Baltimore Food Enterprise Center
 

1. Baltimore Food Enterprise Center

 
American Communities Trust is investigating the establishment of a local food processing center to serve food entrepreneurs in the Baltimore area. This survey will help determine the viability of establishing a value-adding food processing center with a mission of economic opportunity for food businesses and agricultural producers in our region. At this time, the project wishes to identify local entrepreneurs in the area who are in need of manufacturing space or manufacturing services to help their enterprises succeed. In order to determine the viability of this concept, it is critical that we document the level of interest from area entrepreneurs in participating in this project. Please take a few minutes to fill out and return this short survey. Your help and support is greatly appreciated!

1. Please indicate your current products, how long you have been in business, or if business is planned. You may indicate more than one activity if applicable:

 How Long in Business?Is Production Active or Planned?
Specialty/Gourmet __________
Specialty/Gourmet __________
Caterer
Baker __________
Farmer, value-added producer
Church/School/Civic Group
Restaurateur/Street Cart Vendor
Other:

2. Are you now or would you be using locally grown ingredients in your food processing?

3. Are you now or would you be using organically certified ingredients in your food processing?

4. Are you interested in using a facility to manufacture food products yourself, or are you interested in a service that will manufacture foods using your recipes for you?

5. What food item(s) are you now or would you be interested in preparing? You may indicate more than one item if applicable:

 Are you now preparing this food item?If interested in preparing a food item, how interested are you?
Bakery Items
Catered Meals
Sauces/Salsa/Condiments
Jams/Jellies
Pasta
Dry Mixes
Herbal Supplements
Value-added fruits or vegetables
Ethnic Foods
Dairy
Beef/Poultry/Pork
Spice/Flavoring Line
Seafood __________
Other

6. What facilities or services are you currently using to meet your food processing needs (e.g., church kitchen, rental kitchen, restaurant, home kitchen)? You may choose more than one if applicable:

7. What type of equipment would you need to prepare your food product? Please choose all that are applicable to your production:

 How important to your processing is this equipment?
Standard Range/Oven
Steam Jacketed Kettle
Batch Dairy Pasteurization
Culture Tanks
Commercial Mixer
Filling and Packing Equipment
Bottling Equipment
Meat Processing Equipment
Walk-in cooler, non-meat
Food Processor
Walk-in Freezer, non-meat
Dehydrator/Drying Equipment
Convection Oven
Roll in Rack Oven
Pie Maker
Braising Pan
Flour/Spice Mill
Individual Quick Freezing (IQF)
Ice Machine
Vegetable Washing and Grading
Other

8. Are you interested in buying locally-grown and/or organic ingredients for your business?

9. What ingredients are essential to your products?

10. How many times and hours per week might you be interested in using this facility?

 Number of Hours Per Period?AM or PM?
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Seasonally/Holidays
Occasionally

11. What would be your total hours per week of estimated usage?

12. Are you interested in using a facility for long term or short term storage? If yes, please describe duration, volumes, and type of product needing storage:

13. Who are your customers, or what type of customers are you targeting?

14. What type of a business are you planning to run?

15. What is your annual sales goal for products manufactured at a shared-use facility?
$________ per year

16. How do you plan to market your product?

17. Do you have a business plan?

18. Would you be interested in sharing services in addition to the food processing facilities? Please check all that apply:

19. Would any of the following seminars or classes be of interest to you? Please check all that apply:

20. Would you be interested in attending a meeting to discuss future plans for the proposed shared-use value added food center?

21. How far would you be willing to drive to use a processing center? ___________ miles

22. This questionnaire was designed for farmers, entrepreneurs, companies, and organizations, which might be prospective tenants of the proposed facility. If you have other suggestions or comments regarding the need for a food processing center in our community, please use the space below:

23. Please provide your contact information. We cannot use information from this survey without your name.