Helping small businesses get others to try out their in-store experience

COMSTOCK PARK, MI — One local small business is helping other small businesses get started. Cooking Connection helps you connect the dots in complex and costly processes.

“Years ago, we opened up space with permission to other food companies and asked them if this is what they wanted to do and what they were good at,” said Holly Del Rosario, managing partner at Cooking Connection. I checked to see if that was the case.”

Starting a business isn't easy, even with state laws in place to ease the burden.

Del Rosario explained: “Michigan's Cottage Food Law allows certain classes of foods to be produced outside the home, cottage. These are foods that generally pose no risk to public health. That is, cookies, cakes, muffins, You can't control the time or the temperature, like pie.”

Transitioning from selling baked goods to owning a business is “a very scary step for a small business to take. Many places want a five-year lease from you, but you can't go next month.” We don't know if we'll be there or not, and we don't need to worry about it in five years,” Del Rosario said. “So a lot of small businesses either stay there, their growth is really stunted, or they go out of business because they don’t want to take the next step.”

Cooking Connection provides licensed facilities to test it.

“Some people have tried it before and weren't successful, but at least they didn't have to cash out their 401(k) to do it,” Del Rosalia said.

Jacqueline Omrich told 13 ON YOUR SIDE: There aren't many safe places for us and people like us. It is not always accepted in different places. ”

She is the owner of The Coffee Crew, the latest company to take advantage of this incubator business.

“I work with 13 adults with disabilities,” Homrich said.

Del Rosario said there is a “great workforce that is largely underutilized” when it comes to people with special needs. “They're very supportive of each other and have spent 35 years in the business world, so I think corporate America can learn a lot about how they operate.”

Homrich said: “A space where you can not only be yourself, but where you can succeed and grow a business where everyone can be passionate and find small ways to move forward in their lives. How important is this? I can't tell you how much of an opportunity it is for people like me and for us.”

“I've been fortunate enough to see and experience what great workers they are. They want to be here. Their families want them to be here. They're pretty capable. If you look at our facility, they've got adjustments in place to be able to operate there safely,” Del Rosario said.

Homrich says of the people she works with: We have cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism and learning disabilities. ”

This does not mean that people with special needs should be automatically counted.

“In some cases, people who have a disability in one area may actually excel in another. Autism can make it difficult to do certain tasks, but it can be difficult to do other tasks. It can get easier. You're more laser focused. Your ability to get things done can be better than others,” Homrich said.

The Coffee Crew is a coffee roasting company that grinds and roasts coffee beans.

“We also make Java chip cookies and Java muffins in the store, so this is using our coffee,” Homrich said, pointing to the baked goods in front of the counter. “With help, they all want to be able to do whatever they want and be able to run a business.”

The Coffee Crew will be hosting an event on Saturday, May 4th. There, you can meet the crew and learn more about what they have to offer. It's called Caffeine Connect and will be held at a location on West River Drive in Comstock Park.

►We want to make it easy for you to stay up to date with articles like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app today.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.complease visit us Facebook page or twitter.please subscribe YouTube channel.

Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stickand on your phone.