Zeromile: Pittsburgh’s First Small-Producer Co-Packing Kitchen & Community Food Hub

Pittsburgh needs a food future that’s equitable, local, and rooted in community values. We’re building Zeromile — a dual cooperative. A commercial kitchen, co-packing facility and retail and event space— to help small food producers scale sustainably, run with an educational and cooperative spirit. With your help, we’ll turn underused space into a radical food hub to support the local food system and surrounding community.

✨ What We’re Creating

“Zeromile” is not just a kitchen — it's a launchpad for food producers, a retail marketplace (think year-round specialty farmer’s market) and the first small-batch co-packing co-production facility of its kind in Pittsburgh. Located in the heart of Lawrenceville, it combines commercial kitchen space, a retail storefront, a grab-and-go purchase window, along with event hosting capabilities to give small food startups of all kinds everything they need to grow.

Partnering with Community Cultures, Lil’Loaf, Popping Mustard Seeds, AKLW Bone Broth, Marla Mae & UFD, we’re embedding an ethos of community resilience, education, fermentation science, and sustainable scale into every corner of our project.

👩🏽‍🍳 A fully-equipped co-packing kitchen & fermentation lab with shared tools, refrigeration, lab gear, sterile workspaces and more
🌿 Sliding-scale membership & scholarships for BIPOC, disabled, and low-income individuals. Affordable rates for test-kitchen projects
📚 Workshops & open-source education on food sovereignty, herbalism, preservation, sustainable small biz development and more
🍲 A small public market featuring member-made goods, product tastings, local farm fresh items, CSA options and grab-and-go food items
🛠️ Cooperative infrastructure to align with the value of decentralizing power
🌍 Mutual aid-focused outreach to include waste-to-food/no-waste food education, and much more

🔥 Why Now?

Pittsburgh is full of brilliant people, many who lack affordable, accessible production and processing space. Meanwhile, communities across the city face rising food insecurity, disappearing green space, and limited access to culturally appropriate, nutritious food.

We’re here to help bridge those gaps, in any way we can.

💡 Why It Matters

Many workers can't afford access to compliant kitchens.
There are close to no accessible, small-batch co-packing services.
Few spaces offer hands-on education or equitable business incubation.

We’re changing that. By supporting Zeromile, you’re investing in:

Local jobs & longevity economy
Accessible entrepreneurship
Regenerative education
Community-led growth

🛠️ What Your Support Will Fund

We’re raising $105,100 to complete our buildout and launch operations:

Phase 1.

Infrastructure $45,000

Plumbing
Electrical
Permitting, etc.
Misc. Equipment

Phase 2.

Partial Hot Equipment & 3rd Booth Install $34,800

Materials $5,000
Exhaust $12,000
Equip.
- Oven w/ Range $6,300
- Double Stack Oven $4,500
- Steam Kettle $7,000

Phase 3.

Final Hot Equipment & 3rd Booth Finishing $25,300

Exhaust $12,000
Equip.
- Oven w/ Range $6,300
- Double Stack Oven $4,500
- Misc. kitchen supply $2,500

With your help, we'll also have the real potential of unlocking matching grants to fulfill the funding goal to complete all phases of the build

👁️ The Vision for the Future 👁️

We are intentionally building a dual cooperative structure as “Zeromile”— where vendors and educators can share ownership and decision-making. By supporting now, you’re seeding a long-term community asset created and controlled by the workers.

🙌 Rewards

Pledge Level	Reward
$10	Thank-you shoutout + digital download with recipes
$25	Sticker + fermentation recipe cards
$50	Freeze-dried mushroom chowder + Zeromile tote
$100	Grow-your-own Mushroom Bag or Fermentation kit + recipe cards + Zeromile tote
$250	Your name on our founders’ wall + all above + free entrance on a future workshop
$500+	Sponsor a membership + all perks + $50 gift certificate
$1,000+	Private fermentation or mushroom workshop for you +5 friends + all perks + year long buyers co-op membership
$1,500+	All perks + discounted space rental

Help Build Zeromile Cooperative