Construction began this month on The Kitchen at Findlay Market, an 8,000-square-foot incubator kitchen that will help launch and grow food-related businesses in Cincinnati.
The $2.7 million project will provide local food entrepreneurs with commercial-grade food preparation equipment and storage space that meets health department regulations—the main barrier to small operators. Although similar kitchens are run by nonprofits and for-profits throughout the U.S., this one will be the first of its kind in Cincinnati.
To buy, renovate, and equip the property, the Corporation for Findlay Market borrowed $980,000 from IFF through a loan made with the Cincinnati Development Fund under the Midwest Nonprofit Lenders Alliance. Food entrepreneurs will rent space each month in one of the five industrial kitchens inside the hub.
Findlay Market is home to two dozen permanent food vendors year-round and a farmers market on weekends from April to November. The market drew over 1 million visitors in 2013.