Union Kitchen

09/30/2024

Our Accelerator Brands showed up in force at Art All Night NoMa at Alethia Tanner Park! Events like these are the perfect opportunity to test out products in development and get feedback from consumers--not to mention supporting the local community!

Big shout outs to , , , , , and Vertable Foods for showing up and representing our ecosystem!

09/13/2024

It's always a pleasure working with different groups associated with the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program! This week, our Accelerator Director Barney Rubin met with a delegation of female entrepreneurs from Serbia along with the team from Iowa State University to discuss entrepreneurship and exchange ideas! We look forward to more visits from the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program.

08/31/2024

Really no caption needed. speaks for itself ♥️

07/31/2024

Need a midweek pick-me-up? Stop by ! 🥯✨

From humble beginnings to bagel brilliance! Pop's Bagels' journey began in 2016 with a simple idea: stuffed bagel holes sold at DC farmers markets. After joining the Union Kitchen Accelerator in 2017, Pop's has risen to new heights. Today, they produce over 35,000 units of bread weekly for 40 restaurants and have expanded into more than 100 retail accounts, including Whole Foods Market, with their signature stuffed bagel holes. Now, we're thrilled to announce their newest venture: a pop-up location serving up delicious, freshly-baked bagels!

🎉 Now open: Pop's Bagels at 1625 Eckington Pl NE, Washington DC 20002

Indulge in their mouthwatering freshly baked bagels and delicious bagel sandwiches!

Your next bagel adventure awaits! 🥯❤️

07/30/2024

Did somebody say Pinsa? Pinsa Love, founded by Jordan Fainberg, has a pop-up shop in Eckington where he is serving up Pinsas to pizza aficionados and pizzaiolos at heart! 🍕❤️

Jordan started Pinsa Love in 2021 and since then has expanded his CPG Pizzas and Pinsas to over 400 stores nationwide and you can now enjoy fresh Pinsas daily at his pop-up! Stop by today and feel the love!

07/26/2024

We were 100% spoiled today with a sneak peak sampling from

07/24/2024

🥯🥯you can never have enough bagels in your life. founded by Grant Sarvis is opening their pop up this Friday highly recommend their poki bagel

07/22/2024

Are you tired of the same old soggy fries from the frozen foods aisle? Jesse and Ben's Frozen Fries are here to save the day! 🍟

👨‍🍳 Jesse and Ben’s story in a nutshell:
Jesse and Ben, two DC food truck buddies turned restaurateurs, set out to create fries that were both delicious and better for you. After transforming their food truck into a brick-and-mortar storefront, they received high praise for their fries' quality. Recognizing the need for improvement in the frozen french fry aisle, they launched their own brand called Jesse and Ben’s. The result? Crispy, golden fries that are oven and air-fryer-friendly, without the drawbacks of "Big Potato" products. Using all-natural ingredients without preservatives and harmful seed oils, these aren't just fries – they're food you can feel good about eating! 🥔🍟

Grab a bag (or two) and get ready to be the MVP of your next meal! 😍

07/19/2024

🚨Product Launch Alert! Meet Augustin Leclerq de Lannoy, founder and CEO of Les Recettes D'Augustin! A certified butcher by trade, Augustin aims to elevate the sausages you love through launching his brand of clean-label, simple ingredient, and most importantly, DELICIOUS Beef, Pork, and Merguez Sausages.

Augustin is launching into the market with a product that people want and it took him under 120 days to do so! Join us in congratulating him on this milestone!

07/11/2024

We're finally open at Dulles Airport! Now all travelers on Concourse D can sample our awesome local products and support our local businesses.

