Food Manufacturing is a profitable business, which seems very complicated and costly. But it is not always the case. In this article, we have gathered the business ideas of mini-production for beginners.
World practice proves that the manufacturing business is not only viable but also able to generate high profits and grow dynamically. And the food is that segment of the market that will never lose its relevance. The obvious conclusion follows from this: the business associated with food production will always be in demand and profitable.
How to choose a food manufacturing Business
There are many food production options. But not everyone is suitable for mini-production. Profitable manufacture of certain products is possible only on an industrial scale. Some types of food products require sophisticated production technology and stringent requirements. In some niches there is such a level of competition that there is simply no point in popping into a novice entrepreneur. Therefore, we will consider what ideas can be implemented within the framework of a small production.
Analysis. First you need to understand the situation in the food market. To study demand trends and pay attention to those products whose consumption is growing. This means that there is a demand for them and new manufacturers appear on the market, which provide this demand.
Articles in professional magazines, statistics, results of social surveys conducted by various large holdings will help you study the situation. And, of course, own observations, research, experience.
Assessment of opportunities. So. You have studied market trends and determined that there is a demand for products. Now it is necessary to evaluate how realistic it is to open your production in specific conditions. Essentially, these questions are pretty simple.
What are the requirements for Manufacturing Business?
- What equipment do you need?
- How much money will you need to invest?
- Do you have enough knowledge and experience to work in this niche?
- What production volumes are needed to get the desired profit?
- How do production volumes compare with consumer opportunities?
- Will you be able to buy everything that you produced?
- What is the area of production, and do you have a room for this?
- What legal aspects should be considered during production?
- How do you organize sales of manufactured products?
All these issues need to be considered at an early stage of planning. The better you imagine how the business functions in reality, the better you can appreciate the idea itself. A common mistake entrepreneurs make is a misconception about business. Somewhere they’ve calculated incorrectly, didn’t take into account the item of expenses, did not evaluate the level of demand, produced products without solving the problems with sales channels, etc.
How to sell manufactured products
It all depends on the specifics of the product and your entrepreneurial abilities. The directions here are the same as everywhere:
- sell goods through shops and various outlets;
- place ads in the city, advertise in newspapers or apply for a quote to certain companies;
- independently engage in sales and open a sales outlet;
- work on order, producing only those products for which there is a specific buyer.
- use the Internet: social networks, your own website or professional forums;
- Focus on your business – and try to find customers using different methods. The more sales channels you can attract, the more you sell and, accordingly, earn.
The difficulties of industrial production
Firstly, the production of food products requires the fulfillment of strict requirements: compliance with GOSTs, rules and standards, verification of SES, the availability of quality certificates, etc.
Secondly, many food products quickly deteriorate, so you have to take into account the many nuances of both their manufacture and marketing.
Thirdly, production requires certain knowledge, skills and abilities. Somewhere, the availability of vocational education is mandatory. This complicates the selection of staff.
As you can see, organizing the production process is not easy, because you have to solve many complex problems. But if you approach this with all responsibility and consider all the details in advance, you can open a profitable business. A novice entrepreneur should choose a product that is easy to produce in a mini-workshop and marketed.
20 Profitable Food Manufacturing Business Ideas
1. Mini-bakery
Baking production is ideal for mini-production and home production. It is not necessary to have special equipment. For work, you need simple kitchen appliances and utensils. Additionally, you can purchase equipment for kneading dough. This will speed up the cooking process and increase production. You can start a business at home. But if you want to seriously engage in this matter, then in the future it is better to open your own workshop.
Determine what types of baking you will produce. The client base depends on this. For example, residents of nearby houses will buy cookies from you, hearty pies will be in demand among office workers, and painted gingerbread cookies are relevant only for holidays and for individual orders.
Pay special attention to baking recipes and their external design. Tasty and beautiful – these are the two main qualities that can interest your customers. You can sell pastries by yourself, opening a point of sale. Another option is to agree on cooperation with coffee houses, restaurants, shops. All the key stages of launching this business are discussed in more detail in the Openbusiness.ru special project dedicated to the opening of the bakery .
