The director of the Worcester Regional Food Hub is creating “a launching point” in Fitchburg for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Fitchburg Public Market is currently preparing to open this October at 35 Main St. in Moran Square. Shon Rainford, the director of Worcester Regional Food Hub said the location is “just down the hill” from Fitchburg State University.
Inside the building will be three service kitchens for people to learn in and create different kinds of ethnic cuisines, a walk-in cooler to store local foods from Massachusetts farms, and stations at the front of the building for vendors to sell their foods.
“Most of our aspiring entrepreneurs [and] businesses are women, a majority are immigrant, and most come from lower middle income backgrounds,” said Rainford. “This is the kind of population that we try to help out and become a launching point for their businesses.”
Rainford said the market offers more kitchen space and equipment compared to his other location, the Worcester Regional Food Hub inside of the Worcester Plaza, known as the “Glass Tower” skyscraper at 446 Main St.
According to Worcester Regional Food Hub Food Entrepreneurship Manager Rob Morris, there was no bathroom or running water inside of the Glass Tower and the glass exterior meant it would get very hot or cold depending on the weather outside.
Rainford said in Worcester they only had access to one kitchen that was located at the Greendale People’s Church, which meant people had to transport their food from the church to the plaza so people could sell their food.
With the Fitchburg Market, Rainford said everything will be made there – fresh, hot, cold, “whatever it is” – and food can be kept or sold.
The Fitchburg location will also have a marketplace where customers can buy foods grown and produced in Massachusetts, including beef, honey, maple syrup and different packaged items. Items made in the kitchen will also be for sale in the grocery store, Rainford said.
Already, about eight vendors including Candy Lady Confections, Mera’s Cakes, El Friquitin and Sweet and Salted all want to sell in the Fitchburg Marketplace.
“In the grand scheme of things, our real aspiration, if it’s their desire … we get them to a point [where] they’re ready to open their own brick and mortar location,” said Rainford.
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The Fitchburg Public Market will cost $56,000 for a one-year rental. But a $50,000 Community Development Block Grant made rental far cheaper, causing Rainford to feel confident about opening this fall.
He also received a $30,000 grant for launching a diverse food entrepreneurs course, which teaches people the basics of starting a food business, and a $200,000 state grant for utility connections, equipment and a refrigerated box truck to help with food distribution.
The building is shared with Identity Coffee Lab, which first opened in Rindge, New Hampshire, and plans to open around the same time as Fitchburg Market. It’s located across from the Fitchburg train station and nearby a number of new apartment complexes. “Lots of parking” will also be available, Rainford added.
Near the business is Fitchburg State University, so Rainford hopes that a lot of students from campus will want to “wind down” and take advantage of the “awesome food” the market will offer.
“It’s a gorgeous location,” said Rainford. “When people are looking … whether it’s to buy groceries or coming into a place to be able to get some food to sit down and eat, [and] having parking available is important.”
Once open, the market’s business hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
As Rainford plans for the opening of his Fitchburg Market, he said the Worcester Food Hub is actively in the process of “building out a very large center” at Union Station in Worcester that will have five kitchens and a “very, very large” distribution and storage center.
The Food Hub is currently focused on Saturday markets on the lawn outside of the former Market Place space through Sept. 9 before it leaves the location permanently, according to Rob Morris.
The Saturday markets, dubbed “Saturday Mercado,” will still feature food hub businesses, art vendors, live music and a lounge set up by a cannabis company, said Morris. The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District partnered with the Food Hub to put on the markets and has been responsible for bringing in the entertainment.
The markets are scheduled from noon to 4 p.m.
The Worcester Chamber of Commerce, which runs the Food Hub, is currently looking for an alternative location for the Market Place until it can move into Union Station. Morris is hoping the location will open by spring of next year.
