Business Incubator
Culturally and linguistically tailored to each member, El Alba services are provided in collaboration with community partners.
Our Model
All cooperative members receive business incubation services in collaboration with key community partners, which include an individual business plan curriculum, a customized learning path, cooperative training, marketing coaching, and access to nutritionists, among others.
Year One Operations
El Alba Cooperative will run during its first year/phase strictly as a catering business. El Alba will market its catering services widely, and contract with cooks to fulfill the services that are booked. El Alba will offer contracts exclusively to cooks, prioritizing the cooks/caterers interested in becoming candidates or those ready to apply to become members of El Alba Cooperative.
Member Benefits
To support economic empowerment of our food entrepreneurs, we facilitate income-generating opportunities.
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El Alba will market its catering services widely and contract with cooks to fulfill the services that are booked. El Alba will offer contracts exclusively to cooks, prioritizing the cooks/caterers interested in becoming candidates or those ready to apply to become Coop members.
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El Alba’s commissary kitchen location was designed with retail in mind, providing co-op members with an opportunity to showcase their menu offerings to the public on a rotating basis.
Additionally, El Alba’s retail vendor kiosk utilizes a youth apprenticeship model committed to providing workforce readiness skills, guidance on business principles, and further opportunities for economic mobility.
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A dedicated El Alba food truck provides a venue for co-op members to sell their products. Co-op members may utilize it for community events, on evenings and weekends, and are able to take it to various locations.
Becoming a Member
Becoming an El Alba Cooperative member requires completing our 12-month incubator program – an exciting journey for you and your business!
We offer comprehensive start-up supports for Aurora-based food entrepreneurs and are seeking small operations that will benefit greatly from engaging with our model.
If you are interested in learning about the requirements to become an El Alba Cooperative member, please complete this inquiry form, and one of our program managers will reach out to you.