Food incubator could fire up Rocky’s food scene
Published on 15 March 2019
An exciting opportunity could be on the horizon for foodies, chefs and entrepreneurs as Council explores the viability of establishing a collaborative food incubator in Rockhampton.
Food incubators are commercial kitchens that provide businesses and individuals a low cost way to trial new products and culinary business ideas.
Council has this week launched a survey to gauge the level of interest in opening a commercial kitchen where local operators could use the facility to test recipes and even prepare products for export.
Council’s Advance Rockhampton Senior Executive Trade and Investment Officer, Young Beamish, is encouraging anyone who would benefit from the facility to complete the survey.
“There are currently no public commercial-grade food processing hub between Brisbane and Cairns, so I see this as an opportunity for Council to encourage small business growth in a collaborative and affordable environment,” Ms Beamish said.
“Our ideal market would be agriculture businesses looking to try something different with their produce, start-ups who want to test a new food idea and existing small business who need better facilities in order to scale up.
“There is so much potential for us to diversify our agriculture industry and with easy access to fresh produce and transport links, we really are in a prime position for people to develop Rockhampton’s foodie culture.
“What we want to find out through the survey is what people would use the commercial kitchen for - whether it be food preparation, experimenting or packaging -, what equipment is required and how frequently people would use it.
“We would also run food business workshops to assist the people using the kitchen to learn more about regulatory requirements, marketing, distribution, logistics and exporting.”
If there is high demand for the facility, Council would look to seek funding from state or federal government grants to establish the commercial kitchen.
Visit www.advancerockhampton.com.au to complete the survey or click here.