OAFVC Blog

The value of working with a commercial kitchen is undeniable: there are so many benefits. But one of the best advantages of working with Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre is Sharpe’s Food Market. Sharpe’s is an award winning (Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year, silver, 2016) grocery store in downtown Campbellford, in Northumberland County. Sharpe’s has worked with OAFVC for a number of years to offer a retail location to sell products made in our commercial kitchen.

With an explosion in the number of craft breweries in Ontario, hops have had a resurgence in popularity. But since hops can only be harvested five to six weeks of the year, hops producers must find effective storage to ensure fresh brews all year round. Turning hops into pellets — known as pellet hops — for storage takes up less room, and gives hops a longer shelf life (around 2 years) compared to storing dried whole-leaf hops (around 6 months).

Although you will sometimes hear the terms blast chillers and flash freezers used interchangeably, they actually have two distinct functions. Often, in commercial kitchens, both are used in food processing to increase productivity and reduce waste. Whether you want to preserve berries, tarts, or pre-made meals, your business can benefit from using a blast chiller or flash freezer.

Purchasing commercial kitchen equipment is a huge decision. First, you must rent or own space to use and house the equipment in. Then, you must consider whether to buy new or used ones. There’s also the maintenance of that equipment, utilities for your space, plus wages for any staff you may already have or need to hire.

You’ve made the big decision and decided to rent a commercial kitchen. But now that you’re taking your agri-food business to a commercial kitchen, do you know what supplies to bring with you on the rental day? Or what supplies you will need?

There are many benefits to renting a commercial kitchen: a commercial kitchen saves you money because you don’t have to buy your own equipment; by efficiently processing many products at the same time, you can avoid making multiple trips to a smaller kitchen; and you can expand your food production business based on your ideas and vision. But if you think renting a commercial kitchen is complicated, then you’ll be surprised by how easy it actually is.

Northumberland County is an agricultural-based community in south-eastern Ontario. Due to the increasing demand for and popularity of local food, Northumberland County started the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre to provide area farmers with a place to process the products they produced but could not sell directly. Conveniently located on the 401 between Toronto and Kingston, OAFVC is easily accessible.

A commercial kitchen is used for efficient processing of larger batches of foods. Typically, commercial kitchens include equipment for canning, fermenting, and dehydrating foods. The equipment tends to be larger and must meet all federal and provincial health standards. In the commercial facilities at the Ontario Agri-Food Centre (OAFVC), several rooms are available for booking. We recommend starting with a half-day trial run to see how our space works for your business.

Small-scale food processing requires one person (or a small team) to know a lot about a variety of subjects. From biology and chemistry to health and safety - it’s a lot to absorb. But with OAFVC, you have an important ally in your quest to turn your passion for food into a food processing business.

Food packaging has many jobs.

A place to cook, process, store, develop, and package for your small business seems too good to be true? Believe it or not, such a place does exist. Shared commercial kitchens are an ideal way to take your start-up food production business to a larger customer base. 

A good commercial kitchen should be more than just a place for you to cook food. It should be a place where all of your needs are met from processing to marketing.