SAN FRANCISCO’S FIRST INCUBATOR KITCHEN

Our Mission

La Cocina is a non-profit

incubator kitchen that

provides affordable

commercial kitchen

space and technical

assistance to low-

income entrepreneurs

who are starting,

launching or growing a

food business.

The History of La Cocina

1999 Feasability Study

2001 Break Ground

2005 Doors Open to First

Businesses

2007 First 2 Businesses

Graduate

2008 First Food Business

Incubator Conference

The Businesses of La Cocina

• Over 30 businesses share kitchen space at La Cocina, of which 22 have been accepted into La Cocina’s incubator program.

• Program Participants must submit a finished business plan, personal and business financial information and sit with an advisory committee for an interview before being accepted to the program.

• Three years into the program we have had 2 graduates businesses, and we expect 2—4 graduates per year going forward.

Micro-Enterprise

• In the United States, a microenterprise is usually defined as a business with five or fewer employees, small enough to require initial capital of $35,000 or less. 

• AEO estimates there are more than 24 million microenterprises in the U.S., representing 18% of all private employment and 87% of all businesses.

• Historically, microenterprises have been considered the  backbone of the U.S. economy. Most microenterprises are sole proprietorships, which create employment for the owner and, often, other family members; they are commonly called "mom and pop" businesses.

Case Study 1: Peas of Mind

• Peas of Mind began at La Cocina in January of 2005.

• Began with a recipe, a business plan and zero customers.

• Initially, focused entirely on scaling recipe, packaging and initial focus groups.

Case Study 1: Peas of Cake!

• Sales within 5 months• Rapid growth company• Technical assistance in

scaling, distribution and co-packing.

• Found co-packer, graduated, went national

• Recently featured in Specialty Food Magazine Press Release

• Poised for continued growth in expanding industry.

Case Study 2: El Huarache Loco

• Veronica Salazar began her business cooking authentic food from Mexico City out of her home in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District.

• At her home restaurant, she would sell about $200-$300 every day on the weekends.

• Through a partnership with a business planning organization in SF, Veronica wrote a business plan and applied to La Cocina in late 2005.

• Veronica began with catering and as she moved through the program began looking for low-capital launching pads for her food.

•La Cocina created relationships with local farmers markets, and El Huarache Loco was the first La Cocina business to launch in this manner.

•2 years later, Veronica is averaging a little over $3,500/week in sales and employees 4 full-time staff.

Just look at the picture above to see Vero and her staff!

La Cocina Core Values

We support high-quality artisan food products. We prioritize and search for regionally authentic products and ‘hidden entrepreneurs’.

We embrace community outreach and participation

We cultivate and encourage good business practices (green business, local buying, organic, sustainable, fair trade, etc.).

We strive for economic self-sufficiency and empowerment through small business.

Money, Money, Money!

• La Cocina’s annual budget is between $600 and $700,000 for the facility, all programs and all staff. We currently have 3 full-time staff and 2 part-time staff.

• Of that money, roughly 60% comes from grants and foundations, 10% from city funds and individual donors and about 30% from internal program revenues.

• Program participants pay an average of $13/hour to use the kitchen space and commercial users pay a minimum of $40/hour.

• We expect to see our revenues rise over the next 2-5 years, though we are not aiming for self-sufficiency through kitchen revenue.

Press and The Future of La Cocina

The Power of the Press

Build awareness not only of your organization but also of the businesses that you support.

Connect your businesses to the press and media opportunities that they will need to grow.

Work with your businesses to make sure that they tie back in to you. They are our greatest

asset.