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The Cannery – where every flavor tells a story

The test kitchen in downtown Green Bay is now open to the public

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July 26, 2023

GREEN BAY – Before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation, The Cannery, located at 320 N. Broadway in the heart of downtown Green Bay, offered patrons a “farm to fork” concept.

Then, in a matter of months, the financial fallout caused by the pandemic forced the restaurant to close its doors.

With a different use in mind, The Cannery reopened earlier this month as a test kitchen and restaurant incubator – which aims to foster budding restaurateurs.

Five early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs – Irie Jamaican, Olive’s Pizza & Sandwiches, Colombian Flavors, FiveThumbsUp and Honey and Cream Café – will occupy the space for 18-24 months showcasing their ideas and creations to patrons, all under one roof.

Additionally, Titletown Brewery, which is located in the same renovated canning building, will take over as the anchor tenant, featuring its craft brews alongside other local favorites.

“We are excited to start this journey with these businesses,” Kelly Armstrong, Greater Green Bay Chamber vice president of economic development, said. “Entrepreneurship is a difficult path to choose, so we want to make sure these great folks are not walking down this path alone. We are excited to be a part of this.”

The Greater Green Bay Chamber partnered with Proof – a nonprofit company with a developed curriculum dedicated to helping food and beverage entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses – for the test kitchen project. 

The Cannery’s test kitchen space is an open concept so patrons can see their food being prepared. Photo Courtesy of Greater Green Bay Chamber

Proof will provide incubator tenants with an immersive learning environment through a model that offers a low-cost, hands-on experience, enabling the businesses to hit the ground running, while being supported by mentors and resources needed for long-term success.

“Each one of our entrepreneurs brings something unique and special,” Mia Littlejohn, Proof representative, said. “What we do at Proof is work with entrepreneurs in the food and beverage space and help them create successful, scalable and sustainable businesses. Food and beverage can be a hard industry, but we don’t think it has to be. We help entrepreneurs lower the barrier to entry.”

Littlejohn said each entrepreneur has access to a variety of resources to help set them up for success.

“They have access to a turn-key space, resources and one-on-one coaching,” she said. “We’ll work with them from opening day and beyond – until they hopefully land in a space of their own.”

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said there was a “ton of work crammed into a short period to make this all work.”

“This is what makes Green Bay special,” he said. “The entrepreneurs doing business here will bring people to our downtown and On Broadway District.”

More on the project
The Cannery project was born from the continued revitalization vision of downtown Green Bay, fueled by the support of Associated Bank, Schreiber Foods and BASE Companies.

“We are thrilled to have helped bring this food incubator to life, which is an embodiment of the goals we set out to achieve through our economic development strategic plan,” Laurie Radke, President/CEO of the Greater Green Bay Chamber, said.

“Our downtown task force had the opportunity to connect with the team at Proof in Chattanooga, Tennessee, during our 2021 downtown study trip. We are excited to bring an accelerator designed to foster a dynamic food and beverage ecosystem to our community.”  

Instead of The Cannery being rebranded – or brought back – as a single restaurant, Armstrong said, “we wanted to do more.”

“We put a lot of resources into developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Greater Green Bay area,” she said. “In thinking about what to do with the space, and after meeting with Proof, we got excited thinking about this possibility.”

Dexter Thompson from Irie Jamaican prepares food. Photo Courtesy of Greater Green Bay Chamber Facebook Page

Armstrong said restaurants are one of the fastest sectors to go out of business.

“After seeing everything The Cannery had to offer, we figured it was about as perfect as we could get,” she said. “It has been about two years in the making.”

Armstrong said they have space for a few more entrepreneurs.

“We hope to see this grow and continue to turn out more businesses into the future,” she said. Though costs are low for each of the tenants, Armstrong said there is some cost involved.

“It is a lease, so they have to rent the space,” she said. “The space is plug and play, so it is an opportunity for them to not have to have a ton of capital upfront. If a (restaurant) business were to go out and start on its own, it would have to rent a space and buy the kitchen equipment – stoves, ovens, fryers, etc. That is a big capital expense upfront.”

Patrons can try a flight of cheesecake from FiveThumbsUp. Photo Courtesy of Greater Green Bay Chamber Facebook Page

Armstrong said there was an application process in picking which entrepreneurs would fill the space.

“Though there was an application process, it was a lot of dialogue. It wasn’t a flat process – we had conversations about where they were in their journey, how much experience they had, were they trainable or coachable, etc,” she said. “Believe it or not, there are entrepreneurs out there who might not want the help – they want to do it their way. They might be the first to go out of business, no matter what space they’re in. You have to be open and willing to accept mentorship.”

Hearing from the tenants
The space’s first early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs include:

Irie Jamaican – flavors of the Caribbean with dishes like curried goat, oxtail and jerk chicken (owner: Dexter Thompson).Olive’s Pizza & Sandwiches – pizzas and sandwiches crafted to satisfy your cravings (owner: Carrie Schmechel).Colombian Flavors – tastes of Colombia with authentic family recipes, featuring arepas and other classic dishes using fresh ingredients and spices (owner: Erly Barajas).FiveThumbsUp – offering a variety of our cheesecake options, including by the slice, dipped, flights and whole cakes (owner: Jill Schultz).Honey and Cream Café – breakfast favorites from pancakes to omelettes (owner: Gio Sanvicente).
All establishments are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with the exception of Honey and Cream Café, which is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sample menus for each restaurant can all be viewed online, at thecannerygb.com.

Sanvicente, owner of Honey and Cream Café, said he was a diner of the original Cannery when it was open.

Gio Sanvicente

“I was sad to hear about The Cannery closing (a few years ago),” he said. “When I heard Proof was coming in to help mentor and keep that upfront cost low, I jumped at it. Having Mia from Proof helps us push those boundaries – I am blessed to be here.”

Sanvicente said he likes the open kitchen concept the space has to offer.

“Being able to see the customers is a cool thing,” he said. “It is nice to see smiles on their faces.”

Sanvicente said if it was not for the program, he might not be able to do something like this.

“I do not think it would have been feasible for me,” he said. “Proof has made it possible. Ultimately, the dream is to move on from The Cannery. The space is amazing, but I think that is what we all want.”

Schultz, owner of FiveThumbsUp said though she’s been making cheesecakes for years, she couldn’t afford to rent or buy a space on her own.

Jill Schultz

“When this came around, I also jumped at the opportunity,” she said. “It gives me the ability to make and sell cheesecakes to the community – which is what I want.”

FiveThumbsUp sells whole cheesecakes or by the slice – which are also available dipped or in a flight.

“My favorite thing is the cheesecake flights,” Schultz said. “I have a flight board with my logo, and you can sample four cheesecake flavors. I also have samplers you can try.”

Schultz said her cheesecake journey “started simple.”

“I made one for a party,” she said. “I kept going with it, and then I had people start asking me to make cheesecakes for their family functions. I never imagined it would turn into this, but here I am – it has been a dream come true.”

Anyone interested in becoming a test kitchen resident, can find out more at thecannerygb.com.

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