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What is the East Kent Colleges Group Innovation Kitchen?

EKC Innovation Kitchen at The Yarrow, Broadstairs

A bright, fully-equipped space with expert support to help micro and small businesses develop new products and streamline production

Who is the kitchen for?

The EKC Innovation Kitchen has been designed to support new product development for food businesses of any size, and to provide micro and small food businesses with a professional kitchen space to scale up and optimise their production processes.

Flexible and affordable

Small businesses told us that the costs of full-time premise hire can be a blocker to growth, so we’re offering half or full day bookings for the EKC Innovation Kitchen, giving businesses the flexibility to book ad-hoc or regular sessions, and to scale production up or down depending on demand.

A configurable space

We’ve invested in specialist equipment to support production processes across a range of food categories. Our Technical Consultant will advise businesses on the best equipment and configuration of the kitchen space to create an efficient production process for their product, so that businesses can get the most out of their time in the EKC Innovation Kitchen.

You will also have access to advice from our Food Innovation technical consultant who can provide support and training on:   

  • HACCP planning 
  • Product formulation and ingredient costing  
  • Nutrition calculations 
  • Food labelling guidance  
  • Production process flow 
  • Sensory and consumer testing 
  • Full Product Manual Development 
  • Flexible, affordable access to a professional kitchen space 

Our Technical Consultant

The EKC Innovation Kitchen is run by Daphne Besseling. With an MBA and BSc in Accounting, Daphne is also a postgraduate degree holder at the University of Greenwich in Food Innovations.

Daphne is a local food entrepreneur and trained in Gastronomy, Nutrition and Food Trends at Le Cordon Bleu, London.

She has both qualifications in Supervising Food Safety & Hygiene as well as HACCP for Food Manufacturing. Daphne is also an active Associate Member of the Royal Society of Public Health and holds an accreditation in Algal Biotechnology with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

The Food Community

As part of a vibrant food ecosystem in Kent, EKC Innovation Kitchen can also signpost to other partners with relevant expertise as you look to grow your business.

Want to find out more?

Click here to get in touch with us about booking a half or a whole-day at our kitchen space at The Yarrow in Broadstairs.

Book a tour of the EKC Innovation Kitchen here.

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