For makers and farms

Co-packers, shared kitchens and food business help in Ohio

Q: Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you still make the product yourself, rent time in a licensed shared or commissary kitchen. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production.

28 businesses and programs in Ohio that help small food makers and farms make, store and move product: 9 co-packers, 12 shared kitchens, 3 programs and official lists, and 4 cold storage companies, distributors, processors and suppliers.

9Co-packers
12Shared kitchens
3Programs and lists
28Listings in all

Get listed Ohio cottage food law Shops that carry small makers in Ohio

Programs and official lists in Ohio

3 listed. Start here. State and university programs that help food businesses with recipes, safety plans and licensing, and the public lists they keep.

OSU Extension Food Business Central
Columbus, OH · fcs.osu.edu
Online course for starting a food business in Ohio
Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center (Ohio State University)
Columbus, OH · foodindustries.osu.edu
Pilot plants, product development help, process control and HACCP training
CIFT (Center for Innovative Food Technology)
Toledo, OH · ciftinnovation.org
Food product development and technical help; operates the NOCK kitchen

Co-packers in Ohio

9 listed. Contract manufacturers that make and pack your recipe in a licensed plant. Co-packers in Ohio has its own page.

Cassie's Country Cupboarddry mixes spices
Celina, OH · cassiescountrycupboard.com · source
Spice blends, dry soup mixes and baking mixes
JES Foodssaucesfrozendry mixes spicesproduce
Celina, OH · jesfoods.com · source
Frozen sauces, shelf-stable broths, processed produce, custom dry blends
Hinkle Fine Foodssaucessalsajams preserves
Dayton, OH · hinklefinefoods.com · source
Acidified and low-acid products, hot and cold fill, glass and plastic
Signature Saucessauces
Independence, OH · signaturesauces.com · source
Custom sauces for restaurant and foodservice customers
Milo's Whole World Gourmetsauces
Nelsonville, OH · miloswholeworld.com · source
Co-packing and product development services
Waggoner Chocolatesconfections chocolatebaked goods
North Canton, OH · waggonerchocolates.com · source
Chocolate, candy and cookies
To-Go Packssauces
Rockbridge, OH · to-gopacks.com · source
Portion-control sauce packets, pouches, bottles and jars
Woeber Mustard Mfg. Co.saucesoils vinegars
Springfield, OH · woebermustard.com · source
Mustards, condiments and vinegar
Patter Fam Foodssaucessmall batch
Wheelersburg, OH · patterfamsauces.com · source
Small runs from about 10 gallons; development and branding help

Shared and commissary kitchens in Ohio

12 listed. Licensed kitchens you rent by the hour or month, often with storage and business help. Shared and commissary kitchens in Ohio has its own page.

Akron Food Works
Akron, OH · thewellakron.com · source
Kitchen access plus business incubation, run by The Well CDC
ACEnet Food Ventures Centersmall batch
Athens, OH · acenetworks.org · source
Nonprofit shared-use processing kitchen and business incubator
Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen (NOCK)saucessalsapickles fermentssmall batch
Bowling Green, OH · ciftinnovation.org
Round-the-clock shared kitchen, third-party audited, with bottling line
StarkFresh Food Incubation Center
Canton, OH · starkfresh.org · source
Nonprofit food incubation kitchen
Essential Commissary
Cincinnati, OH · essentialcommissary.com · source
Commissary for food trucks and makers, open around the clock
Findlay Kitchen
Cincinnati, OH · findlaykitchen.org · source
Nonprofit incubator with 11 licensed kitchens and storage
Prep Kitchen-CLE
Cleveland, OH · prepkitchencle.com · source
Three rentable kitchen spaces, hourly rates, no membership fee
Food Fort (ECDI)
Columbus, OH · ecdi.org · source
Kitchen space, equipment, training and access to capital
6888 Kitchen Incubator
Dayton, OH · source
Seven equipped kitchen stations for food startups
The Commercial Kitchen in Euclid
Euclid, OH · cityofeuclid.gov
City-run rentable commercial kitchen
The Woodward Kitchen
Mount Vernon, OH · thewoodwardkitchen.com · source
Membership commissary kitchen in the Woodward Opera House
Local Roots Market and Cafe Kitchen
Wooster, OH · localrootswooster.com · source
Rentable kitchen at a producer cooperative market

Cold storage and fulfillment in Ohio

1 listed. Refrigerated and frozen warehousing, and companies that pick, pack and ship orders for food brands. Ask about minimums, since some mostly serve larger brands.

Interstate Cold Storage (Columbus)frozen
Columbus, OH · interstatecoldstorage.com
Public refrigerated and frozen warehousing; also in Napoleon

Distributors and food hubs in Ohio

3 listed. Specialty, natural and local food distributors, and food hubs that aggregate from small producers.

Our Harvest Cooperativeproduce
Cincinnati, OH · ourharvest.coop · source
Worker-owned farm and food hub
Oberlin Food Hubproduce
Cleveland, OH · oberlinfoodhub.com · source
Nonprofit hub aggregating local farm products for wholesale buyers
Yellowbird Foodshedproduce
Mount Vernon, OH · yellowbirdfs.com · source
Aggregates and delivers Ohio farm and artisan foods

Suppliers that ship to Ohio

Packaging, fulfillment and distribution are mostly national. See insulated boxes, gel packs and dry ice, jars, labels and boxes, cold storage and fulfillment and specialty food distributors. For the how-to, read how to start cold shipping and shipping supplies for food makers.

Get listed, or fix a listing

Co-packer, shared kitchen, packaging supplier, cold storage or distributor that works with small food makers and farms? Send the details and we will add you. Listings are free. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Software and setup for makers

Madeline's sets up the back office for small food makers and farms: inventory and lot tracking, shipping and cold chain, wholesale ordering, recipe costing and labels and more. See Artisanal Solutions, or sell on the Madeline's marketplace.

Questions

What is a co-packer?

A co-packer (contract packer) is a licensed food plant that makes and packs your product to your recipe. You own the brand and the recipe. They own the equipment, the inspections and the labor. Most ask for a minimum run, so call several and compare minimums, price per unit and what they will source for you.

Shared kitchen or co-packer: which do I need?

If you are still making it yourself, rent time in a shared or commissary kitchen. It is licensed, so you can sell beyond cottage food limits. When orders outgrow your own hands, a co-packer takes over production. Many makers use a kitchen for a year or two first.

Where does this list come from?

From public lists kept by state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and from each business's own site. Listings that came from a public list link to that source. A listing is not an endorsement, so check licensing, insurance and minimums yourself.

How do I get listed or fix a listing?

Use the form on this page. Listings are free.

Sources: public lists from state agriculture departments, university extension and food innovation centers, and each business's own site. Listings are independent businesses and are not affiliated with Madeline's. A listing is not an endorsement.