• Commercial Kitchen: A licensed commercial kitchen is, by itself, an immensely valuable component of a local food system, allowing food business entrepreneurs the chance to expand their production in a food-safe facility without having to invest in a cost-prohibitive space of their own. Mt. Pulaski's Market on the Hill currently uses our kitchen. The kitchen is also available for rent by other area food entrepreneurs. It is also being prepped for use by our cooperative when processing and freezing incoming produce.

 

• Processing Line & Blast Freezing: Plans are being carried out to invest in more generalized food processing machines, some of which are only partially automated, calling for skilled human labor in tandem. Rather than focus on much more expensive individual quick-freezing equipment, a blast chiller has been installed in the commercial kitchen; this mid-level equipment is the smarter move for our cooperative, giving us the flexibility to change course if need be while also employing more local people to get the job done.

​

• Cold Storage: Our plans also include offering refrigerated and frozen storage for temporary storage of fresh produce and holding finished frozen products and for rent by local growers.