food always brings
people together

This food hub helps you launch and grow!

Rentable commercial kitchens
FREE food business startup guidance
Professional equipment to use
Monthly leasable full-access kitchen spaces
Ongoing professional business consulting for users
Dry storage and large-scale refrigerated storage
Community cooking classes (for youth and adults)
Workshops & events
Much more!

See how Zest is changing how food is done in the Shuswap.

FREE Support & Consulting

24/7 365 Access

Built for Access, NOT for Profit

There's no single way to use Zest - and that's the point

Is Zest For You?

Folks with "Big Food Ideas"

Community Groups & Organizations

Farmers Market & Small-Scale Producers

Home Cooks Needing More Space

Cooking Class Instructors & Workshop Hosts

Established Food Businesses Scaling Up

An exterior photograph of Zest Commercial Food Hub, a bright yellow, industrial-style building

WhAT EQUIPMENT CAN I USE AT ZEST?

We are a community resource designed to lower barriers to commercial kitchen access. We also have hundreds of "smallware" items, such as mixing bowls, wooden spoons, measuring cups, whisks, pots and pans, bench scrapers, and more.

Commercial large-scale mixers
Food-processors
Robot Coups
Immersion blenders
Slicers
Stainless steel prep tables

Prep & Production

Walk-In rentable refrigeration
High-speed blast freezer
Commercial fridges and freezers

Refrigeration & Freezing

Commercial vacuum sealers
Portioning and weighing tools
Cooling racks
Stainless steel prep tables
Sauce bottlers

Packaging & Finishing

Commercial ranges
Large-capacity convection ovens
Baking racks and sheet pans
Stock pots
Cooking vessels
Canning equipment

Cooking & Baking

Large-scale dehydrator
Freeze dryer
Large-batch canning and preserving equipment
Rentable dry storage

Processing & Harvesting

High-temperature commercial dishwasher
Designated hand-wash and sanitation stations
Large-size wash sinks
Food-safe compliant cleaning systems

Cleaning & Sanitizing

WHAT'S THE PROCESS?

1

Tour

Come see the space in person - A tour is the best way to understand how Zest works, what equipment is available, and how it’ll be a good fit for what you want to do.

2

Onboarding

We’ll help you get ready to use the kitchen safely and confidently. For food businesses, this includes support with Interior Health requirements, food safety plans, and insurance. For personal or community use, we’ll walk you through our waiver and expectations.

3

Schedule

Pick the option that fits your needs, and change it as you grow. Options include hourly drop-in, seasonal use, ongoing access, anchor tenant space, or cold storage and reefer access.

You'll make an account on Food Corridor, the booking system Zest uses.

4

Use

Let’s get cooking! Use the space for production, classes, batch cooking, or community projects. On your schedule, with the equipment you need.

5

Grow

As you keep using Zest, you can tap into mentorship, workshops, and our community network. Whether you’re building skills, refining a product, or scaling up, we’re here to support your next step.

food always brings people together