Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 08/09/2018

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Another of the interview questions asked the contacts to support either a for - profit or non-profit incubator model. Overwhelmingly, the incubators spoke in favor of a for -profit model, citing the inability of a non-profit incubator to effectively grow and innovate. Finally, the incubators were asked about their total capacity, and responses cited an average of approximately 5 to 12 different tenants at one time. Local culinary schools One of the key questions our group hoped to address was whether there was a pre-existing supply of individuals with the technical skills necessary to operate a start-up incubator or specific features the incubator would need to achieve short- and long-term success. In attempting to garner responses from individuals affiliated with or who have graduated from local culinary schools, we asked the following questions, and received the attached answers: • If you could run your own incubator kitchen space, what sort of features would you want in it? o Cooler space, table space, ovens, griddle, grill, and dishwashing area, both manual and automatic dishwasher • What do you think is the most challenging part of running a start-up? o Arriving at a menu or list of products you plan to offer, then of course staffing. Overall, we would need more information from culinary school affiliates to proceed with this part of the labor analysis. However, it was helpful to receive feedback regarding necessary equipment and space, as our group did not possess the background to have this information. Co -packagers Co -packagers are defined as companies that handle the packaging of previously produced food, so the food producers may focus on actual production. While co - packagers were not contacted for the purpose of this study, a list of co -packagers in Greater Minnesota was compiled. The advantages of co -packagers lie in their specialized equipment for the purpose of packing food. Since they do not focus on producing the food, they are experts in their field and may be the cheapest option for a start-up kitchen incubator seeking to diminish costs as much as possible. Further, co -packagers are able to quickly respond to the needs of the food producer, especially if they are local to the incubator. In keeping with the idea of diminishing costs, co -packagers may bulk products for shipping and can offer a flat rate to incubators for their services. Co -packagers do have notable disadvantages, especially to start-up kitchen incubators. The flat rate associated with the packing of food may be too expensive for a 14