2. Making jam
Canned preparations are still popular among the population. And the volume of home production is reduced due to lack of time for cooking. As a result, most people buy products in stores. But there are products for which the definition of “home” immediately increases the attractiveness. Homemade jam is just such a product.
You can make jam and sell products in the markets, sell to stores and wholesale stores. Many will love to buy homemade preserves. Starting such a business is quite simple. The cost of equipment is minimal, the cooking technology allows you to organize production at home. An important nuance – be sure to check with GOST R 53118-2008, which sets out the general technical conditions for making jam.
It is also necessary to solve the problem of finding raw materials: you can buy fruits at wholesale stores or directly from farmers, summer residents, and also use fruits grown on your site.
3. Pickles
A similar idea is to open pickles production. Today, quite popular products are: Korean carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, sauerkraut and pickled cabbage, blue. As well as soaked apples, watermelon, plums, pickled garlic, etc. To work, you will need the same kitchen minimum: a stove, cans, lids, a seaming machine and the raw materials themselves.
4. Production of semi-finished products
The modern rhythm of life has led to the fact that people do not have time to cook food. This contributed to the growth of demand for semi-finished products. It is advantageous to open a production that would manufacture semi-finished products: sausages , sausages , dumplings , dumplings , cutlets , etc. Prefabricated soups even appear on the shelves , which are enough to defrost and warm. So the market prospects are quite large.
It is worth noting that semi-finished products are used not only at home, but also in a commercial environment. Many catering establishments seek to minimize costs, and therefore use semi-finished products in the kitchen. So you can find buyers both among private traders and in commerce.
It is important to solve several issues: provision of raw materials, the development of recipes, the number of items in production. For starters, I advise focusing on a few of the most cost-effective positions. Do not try to keep up with a wide range.
5. Home herbal tea
Now healthy eating is a trend. Therefore, everything that comes to the market under the sign of “healthy products” attracts the attention of consumers. Demand for such products is growing rapidly, including for various herbal teas. This is a highly specialized, but very promising niche. There is competition, but moderate. And most importantly, you can organize such a business at home and on your own.
You can do herbal preparations in the summer, the missing ingredients can be purchased at the pharmacy. The most popular in Russia is Ivan-tea. It will also be relevant to produce herbal preparations with different beneficial effects (soothing, relaxing, for immunity, for kidney health, etc.). Having come up with a beautiful and original packaging, various charging options, you can interest the consumer. You can trade yourself or deliver teas to tea shops, fairs, and catering establishments. In the future, you can open your own tea shop selling tea by weight, herbal preparations, dietary supplements and other goods.
6. Production of ravioli and dumplings
The production of dumplings and dumplings is an ideal option for a small business. Everything necessary for this is already in the kitchen. The technology is simple and known to all. Dumplings – one of the favorite dishes in our country. Demand for them is constantly growing. And among the semi-finished dumplings – the leaders in consumption.
The amount of initial costs depends on the scale of production. Small orders can be made independently. But for large batches, special equipment will be required: dough mixers, minced meat, flour sifter, freezers. To automate production, you will need to invest at least 100 thousand rubles. But at the initial stage, this is irrational. You must build up a customer base, establish sales channels – and only then invest in the expansion of production.
Another important issue that needs to be addressed is the purchase of raw materials. The quality of flour and minced meat is very important for dumplings. The taste of the product depends on this. Read more about opening this business in the article “Business plan for the production of dumplings semi-finished products” .
7. Set meals for offices
Almost all working people are familiar with the problem of daily meals. More and more people refuse daily “containers from home”. Some have no time to cook, while others find it inconvenient to bring food containers to work. Still others just want to eat a hearty, freshly prepared dinner.
Therefore, the idea of producing and delivering comprehensive business lunches is relevant . To start a business, you need a minimum capital. This does not require special knowledge and special skills. It is enough to be able to cook deliciously and punctually, delivering meals on time. To increase profitability, organize a full cycle of work – from cooking to food delivery to the client.
Your target audience is office staff. You should look for them in business centers, office buildings, shops, banks, beauty salons, etc. You can prepare a flyer with a proposal and distribute it among potential customers. Or contact the heads of enterprises to conclude contracts with offices for corporate food delivery. Another effective way is to come to the office with your products and offer to try. For food, the best way to advertise is by tasting.
