitchens for similar uses, as well.

The idea of a coop is also great. I've taken the local online overview and testing here, though never had to get a place certified. It's pretty straightforward.

Lpink, we just finished an addition on the library I retired from. I put a small commercial kitchen in our community room for just those reasons. It will be rented out for a nominal amount to cover permits, wear and tear and cleaning. The only available places are at least 25 miles away and the closest one charges an enormous amount and is, apparently, "a pit".

In Idaho you can make jellies, jams, etc, and some baked goods at home, but anything with meat or vegies must be processed in an inspected kitchen. I'll be doing some food preservation classes, local chefs are going to have cooking classes. A restaurant wants to use it to prep for Taco Tuesday because his kitchen is too small and we're doing a Chopped Challenge next month (I get to be a judge). They just wrote a grant for a big canner, freeze dryer, kitchen aid mixer and basics to outfit it. Fingers crossed!

I like this idea!

Hi to one of my favorite librarians!!

Yeah, John L and I were just discussing this a couple of weeks ago. My father and I are involved as philanthropists with the local library in the home town of my late mother, and they are creating a "maker's space" out of one of their storage spaces. Not sure that it is going to be for foods though. I don't think so. That's why this "Can Do" space in Kalamazoo MI so interested me. They just got a grant to expand and are fundraising for the remainder. I think they are expanding into other types of "making" and maybe the one in my Mom's home town could expand into it.

As for church's having commercial kitchens, some do in my small home town, because they serve meals to the poor. More could potentially do it but it would be difficult for them to do given their reduced funds and memberships. They are banding together as it is to do the feeding, all at one central church. Our senior center has one sitting unused, the local youth center just built one but has no staff to manage it, and the community college where I worked had one that was only used some of the time for classes. So they are out there and they could be maintained, but it would take time, funds and people to manage it. Many grange halls used to maintain them, so that farmers could can and sell their goods. Not so much now, farming is dying out, at least on a small scale. Things could change though . . . who knows.