Mainebiz

V O L . X X V N O. X I X S E P T E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 9 20 S TA R T U P S / E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P shortage of production space, storage areas and parking spaces, and not even a loading dock. Seretta, a self-described serial social entrepreneur who comes from a family of people in the restaurant business, hopes to find a solution soon. Between visits to two potential sites within 10 miles of Portland, he tells Mainebiz: "We will be in a new space in some form in the next nine to 12 months." He leads a staff of five, whose duties include cleaning, accepting deliver- ies when members aren't present and lending a hand where needed. Packaged s'mores and oodles more Fork Food has been on Seretta's radar since winning the Sustainability Lab's inaugural New England Food System Innovation Challenge in 2015 that allowed it to commence operations the following year. Businesses that operate out of the Lab today don't just share physical space and equipment, they also collaborate on orders from suppliers and retail sales and learn from each other. "We're always looking at expand- ing our product line," says Fawcett, "so seeing what other people are doing, and what works, is a good business aspect for us." When the incubator's future looked cloudy in 2018, Seretta stepped in to save what he considers critical to developing a food-business system in Maine. Most are micro-enterprises who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford equipment or a production venue of their own. ey've evolved into a community of small busi- nesses with an economic impact of $5.5 million in gross annual sales and more than 50 employees, according to Seretta. "is is important," he says, "because we tend to overlook the value of small, individual companies." While about a third of current mem- bers like Plucked make packaged con- sumer goods for wholesale customers, most alumni are food trucks that have gone on to open bricks-and-mortar establishments. Plucked, which Kelly Towle started in her kitchen more than five years ago, joined Fork Food Lab when it opened in 2016 and has grown into the largest producer on site. It distributes all the way down to New York to wholesale customers including Whole Foods Market and Hannaford Supermarkets. Last year when it looked like Fork Food Lab would close, Plucked acted on a Plan » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 8 F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Nancy Klosteridis, left, hands supplies to her wife Haley Campbell, owners of Greeks of Peaks food truck and catering, outside Fork Food Lab in Portland. They have been members of the lab for over a year.

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