Food is essential to our survival as human beings, so starting a business in the food industry will always be a great idea. However, what it boils down to is execution. In this article, we will explore how you can start your own business in the food sector with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are often perceived to be healthy; hence you can leverage the benefits of the health sector.
Be clever with this low-capital business idea.
Before you venture into this business, you must do critical background work. Fruits and vegetables have a short shelf life, so you want to understand them better. Start by educating yourself about the seasons of harvest in your region. This low-capital business is often a region-based venture. You might ask if people export fruits and vegetables; they do. But I guess you need a low-capital business; if so, a region-based approach is what we would focus on in this article.
To do: Make a calendar, so you know what is in season and when. A calendar would guide you towards your purchasing and planning.
Next on the list is to research your logistics.
How would you get these products to your storage? Would you have storage? Or are you going to venture into this sector differently, like being just the middle person? Being the middle person means you solely concentrate on distribution. You have access to logistics that bring these products from the farms to the stores. This is already a method to venture into this sector with the minimum. Let us look at the different ideas you can explore to start a very low-capital business in this food sector.
Process in small scale to sell – Marmalade & Pickle.
You will not rely on a complex storage facility if you process the fruits and vegetables. You can also get better prices if you purchase overripe products. The sellers want to get them out of storage as quickly as possible. But what can you process on a small scale? For fruits, you can process them into marmalades and spreads. For vegetables, you can process them into pickles.
Juice of all kinds and smoothies to go is a low-capital business option.
Juice is made out of liquids in fruits or vegetables. More health-conscious consumers might even prefer smoothies, a blend that integrates some flesh of the produce. You can make your recipes and create a brand around this idea. More about how to start a fruit juice business part 1 and part 2 and here.
Go beyond the traditional way: retail and beyond.
Traditional retail demands that you buy in bulk, store and sell, which means you will need storage. However, there are other opportunities here. Our busy and fast-paced lifestyles have created a space for food delivery services. You can start a fruit delivery business, where you source fruits from reputable farms or groceries and deliver them to customers at a fee. You can offer packages and monthly subscriptions to schools, hotels, offices and more formal groups.
Basic requirements to start up a fruit and vegetable business
- Location: It is very feasible to start from the comfort of your home. You do not need to rent any space or shop. All you need is a good, clean space crafted for your business.
- Storage: Get a new or fairly used fridge if you need to store the products. There are unique cooling systems to help you preserve fruits and vegetables longer. It would help if you educated yourself more about this. Remember, the power supply might not be consistent at your location. Suppose you need an inverter or a small solar battery to compensate for the power supply but cannot afford it. Consider setting up a mini-processing system to make marmalade from the overripe fruits and pickles from the vegetables. This way, you can extend the product’s shelf life without investing in a rigorous power supply.
- Purchase: The largest market where you can get fruits and vegetables is Mile 12 market (for those in Lagos), and they are very affordable! For a start, N20-N25,000 worth of products or less is enough, as you have to ensure that you can sell them off within three days. Suppose you are away from Lagos, research where to purchase in bulk and at reasonable prices closest to you. You can also contact small farmers directly. Create your list and network of farmers to get the best produce. Purchasing high-quality products are crucial to developing a low-capital business.
- Set-up: When you are all set and know where to get your products and what area you want to start in, it is time to develop a legal set-up and plan. Every business, no matter how small, needs a plan. Check out how to create a simple business plan for your idea. Under set-up, I will recommend you decide the name of your venture, the brand you want to build, the target customers and how you will reach these customers.
Low-capital business idea in the food sector to start now.
Fruits and vegetables are something people cannot do without. Starting as a low-capital business venture in this sector will demand you think critically. How do you want to start? Is it a delivery business? Do you want to process and sell? When you conclude on that, then plan. We cannot overemphasize why you need to plan, as planning will help you activate your power for success.
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Thank you for reading to the end.
Cheers
Joadre Editorial Team
