FCCAA Kitchen Incubator Project will provide an incubator (see attachment). - Fayette County Community Action Agency Inc. (FCCAA) will use $800,000 in CED funds to implement a commercial kitchen incubator to provide affordable space, equipment, and services to entrepreneurs with low-income in the food space in Republic, Pennsylvania. Republic is located within Fayette County, which struggles with elevated rates of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. The commercial kitchen incubator will support small culinary business owners, known as “foodtrepreneurs” with business ventures including food trucks, catering businesses, small producers of baked goods, small producers of packaged goods, and niche market producers. CED funds will support foodtreprenueurs in growing their enterprises and scaling operations, by providing access to essential capital and start-up resources, including access to commercial kitchen equipment, cold and dry storage space, and production facilities/ equipment, along with coordinated supportive services that will include business planning, training, and certification/ licensure assistance. In addition to the jobs created through the food businesses, FCCAA will hire minimal internal employees who will focus on the management and cleaning of the facility, recruitment of member entrepreneurs, and coordination of supportive services and training. FCCAA will partner will other organizations to provide foodtreprenueurs and their employees with additional supportive services and training, including the Westmoreland County Community College that provides accredited Baking and Pastry, Culinary Arts, and Hospitality Management programs; local banks that can assist start-up businesses; and the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council and local Workforce Investment Board that can provide business planning and coaching support. The commercial kitchen incubator will create 30 jobs, 23 of which will be filled by individuals with low income.
