Jump All In! launches second culinary incubator at Lote 23
The culinary incubator Jump All In! started its second generation in June at the Lote 23 culinary park in Santurce. The group consists of 16 participants from several municipalities across Puerto Rico, some of which have multiple operational locations.
Jump All In! is part of the Small Business Incubators and Accelerators Program of the Puerto Rico Housing Department and is a subrecipient of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds.
“The purpose of Jump All In! is to offer business education to culinary entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses, offerings or simply understand how profitable their businesses are,” explained Cristina Sumaza, executive director of the program. “Our curriculum focuses on providing leadership skills, such as creating a service culture, inventory management, cost structure and processes.”
Out of the 16 new participants, 10 currently have kiosks at the Lote 23’s culinary park.
“Part of the incubator’s offering is that participants can have a kiosk in the park for a year,” explained John Michael Fernández, the incubator’s operations manager. “This allows them to test a new market, in the case of those who already have a location, or start in a public space for the first time.”
Among those with a kiosk at Lote 23 are BoxLab, a craft beer venture from Aguadilla; Pa’l Cilantro, which highlights Caribbean flavors; Míster Flautas, which specializes in Mexican food; GoFresh, a healthy fast-food establishment with its third location at Lote 23; Come y Calla Hamburgera Creativa, opening its third space in the park and sells hamburgers and hot dogs, among other items; Deep Dish PR, offering Chicago-style pizzas; CRU, which opens its second space in the park exclusively focused on cocktails; El Club Mezcal, a Mexican liquor-based drinks venture; Panismo, which is expanding its community bakery to Santurce this month; and Postreo Jaus, a kiosk specializing in ice cream sandwich burgers that participated in the incubator’s first generation.
Also in the participants list are Mandorle Pasticceria & Panificio, which specializes in European bread and tropical pastries; Cacau Chocolate House, an Arecibo restaurant specializing in chocolate-infused dishes; Casa Sopas, offering homemade soups; The Soup Chef, with a presence at Plaza las Américas; Rica Frita, which mixes Venezuelan and Puerto Rican flavors in delicious fried foods; Tasty Lacomba, known for its giant cookies through its website; and Tacos and Wings, which is still in the development stage, specializing in tacos and wings. The latter six are participating only in the educational segment while they prepare and analyze whether to set up a kiosk at Lote 23.
“The selection of this group was not easy for the selection committee due to the quality and flavors presented. We are confident that we have a solid group with great potential,” said Yody Luciano, president of BMA Group and a member of the selection committee.
The selection panel for the second generation of Jump All In! included such experts as Mario Pagán, a celebrated chef and restaurateur; José “Peco” Suárez, president of Bluhost Puerto Rico; Madeline Nieves from El Mesón Sandwiches; Fernando Sumaza, president of West LLC, ; and incubator team members.