Stop by on your way in or on your way out and go support your favorite local business and help these products FLY off the shelves! 🛫

06/25/2024

A few examples of food and beverage companies that have ✨THRIVED✨ working with Union Kitchen! From delicious empanadas to refreshing, cold-pressed juices, the entrepreneurs behind these amazing companies continue to innovate and shine in the market 😁. Shoutouts to MasPanadas, Caribé Juice, Vegetable and Butcher, SNACKLINS, Compass Coffee, and Jesse and Ben's for crushing it! 🔥

06/24/2024

There's nothing we love more than sharing ideas and hosting the next generation of entrepreneurs! On Friday, our Membership Director hosted an Entrepreneurship class from to share our story and our impact with their students.

The students learned about our ecosystem and our Accelerator and we hope we inspired them to consider CPG as their entrepreneurial projects!

06/13/2024

We get asked a lot what a typical day looks like at Union Kitchen. And the answer is there is no typical day but it will ALWAYS involve food ☺️🙃🤩 today, our Store Director enjoyed samples from and cookie dough bites!

06/11/2024

It’s what dreams are made of 💭 joined our last cohort to package her incredible baked goods starting with a line of the most delicious krispy bar treats 😋 🤤

06/06/2024

🤯are those… new potato chips!? Yes they are! Chef Eron has made magic once again by focusing on making things people want (and then some). Hitting store shelves soon. 👏

06/04/2024

Coffee Superstars! ☕️🇲🇽🤩 Our friends were featured in the Mexican Cultural Institute’s Annual Report for their coffee tasting!

1790 Coffee joined our Accelerator in 2020 and have since launched in Whole Foods, MOM’s Organic, and more local stores. Congrats again to the 1790 team!

05/30/2024

👀 what is this!? New flavor!!!

05/28/2024

🍔 It's National Burger Day so that means another shoutout to Jesse Konig and Ben Johnson of Swizzler Crispy Chicken + Smash Burgers! Jesse and Ben have been a part of our ecosystem for 10 years now and their growth is inspiring to everyone in our community! Keep your 👀 peeled for their new venture Jesse & Ben's as they disrupt the Frozen Fries game and continue their incredible growth. Go support them by getting a burger today!

05/26/2024

Do we need a caption for ? Obsessed! Ben and Jesse started Swizzler in college. Since then, they have grown from a food truck to a restaurant, selling in and a line of fries sold in Whole Foods, sprouts, and our stores ofc 🥳🥳🥳🤩

05/24/2024

Bread, bagels, sandwiches. We’re winning this weekend!Say hi to founder and CEO Grant Sarvis. Grant is manufacturing incredible breads out of our Eckington facility. It also happens to be the bread for breakfast sandwiches and ours too 😊😁

05/22/2024

We love when our founders run product tests in our Kitchen! Meet Abdul Tayyab of . As a member of our Accelerator, Abdul recently joined our kitchen to make his samosa dreams a reality and he was in the office handing out samples while he was product testing. Expect to see his products on the market soon 👀

05/14/2024

Today, we stopped in before our innovation meeting in Rosslyn. It’s been amazing to be a part of their journey from their first location built out of an old laundromat in Shaw to opening their 19th location (and second drive thru) in Virginia. 👏👏

05/06/2024

Sausages, Bottled Water, Kvass, Rice Krispie Treats and More! On Wednesday last week, our latest cohort of entrepreneurs pitched their products to a panel of judges at the beautiful Compass Coffee roastery. Congrats to Cohort 26! Can't wait to see their products on shelves from start to finish in under 90 days.

Big thank you's to Sierra from Gelat’oh, Grant from Popsbuns and Amanda from Ingredion for being great judges and more thank you's to our Preferred Partners , 360 Containers, and Atlas Containers for their support in helping us Build Successful Food Businesses!

03/06/2024

This wednesday 🌧️ has us craving cookies 🍪 and what better way to satisfy that craving than with some delicious Irish Shortbread cookies from GreenIsland Bakery☘️

Caroline Johnston has taken her family recipes and created a thriving CPG brand through owning her own manufacturing. We love what you've built so far Caroline!

03/04/2024

We're with founder and CEO ! 🤩 She's grown her retail line by 600% in 2023 and we can't wait to see what comes next for her! This is why owning your own manufacturing and taking a phased approach to growth will help you build your successful food business!

