GETTING STARTED

If you are considering starting a food business and are
interested in renting space in one of the Detroit Kitchen Connect licensed kitchens, here’s what you’ll need:

Register for and attend one of the DKC Informational Workshops held at Eastern Market. The workshops are currently held on Zoom and in person at the Eastern Market, Shed 5. The workshop is $15 to attend. You cannot apply for any DKC kitchen spaces until you have completed the workshop.

Click here to sign up for the workshop!

  • You must complete ALL of the following BEFORE applying for kitchen space:  
    • Complete a ServSafe Food safety course and receive a ServSafe Certificate (register at PIC Food Safety for the 1 day course; cost is $195.00); you will need to attach your ServSafe Certificate to you application. PICFoodSafety.com
    • Register your business (cost varies depending on what type of business you establish; application can be found at LARA https://www.michigan.gov/lara/); this process will provide you with the necessary EIN/Tax ID Number you will need for your business; you will need to attach a copy of your registration (i.e. LLC, DBA, etc.) to your application.
  • After being ACCEPTED into a Detroit Kitchen Connect kitchen:
    • First, you will fill out the DKC Intake Form and pay the $200-$300 deposit Depending on which kitchen you are accepted in, you will pay this AFTER your application is accepted but before you begin working in a DKC kitchen.
    • Second, Purchase insurance (DKC requires a $1 Million general liability policy that names whichever DKC kitchen you work out of as co-insured); such insurance policies generally run between $300-$500 per year and will be required by many events, retailers, vendors, and businesses you work with; you will need to attach a copy of your insurance policy to your application.
    • Third, apply for and be inspected for your Food License through Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development or your local health department; you cannot utilize any DKC kitchen space until you have been inspected and approved by MDARD.
    • Fourth, create Standard Operating Procedures and Critical Control Points for making your product; you will need these for your MDARD inspection/licensing.

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER:

  • You will need an email account
  • You will need a business bank account
  • You will need packaging
  • You will need MDARD approved labels on your packaging
  • You may need nutrition facts on your packaging
  • You may need an allergen certificate. Your inspector will tell you if this is required.
  • You will need to know:
    • Who will make the product?
    • What is the shelf life of your product?
    • What is the cost of your product(s)?
    • What is retail or wholesale asking price?
    • Who is your target market? (Retail or Wholesale)
    • How will you distribute your product?
    • How are you planning on sourcing the ingredients?
    • You will need NFS approved equipment for making/storing products.
    • You will need a clear, scalable recipe.
    • You will need a list of and source for any specialized equipment you require (all equipment must be PRE-APPROVED by PIC Food Safety, Eastern Market’s kitchen management entity).

Mentorship. If you  need assistance starting a food business contact FoodLab, MSU Product Center, Techtown Detroit, Build Institute, ProsperUS Detroit, Accounting Aid Society our partners are available to help.

Interested in renting the kitchen for a one-off event? Learn more here.