In Skowhegan, momentum builds for shared commercial kitchen, business incubator
RENDERING / COURTESY MAIN STREET SKOWHEGAN
Main Street Skowhegan has raised nearly $900,000 toward its project to buy a building and retrofit it for a shared community kitchen and business incubator.
Main Street Skowhegan, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing the Somerset County town, was awarded $500,000 from the Northern Border Regional Commission's Catalyst Program toward its goal to create a shared commercial kitchen and food business incubator.
That’s on top of $394,000 previously raised, including a $195,000 grant from Maine Technology Institute, a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile and a $99,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It’s been a project in the works a while now, but we’re starting to get more momentum,” Patric Moore, Main Street Skowhegan's director for entrepreneurship, told Mainebiz.
The total project cost for the facility, called Kitchen at 185, is estimated at around $3 million.
The fundraiser was launched in 2023.
Moore said that, in addition to grants, other funding opportunities could include philanthropists and the business community.
Low-barrier entry
The initial step will be to purchase a vacant building at 185 Water St. in the downtown area.
The facility is being planned to offer low-barrier-to-entry production space and to expand value-add and retail opportunities for niche local food producers, aspiring culinary entrepreneurs and farmers who are creating “unique” quality products.
Also envisioned are opportunities for culinary students at Kennebec Valley Community College and regional career and technical education programs, a kitchen incubator program that offers support and business basics to make food startups financially sustainable, community programming for residents and visitors, co-packing to add value to surplus farm products and job training to support career pathways in the food industry.
Community input
The idea began to percolate several years ago through conversations in the community, said Moore.
Through his work with Main Street Skowhegan, he said, “I quickly came to learn how strong Skowhegan’s local food economy truly is, with niche local food producers and farmers in the area that are creating unique quality products.”
But there was more work to be done, especially in supporting aspiring food industry entrepreneurs, he said.
“We believe that providing access to a shared-use commercial kitchen along with ongoing business development and support services will aid in significantly reducing the upfront startup costs and risk associated with starting a food business and look forward to strengthening both the local, regional, and state food economies,” he said.
The project comes amid the town’s growing food and agriculture sector, with businesses that include a gristmill called Maine Grains and its pub, called the Biergarten, which is scheduled to open in July; the Bankery & Skowhegan Fleuriste, an artisan bakery, cake shop and florist; and an artisanal cheesemaker called Crooked Face Creamery.
Build-out
Main Street Skowhegan is working toward purchasing the property.
“We’ve close the funding gap for the purchase, so we’re hoping to move forward with that in the next few months,” said Moore. “And we’re reviewing proposals for architectural services.”
The $3 million will go toward the property purchase, construction and equipment.
The 6,000-square-foot single-floor building is basically an empty shell that’s ready to retrofit for a shared kitchen, a co-packing room and a flexible event space, said Moore. One goal is to have several spaces out front for food trucks.
It could be a couple of years yet before the facility opens, More said. In the meantime, he's in conversation with a local church to use its commercial kitchen as a space for entrepreneurs to start producing.
In August, the nonprofit plans to launch a 10-week program called the food entrepreneurship pipeline, which will include support for early-stage food entrepreneurs.
Plans for the facility are on trend with economic development activity in Skowhegan, where recent development include New Balance footwear and apparel maker finishing its $75 million new facility, bringing 200 jobs, paper-maker Sappi undergoing a $425 million upgrade to a paper machine, redevelopment of a former manufacturing facility now called the Spinning Mill and construction of a new elementary school and early childhood wing.
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