As a food service professional, whether that’s a Chef, Restaurant Owner, or even a Retail Manager, you are faced with many challenges such as labor shortages, limited space in the kitchen, product consistency, etc. With the free limited time, you don’t always have the opportunity to find the solutions you are looking for by yourself.
Our team at CIFT has helped bring many solutions to the Food Industry. We’ve noticed that many food service businesses are utilizing shared kitchen facilities such as the Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen (NOCK) in Bowling Green, OH. For a Restaurateur, being part of a shared kitchen community makes the most sense when are trying to focus on product consistency in quality or want to scale up your production on producing your house’s signature sauce.
The NOCK is a signature program of CIFT that allows small food business owners to expand and scale up their recipes. Being a 3rd Party GMP audited 24/7 facility allows you to operate in a clean and state-of-the-art kitchen to help you produce your product on your own time.
The NOCK provides a sense of community where you can benefit from the advice and experience of other small business owners. CIFT also offers food-related educational events/webinars that happen throughout the year at the NOCK. By centralizing production at the NOCK, you don’t have to worry about overhead facility costs, pest control, security, etc.
Menu scale-up and expansion can cost a lot of money. Shared kitchens can provide space to adapt your food service and grow your business. Your time is valuable and being flexible and reacting to changes in your market is important. At CIFT, we are more than just kitchen operators, we can help you answer any food safety or business questions. We have a team of food safety, food science, engineers, and small business professionals that can help you achieve your goals.
With scalability, production, and safety issues under control, entrepreneurs often have the time and flexibility to look at expanding or launching new ways to sell their products. You may find new B2B revenue streams by selling your house sauce in a bottle.
As a Food Service Professional, finding ways to save time and money on your business is important. Finding a team that can help you achieve your business goals goes a long way. If you are looking to grow your business, or are facing any of the issues discussed in this blog, look for one near you, or you can always reach out to us here at CIFT and we are more than happy to help you!
Key highlights of utilizing the NOCK:
Workforce Shortages:
Our team can take the burden off your shoulders. Our NOCK production facility offers multiple ways to automate your processing production, allowing you to produce your product faster and with less staff than before. This equipment and our staff’s ability to train you in its use brings us to the next challenge we commonly help entrepreneurs overcome.
Scaled-Up Production:
Is demand for your delectable dishes skyrocketing? The NOCK provides you with the infrastructure and resources to scale up your production efficiently. Whether you need to use our commercially licensed kitchen to prepare larger orders of your baked goods, or you decide to bottle your house sauce and want to start selling it in grocery stores, the NOCK can help scale up your recipe. You can ensure that your signature dishes taste just as amazing wherever you are serving them, whether served in Toledo, Maumee, Findlay, or anywhere in between.
New Menu Options:
Having limited space in the kitchen can be challenging when you are trying to expand your menu options. The NOCK provides space to adapt your food service and grow your business.
New Revenue Streams:
Collaboration is key, especially in the small business world. By joining NOCK, you’ll have access to a vibrant community of fellow food entrepreneurs. This can open up exciting opportunities for B2B collaborations.
We Can Help You:
Our small business team brings more than just equipment and a facility. Our team boasts a robust entrepreneurial background, having successfully run small food businesses themselves, as well as a passion that only decades of helping launch successful companies can bring.
