The New York City Council is hoping to make it easier to operate and grow small local artisanal food and beverage companies, including cheese shops, breweries and other specialty foods and beverage makers.
Because these store formats and manufacturers are increasingly popular with consumers, increasing numbers are opening in neighborhoods all over New York, particularly in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The number of specialty food and beverage manufacturers in New York has grown by more than 11 percent to 1,097 companies in 2012, according to a study by the Pratt Center for Community Development on the industry commissioned by the city council. The specialty food and beverage industry employs about 15,000 New Yorkers.
“This report shows there’s a big appetite for economic growth in our local food and beverage manufacturing industry,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a statement.
However, the study found the city needs to better support burgeoning small businesses so they can become larger companies and employ more New Yorkers.
The report recommends increasing financial assistance for local businesses seeking to sell their products to larger companies, such as creating a modified loan program for small firms. A Specialty Food Industry Development Corp. could address challenges across the sector cooperatively, according to the report.
One suggestion in the report includes creating a co-packing facility for smaller manufacturers to share so that they might fill larger orders and keep production in the city.
“A critical next step for economic growth is for food entrepreneurs to transition from distributing their products themselves to working with other food companies and distributors to get onto more shelves,” said Adam Friedman, director of the Pratt Center for Community Development.
