For partners in the $17.5 million L.A. Prep project, the recipe for a successful food business accelerator calls for equal parts social philanthropy, economic development and collaborative synergy. They say that when the 56,000-square-foot former warehouse opens near downtown Los Angeles early next year, 50 tenant food companies will find nearly everything they need to grow their businesses under one roof. Features of the building include 49 licensed wholesale food production spaces that, unlike traditional incubator kitchens, are each leased to only one tenant. The building will also house a local nonprofit focused on job training and providing healthy and affordable nutrition to seniors.

Brian Albert, co-principal of Civic Enterprise Development, said that one of the main motivations behind L.A. Prep is to help small food businesses avoid many of the overhead costs and regulatory expenses of opening their own wholesale kitchens. “We hope it changes the landscape for food makers in L.A. by giving innovative startup food companies the opportunity to scale their growth,” said Albert. He said that although some small shared kitchens exist in the city, only L.A. Prep is prepared to offer tenants wholesale licenses from the county of Los Angeles. Albert expects that tenants will also be able to obtain a number of other certifications for their products, including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants of inspection, kosher, gluten-free and organic.
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