Founded in 2019, FoodLab takes in cohorts of entrepreneurs, often from refugee, migrant, Aboriginal and low-income backgrounds and offers hands-on advice. The goal is to take food start-ups from ideation to real life, and to help established businesses level up. “We’ve got mentors that are butchers, farmers, labelling consultants – the access and information they share is unparalleled,” says Loveday.
The real win, according to Loveday, is the community that has formed in the process. “The food business can be isolating – so we’re trying to encourage a sense of connection beyond the table.”
FoodLab’s new commercial kitchen space in Strathfield is a place for the community, and offers affordable rental rates to previous FoodLab participants. “People who may have struggled to find these paths can come here and work on their business,” says Loveday. The commercial-grade kitchen can be used for catering as well as creating and packaging retail products. “Scale is power in many ways,” says Loveday.
Alchamat now runs cooking classes at Paddy’s Markets in Sydney and takes part in markets and pop-ups. She is also developing a Syrian-style ma’amoul – a shortbread pastry with cheese – as a retail product. It’s just one of many examples FoodLab has helped to thrive.
“The best part is seeing the community grow,” says Loveday. “It’s exciting to see the businesses we’ve supported scale up.”
