Commonwealth Kitchen and the Economic Justice Project of
the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights have
teamed up to launch a new Food Biz 101 class. The ten-week series
is taught by a dynamic range of industry experts, including pro
bono attorneys from Goodwin, to guide aspiring entrepreneurs
through the complex challenges associated with successfully starting a
food business. Classes tackle issues such as recipe scaling, cost of
goods, labeling regulations, licensing, permitting, PR and marketing, and
entity formation. At the end of the class, participants have the
opportunity to test their recipes in CommonWealth Kitchen’s
fully-equipped commercial kitchens.
“The food industry offers tremendous
opportunities for people of all backgrounds to build great local
businesses, bring street life to a neighborhood, and create jobs with few
barriers to entry.” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal of the Lawyers’
Committee. “They’re powerful economic engines for closing the opportunity
gap in diverse communities across Massachusetts.”
However, food businesses are also
incredibly challenging, particularly for low-income people who often lack
access to capital needed to start and prove their business concept, or
lack access to the business connections needed to scale their
company. That’s where CommonWealth Kitchen comes in. “We
provide fully-equipped kitchens for hourly rental combined with business
and technical support to help aspiring entrepreneurs get off the ground.
However, we find that a lot of the people coming to us with their big
dream have little understanding of the complexities and challenges of
what it takes to be successful. There are a lot of great business
start-up programs available, but none that deal with the specific and
unique challenges of working with food. The Food Biz 101 class is
filling a major gap.” said Jen Faigel from CommonWealth Kitchen. The
inaugural 12-person class included an extremely diverse mix of
participants, including 60% women and 90% people of color.
Food Biz 101 culminates in a pitch
competition where participants have the opportunity to share their
business ideas with industry experts. The winner from the inaugural
class, Teresa Maynard, plans to launch Sweet Teez Bakery with her cousin,
Keata Hamilton, later this year. Teresa and Keata grew up in Dorchester’s
Codman Square area where they are now raising their own children. Growing
up with food allergies and now raising kids with similar allergies, the
entrepreneurs realized a simple peanut can make the search for a good
cupcake near impossible. Tired of constantly traveling outside of their
community to purchase cupcakes and still having to worry about the
ingredients, the entrepreneurs have set out to produce delicious, high
quality baked goods that will be sold in their Dorchester neighborhood.
Sweet Teez Bakery will start by
launching their catering business out of Commonwealth Kitchen’s food
incubator as they establish a client base, scale recipes and build
financial and inventory management systems. Their goal is to demonstrate
demand and strong business management experience so that they can raise
the capital needed to eventually move into their own retail café space in
Codman Square. Although the Codman Square area has heavy foot traffic,
there are no full-service bakeries or cafes. Sweet Teez hopes to fill
this gap, and find financing to open a retail location within the next
year.
Las Carolinas, a venture
started by Venezuelan immigrants Carolina Salinas and Carolina Garcia,
came in a close second place in the pitch competition with their
delicious arepas, a savory filled corn cake. Currently selling their
product at food festivals across Massachusetts, the entrepreneurs hope to
open a retail location in Somerville.
The Lawyers’ Committee and
Commonwealth Kitchen will be partnering again to bring the series to
aspiring food entrepreneurs in February 2017. Spots are already filling
up, so please email FoodBiz101@lawyerscom.org to
apply or learn more about the series.
Contact information:
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights:
Priya Lane, Economic Justice Project Director, (617) 988-0610, Plane@lawyerscom.org
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