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About Us
About Us
Flint Food Works is a unique venture in Genesee County with the goal of providing a facility for food-based businesses to establish a product, perfect their recipe, and develop a business model that will help them grow. As a shared use kitchen our mission is to help entrepreneurs get off the ground floor and literally take a product from the field to the market.
The Kitchens
The Kitchens
We provide low-cost, low-risk, full-service kitchens for local businesses to grow and establish their operations. We eliminate the need for small businesses to take on debt, purchase expensive equipment, sign a long-term lease, or take many of the other risks that business owners have come to expect as the norm for starting a business. Flint Food Works offers you the perfect opportunity to take the first step towards creating a culture of prosperity in a city once known for being the cradle of the blue-collar work ethic.
The Location
The Location
The Flint Food Works is located in the Flint Farmers' Market. The large public market facility is open year-round and located right in the heart of downtown Flint. The Market houses more than 50 permanent vendors in the main market building and an additional 20+ vendors in the outdoor pavilion during the growing season. The Market has become a hub of entrepreneurial spirit for Flint since reopening in its new location in June of 2014.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide culinary entrepreneurs with all the tools necessary to develop and successfully market specialty food products, thereby creating jobs and positively impacting the economic development of Flint and the surrounding area.
• Encourage the use of local food products and services to continue the growth of the local food movement
• Integrate local growers and producers into the supply chain of local food manufacturers.
• Develop profitable food based businesses that will create sustainable employment opportunities.
Our Intake Process...
The Flint Food Works brings new members into the program on a rolling basis. We start the process by meeting with you and gathering some intial information about you and your proposed business.
We introduce you to some basic business planning concepts and then move on from there. Whether you are completly new to the field or a seasoned food entrepreneur, we take the time to go through the process to ensure that we are all on the same page.
Once we get through the initial stages of clearly defining your business concept we will begin the application and orientation process. Then you will be off and running as a food entrepreneur!
The Timeline...
1st Contact- We begin by gathering some initial information about you and your business with our Flint Food Works Intake Form. We discuss your basic business concept and assign you some field work following our meeting. You will be asked to complete a One Page Business Plan.
Wayfinding Meeting- The goal of a Wayfinding Meeting is simple—to better understand where the entrepreneur is at, and so the entrepreneur feels helped and knows their next step. We will begin the process of completing a Business Model Canvas, which will act as a road map to launching your venture at The Flint Food Works.
Application- After our initial meetings to discuss your business you will be invited to apply to join the Flint Food Works. We have an application fee of $20.
Orientation- Immediately following the application will be your orientation which consists of completing various intake documents and agreements between your business and the Flint Food Works. A kitchen orientation will also be scheduled and at this time you may be assigned storage as needed and based on availability.
Licensing- Your last stage in the process is an approximately 45min - 1hr meeting to complete your Food Service Establishment Licensing application and your standard operating procedures (SOP's) for your business. Once those are complete you will be free to schedule your licensing session with the inspector.
Applying For Membership
Our Application Process...
The Flint Food Works is currently accepting applications to for membership. Applications for membership are reviewed on a rolling basis with offers extended to “good fit” food startups as long as space is available. If you are interested in becoming a member of The Flint Food Works, please start with our Intake Form so that we can get to know you and your business better. One you are registered, you will be contacted by us with instructions on how to submit the $20 application fee. Please see the requirements below.
Once you have made an initial contact with the Flint Food Works staff you can schedule a meeting with our director and discuss the next steps in the application process.
If you have questions about the Flint Food Works, please reach out at director@flintfoodworks.net.
You may also want to explore our Resources page to see a more detailed explaination on how to become a member of the Flint Food Works.
The Flint Food Works requires three items to get started with our application process:
1) Set Up Your Business- You Must be set up as a recognized business entity with the State of Michigan. Articles of Incorporation will need to be provided.
2) ServeSafe Food Manager Certification- You must be currently certified with ServeSafe or applicable food safety training program.
3) Liability Insurance on Your Business- You must carry a liability insurance policy on your food business. You will be required to add The Flint Food Works to your policy as an additional insured.
Need Help Fulfilling The Requirements?
Need Help Fulfilling The Requirements?
Navigating the world of certifications, licensing and applications is complicated to say the least. Fill out this convenient form and we will send you a handy guide to get you started. In the guide you will find information on some of the great resources that you can take advantage of to fulfill each of the Flint Food Works requirements to starting a food based business in our kitchens.
The Flint Food Works uses The Food Corridor as our online hub for all of our kitchen operations. You can create a free kitchen user profile and choose the Flint Food Works as your "home kitchen" and we will see your business in our list of prospects. From here we will continue the intake process. Use the link below to creat your account.
Tour Our Kitchens
Tour Our Kitchens
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