But before you begin, it is advisable to check the demand for such products. Personally go through the offices and find out who is interested in your proposal.
8. Mini-production of salads
Recently, the market has seen an ever-growing demand for salads. The trend is due to the fact that the rhythm of life is accelerating – and many prefer to save time by buying ready-made food. The main consumers are working people and students.
Large salad producers collaborate with chain stores. It is unlikely that you will be able to sell products in this direction. But then you can occupy your niche, establish contacts with small shops and catering outlets. Another plus of such a business is light manufacturing technology and high profitability. All this together makes the production of salads a great way to earn.
The main operations in production: mechanical and thermal processing of fruits and vegetables, and in some cases meat. An important nuance is your task to prepare the ingredients separately: peel, chop, boil, make salad dressing. But! It is better to provide dressing separately, without mixing with the main ingredients. This will save product quality and increase its shelf life.
With a small production at home, you can get around manual labor. One hostess can produce and sell about 150 kg of lettuce per month. Earn about 40 thousand rubles. But still, it is better to purchase kitchen equipment in order to automate some processes. So peelers, peelers, choppers will greatly simplify production.
9. Cheese production
The fashion for home cheese dairy in Russia appeared several years ago, when the import of foreign cheeses stopped. Entrepreneurs did not miss the opportunity – and began to open home cheese dairies. Moreover, the taste of domestic products is not inferior to imported.
Business is still relevant and has enormous development prospects. Therefore, despite the competition, you can open your own production of homemade cheese. This requires a minimum of equipment and ingredients. And anyone can master the production technology at home.
More information on how to open a cheese factory with a productivity of 20-24 kg / day can be found here , calculations for a cheese factory producing 50-60 kg of cheese per day are presented here .
10. 3D sweets
A creative idea for food production is three-dimensional sweets. They can be made using a 3D printer. The list of what is powerful in this way is quite large. For example, unusual cookies, cake decorations, sweets, pasta, marmalade, chocolates, etc.
The success of a business is built on the originality of sweets. You can sell them yourself or sell them through cafes and other establishments.
11. Dried fruit production
Dried fruit production is one of the most simple food production, from a technological point of view. And a profitable business in terms of sales. Plus, a wide range of potential buyers and high demand for products. As a result, even a beginner in entrepreneurship will master their own dried fruit production business.
To start, you must purchase special equipment – fruit dryers. Then buy raw materials – and process it. Finished products can be sold in stores, vegetable stalls, catering establishments, health centers, etc. But be prepared for serious competition. There are a lot of manufacturers of dried fruits – and you will have to do a lot of work to gain your place in the market.
12. Cakes to order
Making cakes is a great idea for your business. You can organize it at home and at minimal cost. Today, custom-made cakes are a sought-after and cost-effective niche. The prospects are promising, but it is important to remember the high level of competition. Therefore, efforts must be made to get noticed in the market. How many cake makers find their customers on social networks. Prices for products are almost the same for everyone. So you will have to win your consumer through advertising, delicious cakes, original ideas and quality service. Learn more about home-made cakes here.
13. Smoked products
One of the simplest options for food production is a smokehouse for meat and fish products. To open a small room and a special electric smokehouse. Smoked products can be sold on the market or delivered to wholesale bases.
When engaging in such activities, you must always be prepared for checks. In order to avoid problems and fines, it is better to organize production in the premises of the food workshop. Be sure to take into account the sanitary requirements for the room: the presence of an exhaust hood and an electric power source for the compressor to work.
14. Homemade noodle production
Making homemade noodles is the least risk business. Simple technology, small investments, product demand. Another plus in raw materials. Typically, food production requires purchasing various ingredients, working with suppliers, monitoring the quality of raw materials … In this case, you will need a minimum set of products: flour, water and special nutritional supplements.
Noodles can be made manually, but for large volumes of production it is better to purchase special equipment: kneaders and dough rollers, noodle cutters, noodle dryers. You can sell finished products to a wide range of consumers: shops, catering establishments, markets, wholesale warehouses, private customers. Another option is to open your own noodle .
15. Strawberry growing
Growing strawberries is a cost-effective business. Demand for it is consistently high, the costs of growing and caring for strawberries are not too high, so the invested funds quickly pay off.
