Help for home cooks with big dreams
Commercial kitchens let food startups package and test products
Ever dream of bottling and selling Nonna’s secret tomato sauce? Or is your dream to create the next new hot sauce?
Many passionate home cooks have big hopes of taking their products to market, but most are unsure how to begin.
After launching and running a company that makes beer-inspired mustards, BRÜ Mustard, I found it is difficult to find a company that will test and package your food product at an accessible price.
Although the process can be long — it took me almost two years from idea to the final product — seeing my goods on store shelves is rewarding. And there are passionate people in Toronto’s food industry who can help you along the way.
One of the biggest hurdles is finding a place you can afford to package your product, and, no, your home kitchen won’t work. One of the main reasons is liability. If you1 are making food in a kitchen that hasn’t been inspected by the city, then you are unable to get liability insurance. Which then exposes you to personal liability if someone should get sick or have an allergic reaction. (More information at inspection.gc.ca)
Most large food companies either have their own packaging facility or do enough business to warrant paying a private copacker (a company that packages and labels your product). But this is not usually feasible for small start-ups.
I had some co-packers quote me up to $10,000 per SKU to package and label my bottles. A SKU refers to the number code on your product, making it trackable and unique. Some copackers may not even take you on as a client because of allergens in your product or packaging that isn’t compatible with their equipment.
But there is hope. Here are some more affordable options in the GTA if you are planning to take the plunge.
One of the better-known commercial kitchens in the city is called District Venture Kitchens (DVK). This food incubator had a past life as a governmentbacked facility called Food Starter. Its doors closed in 2018 when the funding ceased, but new money and some star power through Arlene Dickinson have given it new breath.
DVK allows budding entrepreneurs to test the market without having to sell the farm. Products can be made in small batches and at a fraction of the cost of co-packing companies. The space has been rebranded and reopened under the guidance and hard work of Janice Bartley and Tammy Geniole.
COVID-19 has created some production backlog, but if you are looking to eventually sell to large grocery retailers, this is one of the few places that has the certifications needed to supply the larger chains. More info can be found at districtventures.ca
Christine Manning of Manning Canning has been helping food entrepreneurs realize their dreams for six years. Her commercial kitchen has answered the needs of companies ranging from food trucks, caterers and bakers to hot sauce and chocolate makers.
There are three rentable spaces: a main kitchen, a prep station and a steam kitchen. The steam kitchen is where canning takes place, both for her customers and also for her namesake pickles, condiments and shrubs, which can be found at stores throughout the GTA.
One of the advantages of using this East York space is getting access to Manning’s great knowledge base. She has successfully taken the journey of bringing food products to market and is a wealth of information. More info can be found at manningcanning.com
Another location is Kitchen 24. The brainchild of Steve Kidron and Alexandra Peltz, they opened their doors in January 2018 when they realized the need for affordable kitchen space.
“Our goal was to provide opportunities to food start-ups and companies looking to accelerate their existing food business by providing an economical solution to a licensed, fully equipped kitchen facility,” Peltz said.
It is a place that brings the food community together, and where the owners give back to the community. This past Thanksgiving, Kitchen 24 collaborated with 20 Black female chefs (@blacq_north) to offer more than 2,000 meals to shelters and communities in need.
Space can be booked after an initial visit, and potential customers need to provide a food handler certificate (foodsafetytraining.ca) and liability insurance. Site visits can be booked through their website at kitchen24.ca
If you’re looking for a smaller space to package simple items that don’t need large machinery, there are other options. Vanessa Yeung at Aphrodite Cooks and Len Senater of the Depanneur rent out their spaces to those who need a kitchen registered with the City of Toronto.
Both companies give access to ovens and prep space, but you’ll still need to have a food handler’s certificate and liability insurance. You can learn more about these spaces at aproditecooks.com and thedepanneur.ca
Willing to drive a little? There is a very well-regarded food production facility located in Cobourg in Northhumberland County. The Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre (OAFVC) is set up with everything you need for
There are passionate people in Toronto’s food industry who can help you along the way
packaged food goods and is considered one of the best options if you are planning to sell to large grocery retailers.
“The OAFVC is the only municipally funded food processing unit in Ontario,” the centre’s Neil Horner explained. “In essence, we are a facility built to allow clients to scale up to supply bigger customers and progress into retailers.”
If you can spend a bit more money, there are private copackers that will package and label your products at a higher cost. One such company is KD Canners, which will do smaller runs. This prevents your initial investment from being overwhelming. It also allows you to test your product without having to produce 10,000 units, which is what many companies ask. More information at kdcanners.com
I’ve found that the food in the package is only a small percentage of the success of your business. Do a lot of research and try to take gradual steps, rather than diving in headfirst.
Consider costs such as registering your business, labels, graphics (your logo needs to stand out on the shelf ), ingredients, packaging, production, delivery, insurance and website hosting.
Finally, there’s the concept of having to “pay to play,” which means once you are big enough for a large retailer, they will take a percentage of profits in return for displaying your product on their shelves.
The biggest expense is time, which is free, but you need to be cognizant of time spent versus money earned.
Commercial kitchens and incubators are an excellent way to buy yourself time and save money while working out the kinks and building a customer base. They have been instrumental in the success stories of some of Toronto’s most popular food brands.
And they may be the beginning of your dreams coming true.