Going Global in Greater Chattanooga

INCubator and Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga assist area entrepreneurs.

By Kim Madlom on August 7, 2023

A burst of fruit and dark chocolate espresso ganache in a treat almost too pretty to eat, a blood orange bonbon from Cocoa Asante is a delight on its own.

Like all Cocoa Asante chocolates, the blood orange bonbon is made with the finest cocoa from Ghana, including cocoa sourced from Ella Livingston’s family farm. Supporting the family farm and community is part of Cocoa Asante’s mission – and so is supporting the Chattanooga community. The espresso used in the bonbon comes from Prehistoric Perk, a veteran-owned company in Chattanooga. The equally delicious chai pecan caramel bonbon features pecans sourced from Seahorse Snacks and a chai mix from Chei-Man Tea – both women-owned companies in Chattanooga.

“Supporting local is a part of our mission and our vision, and the change we want to bring to the industry,” Livingston says. “We create these beautiful products while supporting and highlighting other businesses.”

Investing in Community

Livingston founded Cocoa Asante in 2018. She now hopes to transition her business from bean to bar, meaning she will be in control of the production process, from the cocoa bean to the final chocolate bar.

“This will allow us to invest more into the communities that grow our cocoa beans and ensure our customers get the highest quality chocolate on the market,” she says. “Very few companies in the world source from their own family farm. We are looking forward to bringing that kind of vision to Chattanooga.”

Cocoa Asante products are sold throughout Chattanooga and online. Popular TikTok influencer Keith Lee discovered the company’s website in 2023. After he posted a social media review, Livingston saw a stunning spike in her daily sales revenue, from just under $1,000 to $25,000 in a few days.

The company is located inside the INCubator, a program of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. With 127,000 square feet of space, the INCubator, housed inside the Hamilton County Business Development Center, is Tennessee’s largest business incubator and third largest in the nation.

The INCubator is home to approximately 50 startups undergoing a three-year progressive development program. Since its inception, more than 500 businesses have benefited from the INCubator’s competitively priced space, counseling, coaching, training workshops, administrative services, and supplemental support programs and events.

“The INCubator is a great help to businesses like mine,” Livingston says. “We weren’t ready to start a retail shop and needed a place to start. We have the flexibility to build out our space as needed.”

ZAG Innovates, Changes Lives

Also located inside the INCubator, Zoe Angling Group is a manufacturer that creates and assembles fishing lines and products. The fly-tying company operates as a benefit corporation dedicated to an ethical supply chain and transformative employment for those around the corner and around the world.

“We are a fishing innovation company,” Jeff Coffey, founder and CEO, says. “We are trying to innovate how to be a business. We are intentional about who we hire and where we hire, and that includes hiring people out of difficult situations.”

Zoe Angling Group empowers vulnerable people around the world by providing safe, livable wage labor. It’s a mission that Coffey says “gives purpose to our day.”

As stewards of our natural resources, the company also uses sustainable and biodegradable materials and nontoxic dye procedures to protect the environment. These products are made to last, which produces less post-consumer waste.

Zoe Angling Group recently invested in machinery to start a production line inside the INCubator, which will include some home goods products.

“Hopefully, that gives those who don’t fish an opportunity to engage with us on the journey to creating 10,000 jobs,” Coffey says.

According to Coffey, his experience at the INCubator has changed the game for his company.

“We were six years into the company before moving here to Chattanooga,” he says. “We were able to be plugged into the business community quickly. Being tied in with the Chamber and a part of the INCubator has been great for us.”

Coffey says the benefits include access to service providers, from printers to parts and tools, and networking opportunities. For him, Chattanooga is a perfect home with welcoming people and a thriving startup environment.

Supporting Culinary Entrepreneurs

In addition to the INCubator, the Kitchen Incubator of Chattanooga, or KIC, provides 10,000 square feet of food-centric startup space to assist culinary entrepreneurs, and that includes food truck operators, who can use KIC to store their food.

The shared-use kitchen on Marlin Road is part of a program backed by LAUNCH Chattanooga, whose mission includes assisting food-based business owners and managers who are in the beginning stages of their startups. For food truck operators, the kitchen is especially helpful because it is equipped for dry storage, cold storage and frozen storage.

The kitchen also includes equipment to prepare food, such as commercial ovens, stovetops, fryers, commercial grills, mixers and a pastry kitchen. The KIC also works with all its entrepreneur members to earn a ServSafe certification and obtain their business license as well as become licensed by the Hamilton County Health Department.

Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.