Small businesses making artisanal cheese, locally brewed beer and other specialty foods are cropping up more in the five boroughs, but the City Council is hoping to make operating these local food and beverage firms easier.
Since 2008, the number of specialty food and beverage manufacturers has grown by more than 11 percent, to 1,097 such firms last year, according a Pratt Center study on the industry commissioned by the council and released Tuesday.
“This report shows there’s a big appetite for economic growth in our local food and beverage manufacturing industry,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a statement.
The study found the city needs to better support burgeoning small businesses so they can become larger companies and employ more New Yorkers.
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