A nonprofit in downtown Dayton seeks to provide an accessible space for startups looking to expand their home-based food business. The project follows high demand following the startup influx during the pandemic.
OH Taste Foundation is seeking funding to support the next phase of The 6888 Kitchen Incubator Project. 6888, pronounced “six triple eight,” is a food business incubator dedicated to providing training, business support resources and commercial kitchen space for under-resourced food entrepreneurs developing businesses.
In 2022, the nonprofit launched its Sharpen the Axe Program, a comprehensive financial literacy and business coaching course for food businesses. To date, they have supported over 30 under-resourced food entrepreneurs through this program and have provided a pathway to economic security for minority and underserved populations.
Their next phase centers around the design, build-out and full operation of a commercial kitchen and storage space. The phase also includes advanced mentoring, and facilitation of business support—such as ingredient sourcing, marketing and distribution, access to capital services.
Dabriah Rice, executive kitchen manager for the OH Taste Foundation, said the need for their services became apparent during the pandemic. Faced with the loss of income and economic stability due to pandemic-related layoffs, hundreds of individuals started home-based food businesses and have found success and are now looking to grow beyond their homes.
With the food section of the startup ecosystem growing exponentially over the last few years, the number of shared-use kitchens nearly doubled since 2019, according to the 2020 Shared-Use Kitchen Industry Report.
“The lack of access to space to expand is stifling the growth of these entrepreneurs,” Rice said. “Further, these same business owners need training to operate and scale their businesses and access funding properly. The population served is under-resourced food entrepreneurs, often people of color and women.”
A 2016 survey of kitchen incubators by the American Communities Trust found that 53% of kitchen renters are women and 28% are minorities. Most of these businesses are small – to mid-size.
“Many food vendors have shared that they are stuck between closing their doors or scaling back their business because of overhead and need more resources,” Rice said. “This project is designed to address those needs as defined by these owners.”
The businesses served by this project will benefit from business development and kitchen operations training, access to a full-service kitchen incubator for use, and access to mentorship and other business support.
“On both a personal and professional level, I could not be more supportive of the vision and mission of the 6888 Kitchen Incubator. Today, the EC supports more than 600 small businesses across the Region, many of which are food and hospitality entrepreneurs. The 6888 Kitchen Incubator will fill a critical gap in the ecosystem and will synergize perfectly with our efforts to assist regional entrepreneurs.” Said Scott Koorndyk, president of the Entrepreneurs’ Center, in a letter of support.
OH Taste Foundation is applying to fund $4.1 million of the $8.9 million project through PDAC. Funding would be used for construction or capital. PDAC, which is staffed by the Dayton Development Coalition, allows the community to set priorities when seeking funding from state and federal sources.
“This funding will expand 6888's capacity to serve 50+ entrepreneurs annually. The additional resources will empower even more Daytonians to achieve their dreams of business ownership. The result is job creation, neighborhood revitalization, and a vibrant local food economy,” said Jeffrey Mims, mayor of the City of Dayton, in a letter of support.
Other sources of funding totaling $4.4 million have already been acquired for the site from entities like the City of Dayton, Fifth Third Bank, Montgomery County and Federal Earmark. An additional $350,000 is currently pending.
The PDAC process currently is in the public comment phase until Nov. 15. The process allows community members to evaluate projects and establish a list of regional priorities. All submissions are evaluated by one of five review panels, which submit their recommendations to the full committee for final consideration.
If granted its requested funding, the nonprofit anticipates utilizing its $4.1 million allotment immediately. The project would create up to 50 new jobs paying between $50,000 and $75,000 annually while sustaining 50 permanent jobs.
