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Unique food startup incubator coming to Omaha metro

The Kitchen Council is a kitchen incubator for food startups that helps them grow their products on a larger scale.

Erin Dyer, Managing Director of Kitchen Council, says the process involves a few different parts with the first piece being space. 

Dyer says the Kitchen Council has a commercial kitchen available to rent out by the month, either full time or nights and weekends. 

She says there’s also an associate level that just gives clients access to businesses assistance services and community benefits but doesn’t include use of the kitchen. 

Dyer says they want to help people with their business, from finance, legal and marketing issues to the specific challenges people in the food industry face.

"So help them with health and safety regulations, package products and labeling, distribution, kind of those needs that a lot of other entrepreneurs don’t face that food entrepreneurs have to deal with.  So really helping food startups in the region, get their start, lowering the barriers for them, make it more affordable for them to get going.  And hopefully get them more sales and more success.”

Dyer says by the end of the year, the Kitchen Council, located in Council Bluffs, will accommodate up to 30 food entrepreneurs with more than 2,500 square feet of kitchen space.

The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Omaha Chamber and the Iowa West Foundation are working together on the incubator thanks to local grants.