Join the Food
Business Bootcamp

The Food Business Bootcamp® Startup Accelerator is an eight-month program designed to help early-stage packaged food founders move from recipe to commercial production and real-world sales.

The program includes two phases:

Phase 1: Build (2 months | February–April 2027)
Develop your product and build the foundation for launching your business through hands-on learning, expert guidance, and commercial kitchen experience. This phase concludes with Demo Day on April 6, 2027.

Phase 2: Produce + Sell (6 months | April–September 2027)
Manufacture your product at Hudson Kitchen, develop sales channels, track business performance, and apply what you've learned while receiving continued guidance and support.

Both phases are required components of the accelerator.

We're looking for early-stage packaged food founders who are ready to take action toward launching and growing their businesses.

To participate, you must:

• Have a written recipe for a packaged food or beverage product.

• Be prepared to manufacture your product at Hudson Kitchen during the six-month Produce + Sell phase.

• Commit to participating in the full eight-month program, including required in-person and virtual sessions.

• Have a registered business entity and required food safety certifications before the February 3, 2027 kickoff.

You do not need a finalized recipe, logo, or packaging to apply. There is no minimum revenue requirement.

The program is designed for founders who will manufacture their own products initially. If you plan to transition to a co-packer, we can help you explore that option during the six-month residency while you continue manufacturing at Hudson Kitchen.

During the first two months, you'll work directly with experienced industry professionals to develop your product and prepare your business for launch.

Product Development with Drexel Food Lab: Work hands-on with food scientists to refine your recipe, troubleshoot formulation challenges, improve consistency, and learn how to scale your product for commercial production.

Brand Development + Market Research with Opus Hours: Identify your target customers, clarify your positioning, and develop your logo, brand identity, and packaging concepts.

Financial Strategy with SFT Consulting: Understand production costs, develop pricing strategies, evaluate profitability, and build financial projections.

Production Readiness with Rachel Chang, COO of Yay's Snacks: Develop production workflows, standard operating procedures, supply chain plans, and systems for consistent, efficient manufacturing.

Phase 1 includes 24 hours of commercial kitchen production access.

Demo Day — April 6, 2027

You'll present your business and offer product tastings to an audience of industry professionals, potential buyers, and funding partners. Final retail packaging is not required for Demo Day.

Through Hudson Kitchen's partnership with the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL), founders will also have the opportunity to pitch for Kiva crowdfunding support. Eligibility to participate and approval to pitch are determined by Kiva's requirements and approval process.

From April through September 2027, you'll put what you've developed into practice through six months of commercial manufacturing and sales.

The program includes:

• Commercial kitchen access Friday through Sunday, 24 hours a day.

• Two CFO sessions.

• Two operations sessions.

• Four sales workshops covering social media and social selling, direct-to-consumer sales and farmers markets, retail buyers, and e-commerce.

• Ongoing support and accountability.

• Sales opportunities organized through Hudson Kitchen, including farmers markets, independent retail, pop-up events, and other potential sales channels.

• An opportunity to exhibit at the Summer Fancy Food Show.

• Nutrition Facts information for one product (one SKU) to support your preparation for commercial sales.

You'll manufacture your product, explore which sales channels work best for your business, track performance, and make adjustments based on actual business results.

Participation in individual sales opportunities is optional. Founders can choose which opportunities align with their products, business goals, and capacity.

Toward the end of the program, you'll participate in a one-on-one Next Steps conversation to assess your business performance and explore future production needs, including continuing in a shared kitchen, expanding capacity, or transitioning to a co-packer

The commitment varies by phase.

Phase 1: Build (February–April)

You'll participate in scheduled Wednesday evening virtual sessions, required Saturday in-person sessions, hands-on kitchen production, and expert consultations.

The program begins February 3, 2027, and concludes its first phase with Demo Day on April 6, 2027.

You'll also need time between sessions to work on your product, complete assignments, and prepare your business.

Phase 2: Produce + Sell (April–September)

You'll actively manufacture and sell your product during the six-month residency and participate in scheduled consultations, sales workshops, and accountability activities.

Production frequency depends on your product, batch size, and sales volume. Some founders may produce weekly, while others may produce larger batches less frequently.

The total investment for the eight-month Food Business Bootcamp® Startup Accelerator is $20,000 per company, including participation for up to three team members.

Payment schedule:

• $5,000 due upon enrollment.

• Six monthly payments of $2,500 from February through July 2027.

• A pay-in-full option is available.

The investment includes both phases of the accelerator, expert-led programming, scheduled consultations, ongoing founder support, and commercial kitchen production access during the six-month residency. There are no separate Hudson Kitchen membership fees for participating in the program.

Additional business expenses include ingredients, production supplies, required insurance, business registration, food safety certifications, and applicable food licenses. Depending on your product and business needs, you may also incur costs for specialized equipment, packaging materials and printing, additional branding or design services, and optional consulting.

The program includes logo development, brand identity, and packaging concepts through our branding partner, Opus Hours. Founders who wish to finalize their packaging can continue working with Opus Hours or purchase the creative files and engage another designer. Additional design services, packaging production, and printing are not included in the program investment.

Hudson Kitchen does not currently offer grants or scholarships to cover the program investment.

Before beginning commercial production in April 2027, participants must have the applicable food licenses, required insurance policies, and certificates of insurance.

Hudson Kitchen will guide you through the retail and/or wholesale food licensing process, including understanding the requirements, preparing the necessary documentation, and coordinating applicable inspections. This is the same hands-on support we provide to our commercial kitchen members.

Insurance requirements include:

• General and Product Liability: $1 million per occurrence, $2 million general aggregate, and $2 million products-completed operations aggregate, along with Hudson Kitchen's additional required coverages.

• Excess Liability: $2 million per occurrence and aggregate.

• New Jersey Workers' Compensation: Statutory coverage and $1 million employers' liability limits, with owner waivers where applicable.

Certificates of Insurance must name Hudson Kitchen LLC and Hugo Neu Kearny Warehouses LLC as Certificate Holders and Additional Insured, with the required endorsements and waiver of subrogation.

Food licensing requirements depend on your product, manufacturing process, and sales channels. Additional food safety documentation, including a HACCP plan, may be required.

Detailed licensing and insurance requirements will be provided during onboarding.

Complete the online application with information about your product, business goals, and readiness to participate.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Selected applicants will be invited to an interview.

If an invitation to participate in the accelerator is extended, you'll have seven days to secure your spot by signing the program Terms & Conditions and submitting your $5,000 enrollment payment.

Application deadline: Friday, January 8, 2027, at 11:59 PM ET.

The 2027 Food Business Bootcamp® begins February 3, 2027.