Incubator Program

Nourishing a Community of Purpose Driven Food Entrepreneurs

Launch Your Purpose-Driven Food Business

The Incubator Program is designed to help early-stage food entrepreneurs—especially women, immigrants, and people of colour—turn their ideas into successful, sustainable ventures. Through tailored support, mentorship, and resources, we’re building a community of food businesses that lead with purpose and make a difference.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

The COOK-UP Incubator Program spans between 1 to 4 years, depending on your business needs and growth. Our program is built to guide you every step of the way:

Pre-Incubation
- A 6-month period where you receive technical assistance in product development, marketing, finance, and operations to establish a solid foundation for your business and access to our shared licensed kitchen to produce your products.
Incubation
- Participants who successfully complete all pre-incubation milestones continue to receive access to licensed shared kitchen space at a special rate, ongoing support and access to sales opportunities.
Graduation and Alumni
- Entrepreneurs who scale their businesses and expand their operations beyond COOK-UP, graduate from the program all while remaining active members of our alumni network.

HOW TO APPLY

APPLY

ATTEND INFORMATION SESSION
Meet our team, hear how the program can help you grow, and ask any questions you have.

Upcoming Information Sessions:

Wednesday, December 11 at 6pm
Location: 1 Maiden Lane W.

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

In order to apply for the program, you must submit:

Completed application form
Two letters of recommendation for the program
Resume
Proof of current income (optional: submit only if you would like to apply for subsidised kitchen rental pricing)

Upcoming 2025 Application Deadlines:

Jan 12, 2025

If your application is successful, you’ll be invited to an interview with our team. You’ll receive the interview questions in advance and have one week to prepare. While it’s optional, we highly recommend bringing samples of your product to the interview to showcase your work. This is a great opportunity to present your business and connect with our team.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY:

At COOK-UP, we support two types of food businesses — prepared foods and packaged foods.

Prepared food businesses create products that are ready to be enjoyed immediately by customers. Examples include farmer's market vendors, food trucks, caterers, cafes, and restaurants.

Packaged food businesses (also known as consumer packaged goods or CPG) produce items that are sold to stores or distributors to reach the end consumer. These products are packaged and designed for retail sales, such as pickles, chips, sauces, and more.

An icon of a red checkmark, inside a red circle.

We carefully screen applicants to ensure the program is the right fit:

YOU'RE BUSINESS READY - You’ve got a great product, a vision for your business and you’re ready to invest in building it.

YOUR PRODUCT STANDS OUT - Your food is delicious, unique, and has a real market

YOU'RE COMMUNITY MINDED - You want to grow, but not alone. You’re ready to share, collaborate, and contribute to a
supportive space with other food entrepreneurs.

YOU'VE GOT HEART - You know running a food business is hard work, and you’re determined to make it happen

While we provide subsidized kitchen rental rates for low-income individuals, we also work with entrepreneurs who have the resources to invest in their business development. Whatever your situation, we’re here to support you in building a sustainable and thriving business.

If you don’t qualify for the Incubator Program, you can apply to rent our kitchen as a commercial user.

FAQ

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Angela Rueda came on board as COOK-UP's Administrative Assistant early 2023 and has now been promoted to Program Coordinator. To say that it already feels like she has become a fixture at COOK-UP is an understatement. Since the beginning, she has been using her skills to perform a variety of tasks. She handles administrative functions, and she is often found collaborating with entrepreneurs in their activities and events. She is resourceful, creative and passionate about food, but specially about the ways in which food brings people together. Angela is a mother of two daughters and one fur baby: Bailey. Among her passions are baking, playing tennis and spending quality time with her family.

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any additional questions or inquiries not covered in this FAQ. We're here to help you on your food business journey!

FUNDING PARTNERS

COOK-UP is supported by the Government of Canada’s Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative and the Tropicana Community Services.