About

What is BKI?
The Bloomington Kitchen Incubator (BKI) is a nonprofit organization that has spun off the Local Growers Guild to support food entrepreneurs in the production of fresh and preserved foods with an emphasis on turning local abundance into higher value specialty foods. The kitchen incubator offers a variety of services that go well beyond providing access to a licensed commercial kitchen. Specialized business support includes finding seed capital, navigating complicated health code requirements, developing appropriate packaging, sourcing ingredients, and distributing the end products.

History of BKI
The Local Growers Guild has been working for many years to improve the local food economy. One of our biggest projects has been to work with Middle Way House to construct a large commercial kitchen in the old Coca-Cola Building on Washington Street in downtown Bloomington. This kitchen will house Middle Way Food Works, a local catering business specializing in healthy meals for children and seniors, and will also be rented out to small food businesses through the Bloomington Kitchen Incubator.

What sorts of businesses might develop within the BKI?
- Custom canning using favorite family recipes
- Artisan European breads and pastries
- Specialty soups featuring locally grown ingredients
- Frozen fruits and vegetables to enjoy the summer's abundance during the winter months
- Dried fruit snacks made from local organic fruit

Who can benefit from the BKI?
- Farmers can develop value-added products using ingredients from their farms (e.g. turn their excess basil into pesto).
- Chefs can preserve their best recipes in value-added products (e.g. specialty salad dressing).
- New food businesses will create new jobs and strengthen our local economy.
- New food businesses means more local food options for consumers and increased food security.

How can I get involved?
The BKI is currently recruiting candidates to become members of the Incubator this winter and participate in a business planning class in partnership with Seed Corp, a local nonprofit that offers low-interest loans to small businesses. The kitchen facility at Middle Way is still under construction and is projected to open in April 2010.

The BKI is also soliciting financial support from businesses and individuals passionate about supporting our local food economy. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by December 28th, which would allow us to hire a part-time Incubator Manager for 2010. For further information on becoming a member or a supporter, please call 812-333-8287 or contact board president Bobbi Boos at bobbiboos "at" gmail.com. You can also consider attending our BKI Open House on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00pm in the Caldwell Center.

Click here to see the BKI brochure.