The doors to the Food Hub will open next month, but registration to actually use the space on Marsh Drive in West Quesnel opened on Monday.
Amy Reid is the Manager of Economic Development and Tourism with the City.
Here, she describes how food processors can benefit from the Food Hub…
“The Food Hub is for food processors or food entrepreneurs who are wanting to move along the continuum of their food business. So if they are currently doing small batches and maybe selling to family and friends or selling at the Farmer’s Market, going into the Food Hub, they’d be able to expand their food processing, expand their capacity, have access to equipment that might be too expensive to purchase on their own”
Reid says they have had a lot of interest so far.
“We’ve heard back from a number of food processors in the region and have quite a few who are committed to signing up, so we’re expecting to have quite a few in there as soon as we’re open and ready to go with Hixon Falls Cracker Company being our anchor tenant in the space.”
Reid says they have also run some Zoom sessions that have been quite popular.
She says a virtual tour is available and actual tours are also available for food processors who are interested.
Unfortunately, with COVID, there are no tours for the general public at this time.
The space is 27-hundred square feet and the idea is that it will eventually serve the region and not just Quesnel.
More information can be found at www.sproutkitchen.ca
Quesnel City Council approved an operating agreement and sub-lease agreement between the City and Sprout Kitchen Society to run the food hub at last week’s meeting.
The Provincial Government provided 500 thousand dollars in funding for a Food Hub in July of 2019, and the Northern Development Initiative Trust has also providing funding for a lot of the equipment that was needed.
