The City of Quesnel is excited to announce the opening of Sprout Kitchen Food Hub at 101 Marsh Drive. The Food Hub has been made possible by generous funding from the Province of British Columbia and Northern Development Initiative Trust, and will be operated by the newly formed Sprout Kitchen Society.
Food processors wishing to use the space can now request rates and register for membership at www.sproutkitchen.ca. The space will be open for use in April. Those wanting to view the space, can take a virtual tour, by clicking here. A grand opening will be planned when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
Sprout Kitchen Food Hub is a member of the BC Food Hub Network, part of the Province of British Columbia’s Feed BC initiative. Sprout Kitchen will offer regional food processing businesses space and equipment to process, package, and store food products. A later phase will offer a distribution service throughout the region, connecting producers and processors with a broader regional market.
Quotes:
Honourable Lana Popham, MLA, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries: “The Sprout Kitchen is creating more opportunities for Cariboo food processing businesses to increase their production and sales, expand their networking, and use of local ingredients. Thank you to everyone involved in creating Sprout Kitchen. Your work will help small businesses and farms in the region grow, and strengthen food security for communities in the CRD.”
City of Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson: “This is an exciting milestone in our Economic Development Transition Strategy. The Food Hub offers opportunities for small business growth and new business start-up, encouraging diversity in our local economy, while increasing local food options for our community.”
Joel McKay, CEO, Northern Development Initiative Trust: “Northern Development is always pleased to see projects that will benefit the communities, people and businesses in the region. Sprout Kitchen Food Hub not only promotes the agriculture industry, it offers food security for residents along with job creation and resident attraction.”
Lynda Atkinson, Interim Chair Sprout Kitchen Society: “It has been a long but exciting road to get to opening day, with many consultation meetings with producers and processors throughout the region. This is the beginning of a food processing incubator program for the Cariboo and northern regions, which is sorely needed, and as a board we wish to thank the contractors, the city of Quesnel, Ministry of Agriculture, and Northern Development for their unwavering support and hard work.”
Media Contact:
Linda McIntyre
Communications Clerk
City of Quesnel
250.991.7475
lmcintyre@quesnel.ca