ReMain Ventures Purchases 5 Amelia Drive
NANTUCKET, Mass. July 25, 2022 — With the goal of improving local and regional food systems on
Nantucket and across the Northeast, ReMain Ventures has purchased 5 Amelia Drive as a
site for a business incubator and commissary kitchen, the organization announced today.
ReMain Ventures will work with Nantucket entrepreneur Karen Macumber to create a food
business incubator and shared commissary kitchen business in the former Keeper’s
Restaurant. Macumber, advised by a team of experts, will operate the food incubator to help
local makers and producers grow regional and national businesses.
ReMain Ventures plans to create a profitable, shared-use food production facility where
multiple food businesses can operate from fully licensed commercial kitchens. Food
producers on the island currently face numerous challenges including access to year-round,
stable commercial kitchens.The new business will offer increased affordability for small and
mid-sized companies, access to bulk ordering of sustainable products and packaging, and the
convenience of a central operator to manage and maintain a clean, safe and fully compliant
kitchen.
“Throughout its history, Nantucket has embodied the spirit of resilience, and today, as we
work towards a sustainable future, we look for opportunities to support a vibrant, local food
system,” said Wendy Schmidt, founder of ReMain. “The Amelia Drive property will provide
space and camaraderie for small businesses across Nantucket so they can play a part in an
expanding local and regional food system. In many ways across our work and investments,
we hope to inspire communities nationwide to rethink the way we produce, distribute and
share food.”
“ReMain has hoped to open just such a facility for years,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive
director of ReMain. “The building at 5 Amelia Drive feels like the best option and we are really
excited to work with Karen to help her build a business that strengthens our Island’s food
systems, while also supporting producers and farmers from across the region.”
Working with local officials, ReMain Ventures will spend the next few months developing the
concept and the uses for the facility while the team of advisors further refine programming.
The advisors include James Griffin, a professor in the College of Hospitality Management at
Johnson & Wales University and local restaurateurs and previous building owners Mark and
Anne Dawson.
“Karen and I see a path forward that offers several potential uses including a food business
incubator, a community resource center and think tank, and a commissary and small-scale
food processing facility,” said Griffin. “We would also like to build a home for ongoing market
research that informs improvement of the local and regional food system and sparks
opportunities for education and mentorship.”
“We loved running Fog Island and Keepers over the past three decades and are excited to
see what ReMain will do for the next chapter at 5 Amelia Drive,” said Mark Dawson. “We have
watched ReMain support innovative food operations on Nantucket and we are pleased to see
that they are imagining a community use for the building. We are thrilled for them to be the
next steward of the property and look forward to helping them advance their mission.”
ReMain Nantucket and ReMain Ventures are funded by Wendy Schmidt and her husband
Eric to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In
addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives
across the island, ReMain Nantucket has worked in conjunction with ReMain Ventures to
revitalize Nantucket year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to
a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses. For more information, visit
www.remain.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 25, 2022
CONTACT: Cecil Barron Jensen
cjensen@remainnantucket.org
508-901-4148