Timeline
October 2015 - June 2016
Areas of focus
Service Design · Strategy
Description
For my year long thesis project at Syracuse University's Industrial & Interaction Design, I chose to focus on 3 overlapping areas of interest: incubators and makerspaces, local farms and food systems, and communities of entrepreneurship. I sought ways to strengthen local food systems, utilize the harvest and create opportunities for food businesses. I studied incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces, compared old and new food business models, and traveled around upstate NY visiting farmers, markets, food hubs, food banks and community kitchens.
A FOOD SYSTEM IN CRISIS
LOCAL AND SPECIALTY FOODS OPPORTUNITY
LOCAL FOOD BUSINESS NEEDS SUPPORT
LINC is a local food incubator that provides the facilities, expertise, sourcing and distribution to help entrepreneurs start and develop local food businesses.
LINC EVENTS
As both proof of concept and Co-Design events, these popups brought farmers, chefs, distributors, designers, entrepreneurs, makers, students and teachers together around local food, to brainstorm products and businesses that add value to local food systems.
Attendees were given a miniature version of an accelerator course; including tours, presentations, discussion questions and a local food business development toolkit. After a locally sourced dinner served on farm, they were challenged to create a product or service that extends local ingredients, elevates a farm to table experience or utilizes a locally produced waste or underused product.
A LOCAL FOOD INCUBATOR
