Raising Dough: Creative Funding Strategies for Food & Beverage Manufacturers and Shared Kitchens is a 3-part virtual learning series helping food and beverage manufacturers and shared kitchen operators navigate the financial challenges of growth. Each session brings together perspectives from both key support organizations and the makers themselves, offering practical, real-world strategies for building a more sustainable business.
Learning Series: Raising Dough
Creative Funding Strategies for Food & Beverage Manufacturers
Raising Dough featuring Hot Bread Kitchen & BiBi Bakery
HBK’s Seed–Start–Scale model pairs capital, human-centered services, and industry-specific resources to overcome funding, regulatory, and operational barriers. BiBi Bakery’s journey shows the program’s real-world impact on business growth and community engagement.
Participants
Emma Myers | Senior Director of Small Business Programs at Hot Bread Kitchen
Lena Derisavifard | Owner & Founder of BiBi Bakery
Moderated by Audra Ladd
Raising Dough featuring Proof Incubator
Proof Incubator’s hands-on and flexible incubation - which combines mentorship, training, and advice - helps food and beverage entrepreneurs become financially viable. It helps them clarify costs, market fit, and scaling plans, while leveraging community relationships and collaborative regional partnerships.
Participants
Mike Robinson | Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Proof Incubator
Kaleena Goldsworthy | Chief Operating Officer, Proof Incubator
Moderated by Audra Ladd
Raising Dough featuring MI Good Food Fund and Pietrzyk Pierogi
The Michigan Good Food Fund’s CDFI-backed, de‑risked lending and technical assistance helps community-led food ventures access tailored capital. Pietrzyk Pierogi’s journey from pop‑up to a storefront using creative small-scale financing illustrates how planning, financial literacy, and lender relationships drive growth.
Participants
RJ Archambo | Investment Manager, Michigan Good Food Fund
Erica Pietrzyk | Owner & Founder of Pietrzyk Pierogi
Moderated by Audra Ladd
Related Resources
Findings Report: Raising Dough
Creative Funding Strategies for Food & Beverage Manufacturers
June 2026
View Resource