GRAFTON, N.D. — The Red River Regional Council has begun the next phase of the process to open The Reyleck in Grafton. A new Food Entrepreneur Survey will be conducted to assess the project’s main priorities in addressing a food-based business for the community.
The project, which had been attempting to get off the ground for years, comes from the RRRC, an independent consulting group that is partnering with local government and businesses.
“We are reminding people that we have a 1,400 square foot shared commercial kitchen in here for ‘food-penuers’ and taking those thoughts from those that are really interested in food in different ways,” Project manager Brenda Bauman said.
This could include food truck proprietors, cottage food producers or anyone who could be selling products at farmers’ markets. The Reyleck will serve as a point of entry for a restaurateur who wants to practice running a business.
“Anyone who wants to take their food to the next level. The jelly or the jam maker who is making it in their kitchen, when maybe they have such a unique product that they want to bring it to market, we’ll have a space to allow these types of businesses to be able to experiment and grow,” Bauman said.
Through this survey, the project team is gathering input that will help shape how food entrepreneurs are supported as they start, grow, and scale their ideas. It is the second survey RRRC has done, with the first being done in 2022.
Insights from the first survey were what brought the food incubator to life as well as an additional food source. This most recent survey is likely to be extended in order to get to the level of response of the first survey.
“We’re inviting everyone in Region 4 to help decide what this place should be for them. The community gets to decide, the space is that flexible,” Bauman said.
There were 42 respondents of the first survey, 19 of whom were “interested or very interested in the kitchen incubator concept.”
“While the number may seem low, it is actually a pretty strong number when you think of opportunities in rural markets that expressed quite a bit of interest in the food side of it,” Bauman said.
The project has been running smoothly since its ribbon-cutting and official naming ceremony in November. Construction and renovation are on time and on budget. The plan is to be open by the first quarter of 2027.
The project is being sponsored by a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, along with Red River Regional Council, Polar Communications, Marvin Windows, U.S. Bank Foundation and Walsh County, collaborating for a 20% match.
The venue can also operate as a 100-person event space, which could go beyond the scope of food.
Community members can complete the survey by visiting
www.TheReyleck.com
.
Digital Content Producer and Sports Reporter at the Grand Forks Herald since December of 2020. Maxwell can be contacted at mmarko@gfherald.com.
Dining and Cooking