Food, glorious food

There are two really exciting things on the City Council’s agenda tonight.  This is probably one of the more exciting things to be proposed for Alameda Point since Lawrence Berkeley Labs, if you like food, and I love food.

This is the food incubator that Alameda Point Partners had dangled before us previously and now it appears as though they are going to make good on their promise.  They’re taking the two buildings across the street from the Bladium, from the staff report:

707 West Tower Avenue, LLC was formed to create a space for food and beverage makers to come together in a shared large scale food manufacturing facility. Building 9 will be multi-tenanted, targeting artisan beverage and food incubators and producers. Local entrepreneurs and small companies will share resources and collaboratively grow their retail and wholesale businesses. The multi-tenanted premises will be used for light manufacturing, including food and beverage production, warehouse and distribution, training, and retail sales on-site.

The following is a list of prospective tenants at Building 9 under 707 West Tower Ave., LLC:

• Biagio Artisan Meats – USDA certified commercial meat processor

• JC Cellers – Urban Winery & Tasting Room

• Alameda Point Collaborative & Ceres Community Project – Culinary Kitchen and Classroom

• Food Shift – Food waste/sustainability

• PRESERVE Sonoma – Food preservation company and artisanal co-packer

• Baia Pasta – Italian pasta makers

• Whole Foods Market Food Incubator/Accelerator Program

• Food Craft Institute – Non-profit, food-making, educational institution focusing on food-making techniques and entrepreneurial skills

• A Number of Emerging Bay Area Food Makers: Sosu Sauces, MamaTong Soups, Muffin Revolution, Alicia’s Tamales, etc.

Ultimately, 707 West Tower Ave., LLC wants to make Building 9 a food and beverage destination. It will be open to public for tours and will be a space to host community events, cooking classes, food trucks/markets, urban homesteading workshops, and conferences in the future.

And:

651 West Tower Avenue, LLC was formed to create a space for food and beverage makers to come together in a shared large scale food manufacturing facility. Building 91 will be multi-tenanted, targeting artisan beverage and food incubators and producers. Local entrepreneurs and small companies will share resources and collaboratively grow their retail and wholesale businesses. The multi-tenanted premises will be used for light manufacturing, including food and beverage production, warehouse and distribution, training, and retail sales on-site.

The following is a list of prospective tenants at Building 91 under 651 West Tower Ave., LLC:

• California Craft Maltings – California’s first artisan malting facility

• Roast Coffee – Bay Area’s first urban flour mill

• The Granary – artisanal, small batch specialty coffee roaster

Ultimately, 651 West Tower Ave., LLC wants to make Building 91 a food and beverage destination. It will be open to public for tours and will be a space to host community events, cooking classes, food trucks/markets, urban homesteading workshops, and conferences in the future.

If done properly with the right sort of draw it could be a huge anchor for that neighborhood and really be something new, innovative and different.  The food and beverage hook is really appropriate for the direction that a portion of Alameda Point has already moved in with Spirits Alley.   For more information about the specifics businesses, check out this document.