One of the main obstacles in starting your own food business is finding working space. It's not easy to come by available and/or affordable commercial kitchen space. That's why San Francisco wild foods enthusiast Iso Rabins decided to take matters into his own hands.
Iso is launching a one-of-a-kind coworking space known as Forage Kitchen, which will provide workspace for food entrepreneurs the way cubilces provide space for office workers. The concept of space sharing brings down costs, which makes it appealing to those interested in starting their own artisanal food business.
Forage Kitchen is being advertised on Kickstarter until the 29th of June. Iso aims to raise $150,000 to help set up the 10,000 sq.foot (3,048 sq. meters) warehouse. He plans to offer not just commercial kitchen space for budding entrepreneurs, but also space for classes, a brewery, meat-curing rooms, offices, retail space and perhaps a rooftop garden. ''This space will provide a much needed resource for the food community of San Francisco. A space to help small businesses thrive, but also one where people can get their feet wet when deciding if making food full time is for them,'' Iso states on Kickstarter.
Well known in San Francisco for his passion for foraging, Iso has experience organizing food spaces. In 2009, he founded the wildly successful Undergound Market, which helped food entrepreneurs get their foot in the door but was shut down by authorities last year. Now, Iso has his hands full with the Forage Kitchen, a concept that will surely break new ground.