40. Community Need The need for this became apparent during the pandemic. Faced with the loss of income and economic stability due to layoffs due to the pandemic, hundreds of individuals started home-based food businesses and have found success. They are now looking to grow beyond their homes. As a result of this growth, according to the 2020 Shared-Use Kitchen Industry Report, the number of shared-use kitchens nearly doubled since 2019. The lack of access to space to expand is stifling the growth of these entrepreneurs.

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.

In Dayton, local food entrepreneurs seeking assistance operating their home-based businesses have sought advice and guidance from one of the project founders, Charlynda Scales. As a successful food entrepreneur who has become a national success in her for-profit food business, she has been approached by countless business owners for help and guidance, and access to resources. 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. 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.

The target population for this program is under-resourced food entrepreneurs in the Greater Dayton region.