A place for food businesses to start, make, and grow
The Kitchen at 185 is a shared-use commercial kitchen and food business incubator being developed in Skowhegan to help entrepreneurs, farmers, and food producers turn ideas into viable businesses.
By providing access to professional kitchen space, equipment, and business support, the Kitchen will make it easier to test products, increase production, and grow without the cost of building a commercial kitchen from scratch.
Built for Food Entrepreneurs
The Kitchen at 185 is designed for aspiring and established food businesses, including:
- Bakers, chefs, caterers, and specialty food producers
- Farmers creating value-added products
- Home-based producers ready to move into commercial production
- Businesses that need additional production capacity
- Entrepreneurs developing products for retail or wholesale markets
Building the Kitchen at 185
The project has already received significant support from partners including Maine Technology Institute, T-Mobile, and USDA Rural Development.
That investment is helping create a resource designed to serve food entrepreneurs throughout Skowhegan and Central Maine.
More Than a Kitchen
The Kitchen at 185 will combine professional production space with the support entrepreneurs need to build stronger businesses.
Shared Commercial Kitchen
Access professional space and equipment without the cost of building your own facility.
Business Support
Connect with advising, technical assistance, financing resources, and other support through the Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship.
Product Development
Test ideas, improve processes, develop new products, and prepare for larger-scale production.
Community
Work alongside other food entrepreneurs, share ideas, and build connections.
The Kitchen at 185 will help support new businesses, local jobs, stronger markets for Maine-made products, and continued growth in Central Maine’s food economy.
Why It Matters
Starting or growing a food business can require significant upfront investment. Shared commercial kitchen space helps lower those barriers and gives entrepreneurs room to test ideas before making major investments.