ReGrained is one of the many successful startups that has come through KitchenTown in the past five years.  They have successfully scaled their production nation-wide from our commercial kitchen, closed multiple rounds of investment funding, and partnered with Barilla on their upcycled Super Grain flour – you could say they are somewhat of a poster child of what can happen when you work at KitchenTown.  I sat down with Phil Saneski, VP of Product and Commander-in-Chef at ReGrained to get the inside scoop about what it’s like working here every day.

KT: How has KitchenTown helped ReGrained scale-up?

Phil: KitchenTown has the infrastructure, equipment and production space that has allowed ReGrained to gain the growth velocity we need to scale up into over 1,000 locations nationally. As we continue to grow our brand, KitchenTown’s ample capabilities support the volume we need to get into large distributors and retailers. KitchenTown is also connected to large food brands as well as leading food & beverage organizations all over the world looking to meet the most emerging brands face-to-face here in the Silicon Valley. ReGrained has greatly benefited from exploring these conversations and building long-term relationships.

What is the benefit of being a KitchenTown Maker?

Beyond the production space, the talented KitchenTown team can mentor early-stage food companies scale-up. Every food startup is different and KitchenTown stays in constant contact with their makers about how to troubleshoot their biggest obstacles. It’s helpful to have direct access to the experience of the KitchenTown team as well as food industry veterans within their ecosystem.

Some company founders have a background different from the food industry; which is great because KitchenTown has a diverse community of passionate makers all scaling up their companies who bring their unique viewpoint to cultivating a successful food brand. KitchenTown makers go through many of the same early-stage obstacles and being able to openly share how to push through speed bumps is helpful. There isn’t one single blueprint for how to build a multi-million dollar food company, so having makers organically share their success stories really fosters the cross-pollination of knowledge to then autonomously continue to grow. From the KitchenTown team to their experienced network to the makers, we are all truly trying to create a better food system for the world we want to live in. I’m inspired by conversations I have with people at KitchenTown everyday.

How is KitchenTown different from other commercial kitchens?

Aside from KitchenTown being the gold standard commercial kitchen, I absolutely love the events the KitchenTown team organizes–anything from sensory tastings to product development expert panels to how to best manage e-commerce platforms to launching a crowdfunding campaign. You don’t necessarily have to be a KitchenTown maker to attend these events; in fact it’s encouraged if you are new to the food industry. KitchenTown elevates the overall awareness of what it’s like to start and grow a food company. Their thinking and impact is beyond the commercial kitchen. Like the aromatic bread that comes out of their bakeries, KitchenTown is creating a live culture that brings people into the food system whilst engages the information sponges whom are already part of being the mother starter, per se. Through being a KitchenTown maker, you’re encouraged to customize events valuable to your business needs.

KitchenTown also has a delicious cafe connected to a petite retail location where makers can literally walk over to see their product on the shelf. It’s an approachable starting point in to collect data. The cafe is also a fun place to have meetings and during those long production days, having tasty food close by can be clutch!

Anything else you’d like to share about your experience as a KT Maker?

Looking forward to our next ReGrained dinner popup at KitchenTown, stay tuned 🙂