12/19/2023

🎙️PODCAST ALERT!🎙️Union Kitchen's Founder and CEO Cullen Gilchrist is stepping into the limelight on Dominique Aubry-Morgan's Accelerator Insider podcast. 🎧 Tune in to the podcast episode and hear firsthand how Union Kitchen is revolutionizing the way we think about food entrepreneurship and supporting local businesses. 🌱✨ 👉 Don't miss out on this incredible conversation!

03/16/2023

Did you know that there are over 50 Union Kitchen Accelerator products in Giant Foods? We loved seeing everyone at the Giant Local Vendor summit.

03/13/2023

Start your day with a cup of coffee ☕☕☕

03/08/2023

What's that? Another NEW Compass Coffee cafe! ☕📍435 11th St. NW

Photo cred: Compass Coffee
PS - They have breakfast sandwiches now with ft Popsbuns

03/06/2023

Cheers to Caribe Juice launching in Publix! Luis Solis founded Caribe Juice in 2014 with the goal of bringing the authentic taste of the Caribbean to consumers worldwide and is well on his way. 🥂

03/05/2023

Is there anything better than helping a local business grow? 🚀 Support Ben and the Favor team by investing in their Indiegogo campaign to bring their newest product to market - an Elderberry Immunity Shot!

https://bit.ly/3YgE98C

Favor helps you feel better with effective & drinkable shots - working on a new Immunity Shot now! | Check out 'Favor: Shots That Make You Feel Better' on Indiegogo.

03/03/2023

Meet Grant, the baker extraordinaire behind Pop's Bakery! With a passion for baked goods and a drive to learn, he taught himself the art of bread making 🍞💪Find Grant's work of art on all Union Kitchen breakfast sandwiches.

03/02/2023

Owning your manufacturing means control over quality, efficiency, and the ability to pivot quickly in response to market changes. It's the foundation of building a strong, sustainable business! We're a little bit obsessed with all the amazing food production happening in our ecosystem!

03/01/2023

It's happening! The team at Snacklins is raising investment on Wefunder meaning YOU can invest in your favorite Shark Tank snack success.

https://bit.ly/3J3may4

Invest as little as $100 in startups and small businesses. Wefunder is the largest Regulation Crowdfunding portal.

02/28/2023

🍪 It all started with a cookie...

02/26/2023

Get ready for a sweet surprise at our 9th street store! 🍫💖 Join us TODAY from 11am-1pm for round two with the Ruani team. Hear about founder Ani's pastry journey and try Ruani's delicious brownies.

02/24/2023

CALLING dessert lovers! 🍫 We have a tasty demo today at our 8th street store from 11am - 1pm with Ruani. Meet the founder Ani and try some incredible brownies. From mastering the art of dessert in French fine-dining and on the Food Network, to experiencing the spice-filled streets of India and even attending Chicago's finest pastry schools, Ani has quite the story to tell and even better product to share with you! 😍

02/23/2023

Throwback to the days when Caribe Juice was just a juicy idea in founder Luis' mind while getting his MBA at UVA. ⏩ Fast forward to now, and find Caribe Juice + Wtrmln Wtr in retailers nationwide. It's pretty cool what can happen with the right mix of passion and dedication!

02/21/2023

Our Founder and CEO, Cullen Gilchrist, named as Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University, bringing his wealth of experience and passion for mentorship to the university's entrepreneurial community.

"I am thrilled to join Cornell University as the Entrepreneur in Residence and to have the opportunity to work with the next generation of entrepreneurs," said Gilchrist. "Cornell has a rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship, and I am excited to be a part of that legacy."

https://bit.ly/3XgJpIZ

Cullen Gilchrist, CEO and founder of Union Kitchen, has been named as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell University.

02/20/2023

Have you ever wondered how someone goes from making a product at home to on store shelves and beyond? We love watching our accelerator members like Berg Bites build from producing at home to small batch >> large batch >> continuous!