The main objective of the business associated with the cultivation of strawberries is to obtain maximum crop volumes with minimal financial costs. Therefore, each entrepreneur must choose for himself which cultivation method is most beneficial for him. To engage in this business is for those who have their own land, experience and knowledge in gardening.
Business is more promising in the northern regions, where the number of households that grow strawberries on their own is small. Then you can count on stable income and high demand all year round.
16. Growing vegetables and herbs
Selling fresh vegetables and herbs is relevant at any time of the year. Therefore, growing vegetables in a greenhouse is a good idea for a business. You must immediately decide what you will grow. Do you have a suitable area for greenhouses and how much crop can you harvest? Do you have knowledge and skills for growing vegetables? How many products can you sell and where exactly?
Such a simple analysis will help you organize your business. The list of the most cost-effective vegetables that are in constant demand and do not require the use of sophisticated technologies include: potatoes , cabbage , tomato , cucumbers , onions , radishes . Keep in mind that you need to establish sales channels in advance. Vegetables and greens are stored for a short time – so you need to quickly sell goods so that they do not deteriorate.
17. Production and sale of honey
The popularity of natural products has increased the demand for honey and products from it. The price of this product is constantly growing. Honey production is carried out only in apiaries in private farms, which guarantees the absence of competition from major market players. The business is profitable, but rather laborious. It is recommended to deal with it for people who understand beekeeping. There are no “random” entrepreneurs in this area.
A small apiary with 30 beehives brings about 150 thousand rubles of net profit. But in order to reach such indicators, you will need to work hard and establish distribution channels. The buyers of your products will be individuals, resellers, wholesalers, fruit and vegetable stores, tea shops, catering establishments, etc.
You can sell honey yourself: open a sales outlet or take a place in the grocery market, become a participant in fairs that are regularly held in large cities or try to advance through social networks. Please note that honey for sale must be certified for additives and toxicity. You can learn more about opening your apiary in 2020 from this article .
18. Production of edible utensils
The environmental issue has captured all possible markets. Many companies are trying to get into this “trend” not only to support the idea, but also for the sake of earning. So in place of disposable plastic in the catering comes edible dishes. Many cafes and restaurants seek to acquire such a novelty. Fashion has already captured the United States and Europe, which means that it will soon reach Russia.
In our country, almost no one uses edible utensils. And there are not those who produce it. Therefore, you can occupy a free and very promising niche. To start, you do not need to buy sophisticated equipment and invest large sums.
The production of edible utensils is a rather primitive process. You can easily make waffle mugs, rice plates, jelly glasses, etc.
The easiest way is to choose those products for the production of which the standard equipment of the confectionery shop is sufficient. For example, waffle cups. The main risk in this matter is low demand. Unfortunately, not all companies can appreciate the prospects of this idea. Your first priority will be to find customers among the catering establishments. And you need to start with those organizations that already support the topic of environmental friendliness.
19. Tandoor bread
Mini-bakeries are a trending business that is growing every day. Entrepreneurial interest is due to the stable demand for manufactured products, high profitability, and relatively low opening costs.
Bread is a daily product and is one of the three most popular products among Russians. There are a lot of bakeries – and success can be achieved if you occupy a narrowly targeted niche. For example, bake bread from a tandoor. Today this product is in great demand.
The most important thing in this business is to choose the tandoor correctly. The taste of bread will depend on the quality of the equipment. So it’s better not to save on equipment. The cost of a quality tandoor will quickly pay off, because you can bake not only bread cakes in it, but also samsa, pies, pita bread, etc.
20. Production of fruit chips
In the wake of the popularity of healthy eating, a new version of healthy fast food has appeared – fruit chips. For beginners, this is an attractive niche: starting investments are insignificant, the technology is simple and does not require special skills, and the market is free to offer.
The production technology lies in the fact that the fruit is cut into thin slices (slices), dried in special devices, and then folded into eco-packaging, it is best to use paper. Spices are added to some fruits – for example, pepper, salt, basil, paprika, etc.
No staff required; all work can be done by the business owner. You can sell your products through eco-shops, farm stalls, catering establishments, and your online store.
