The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Detroit
There are more resources than ever before for owners of food businesses in the city. But there’s still more work to be done.
MY UPBRINGING IN South Louisiana provided a strong foundation and appreciation for community, the origins of food and the importance of supporting local, family-owned businesses. Everyday life for me and my family included cooking and eating food grown in my grandfather’s gardens, participating in boucheries (communal harvesting and breaking down of a pig) and purchasing from the local butcher, sweet shops and family-owned corner stores. It symbolized a collective of entrepreneurs, even if no one saw themselves as such, who worked to serve, feed and enrich not only themselves but their communities as a whole.
I knew at a very early age that I wanted to have a career in food. With a love of both hospitality and culinary, I charted a strategic educational and career path that kept me on the more corporate side of the food industry for many years. However, my true purpose emerged as I engaged more deeply with the rich food and entrepreneurial community here in Detroit. Unsurprisingly, this shift resonated strongly with my Louisiana roots, which provided the perfect soil to cultivate a more vibrant, supportive ecosystem for food entrepreneurs in the city.
Across Detroit, the low barrier to entry in the food industry has made it an attractive option for many aspiring entrepreneurs. From home kitchens to farmers markets to pop-ups, Detroiters are creating innovative food businesses every day. As a city where the success of one is celebrated as the success of all, Detroit has a collaborative spirit that is uniquely ours. So for a city that is fueled by entrepreneurship, collaboration and innovation, having a robust ecosystem of small-business support organizations is key to creating and sustaining networks of like-minded people who can share knowledge, resources and support.
While Detroit’s small-business ecosystem is strong, there’s a growing need for industry-specific resources. For example, food businesses face unique challenges—from recipe standardization to navigating licensing requirements. This major gap in resources led to the creation of In the Business of Food (IBF Detroit), a food-based consulting agency that I started in 2016, which offers tailored support and industry-specific resources to food entrepreneurs. At IBF Detroit, we develop curriculum and facilitate workshops and classes, as well as offer one-on-one coaching and programming in partnership with organizations like Eastern Market, BasBlue and ProsperUs Detroit.
I first met Keiera Bradley, owner of Kei to Health through an eight-week food business cohort that I hosted in partnership with ProsperUs Detroit. However, it was through the BasBlue’s Chef-in-Residence Fellowship program, the first-of-its-kind 26-week fellowship for early-stage woman-owned food businesses, where I had the pleasure of working closely with Keiera to learn more about her business. Kei to Health is a Detroit-based food business that offers meal prep, catering and educational workshops and cooking instruction, and Keiera quickly became drawn to Detroit’s energy, opportunity and community.
“I was introduced to Detroit through friends and started to enjoy the city on visits,” she says.
“I did a pop-up here with another vegan chef years ago, and when I was considering my next move I decided to move here,” says Keiera, who was living in New Orleans at the time.
Originally from California, she grew up in an area that lacked access to healthy and fresh food and saw firsthand the impact that had on her family’s health. That drove her to launch Kei to Health.
“The entrepreneurial ecosystems in California and Detroit each have their unique advantages. In California, particularly in LA, there are abundant resources, access to capital and a huge, diverse market, but the competition is intense and costs are high. It can be challenging to stand out, especially in saturated industries, and the cost of living and doing business can add pressure.”
In contrast, “Detroit, on the other hand, has a much more supportive and community-oriented atmosphere,” she adds. “The lower cost of living and doing business makes it easier to start and sustain a business, and the city’s revitalization efforts have created strong local networks and resources for entrepreneurs. While funding opportunities might be more limited here compared to California, the close-knit, collaborative nature of the Detroit community has been a big help to me, and it feels easier to connect with others who genuinely want to see you succeed. Both places have their pros and cons, but for me, Detroit has offered a more accessible and nurturing environment to grow my business.”
Keiera is a great example of an entrepreneur who has invested in her business by taking advantage of the food business resources that we’ve added to the small business ecosystem here in Detroit. Providing accessible programming is necessary to ensure food entrepreneurs have the same opportunities as Kei. In providing even greater access, IBF Detroit started Ask an Expert where anyone looking to start, grow or scale a food business has direct access to food experts in everything from consumer packaged goods to retail pricing to mental health concerns. These 30-minute virtual sessions have been helpful for entrepreneurs to ask any questions without the time commitment of having to participate in a six-week cohort or a two-hour workshop. “The Ask an Expert program has been an extremely impactful and beneficial resource when I need a quick answer that is specific to my business,” says Keirsten Johnson, owner of Kookies by Keirsten.
Despite this tremendous progress, there is still more work to be done. For starters, access to commercial kitchen space is a significant barrier for many aspiring food businesses. While not exactly scarce, there are more food entrepreneurs that want to get licensed than there is space for them to become a licensed food business. We also need to continue to develop more food industry-specific training programs, create funding opportunities tailored to food businesses, foster partnerships between established businesses and new entrepreneurs, and provide much-needed resources for our more seasoned food businesses as well. It is now time for all of us—policymakers, investors, advocates, funders and community members—to come together in support of our food businesses. It is time to nourish these innovators and food makers in the same way they’ve nourished all of us as the backbone and anchors of our communities.
Ederique Goudia is a chef and food business leader who teaches classes and facilities workshops for food businesses at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey. When she’s not helping entrepreneurs, she loves to explore new restaurants, travel, and listen to true crime podcasts.
