Fork Food Lab, a commercial kitchen incubator in Portland, has merged with a New York City company that provides specialized services to food entrepreneurs.
Foodworks operates a 10,000-square-foot kitchen in Brooklyn that hosts 110 companies. It provides administrative support, outsourced services, mentorship opportunities, educational events and workshops for startups in the food industry.
Fork Food Lab opened its 6,000-square-foot incubator in West Bayside last year and is helping 34 members scale up their operations, according to a statement from Fork Food Lab.
“We are very excited to partner with a company that shares in our vision for a more robust local food system where entrepreneurs with creative recipes can strategically grow,” said co-founder Neil Spillane, who will stay on as general manager of Fork Food Lab. “This merger will allow Fork Food Lab companies to expand distribution into the large New York market and leverage supplier discounts that are available to current Foodworks producers.”
One of the key benefits of a partnership with Foodworks is access to its technology team, according to statement. The company focuses on developing software to help streamline communication and sourcing for its members.
The merger was finalized Monday.
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