Americans are starting new businesses at a rapid rate, but now is a particularly good time to start a small-scale artisan or specialty food business.

artisan food business

As the years go by, we get further and further from our
agrarian roots. No longer do we grow up learning how to preserve the backyard
harvest, or even how to grow a backyard garden! Most of us squeeze dinner in
sometime between work and soccer practice, leaving little time to prepare a
home cooked meal.

But…we all still want great, artisan-style food that tastes homemade.
Which makes now the perfect time to show off your bread making talents. Or to
share your special-recipe marinara sauce. Or to put up cases of your family’s
favorite apricot preserves. All ideas that you can easily turn into a small or
side business.

Maybe you have had a food business idea bouncing around in
your head for a while now. Perhaps you have dreamed about operating a food
truck or selling whoopie pies at outdoor markets. But the timing has never
seemed right. So why is now the time
to turn that dream into reality?

Join the Business Crowd

According to cloud-based accounting software firm Freshbooks, 24 million of us have the desire to start a business. Most of us never make the move, fearful of what might happen if we quit our “real” jobs. That fear may be justified, which is why starting a small-scale artisan food business on the side is the answer.

Growing Food Sales

According to the Specialty Foods Association, sales of specialty (or artisan) foods grew 12.9% between 2015 and 2017, while standard retail food sales grew.1.4%. They predict that the specialty foods market, a $140 billion market, will grow 19% by 2022. Therefore, start your business now and claim your share of this profitable market early.

Customers, Customers

The economy is chugging along at a fine pace. Unemployment is at its lowest level in years. That means people have extra disposable income to spend on your product. It also means that people are busier than ever, and are seeking time-saving ways to put a healthy and satisfying meal on the table. Your artisan food product can supply both!

Tell the World About Your Business

Social media may be the bane of civilization, or it may be what finally connects us all, but it has made it easier to tell the world about your business. Instead of placing an ad in the local newspaper and hoping your potential customers will see it, you can now set up a business Facebook page or Instagram account and share your products. Pinterest boards are especially appealing for food businesses. And you may be able to sell your products not just at the local Farmer’s market, but also on sites like Etsy and Amazon.

Abundant Small-Scale Business Opportunities

There are so many ways to enter the artisan food market. As mentioned above, you could start a small baking business specializing in pies, or breads, or cookies, or quiches… the list goes on. Or you could become a personal chef and only take on as many customers as you choose. Maybe you could turn your backyard into an herb Eden, growing and selling fresh basil or dill or lemongrass. Perhaps you could start a pop-up wine and cheese tasting business, or organize farm-to table-events in your area. The ideas are only limited by your imagination. At least one of them is perfect for you.

Intuit, predicts that the number of small businesses will grow from 30 million in 2016 to 42 million in 2026. One of these businesses can be yours. Want even more reasons? Check out this previous post, 5 Reasons to Start a Food Business Today.

 

If you have entrepreneurial dreams, but no money, a food related business may be the answer.

small business display Although food businesses come with more regulation than opening a gift shop or starting an errand service, there are plenty of ways to save money while getting a food business off the ground. Here are some of the money-saving tips I followed when I started my Specialty Food (dry mixes) Business, and some others that I learned along the journey.

Licenses and Permits:

This is not the place scrimp and save money. Make sure your business is legal by getting all the required licenses and permits. Spending a little money up front is worth it to avoid the legal headaches of getting caught without the correct paperwork. Besides, paying for all these licenses is still cheaper than a good lawyer’s retainer fee!

  • Business licenses. Most states require a State, or Master business license. Many municipalities also require a license. These fees are usually quite reasonable and will probably be less than $150 total.
  • Legal entity. I highly recommend that you form either a LLC or a S-corp when starting a food business. Operating your business as an entity separate from you (unlike operating as a sole proprietor) will legally protect you and your personal assets in the event that your business is sued. This may be your biggest expense when starting a food business, but if you do the paperwork yourself it will still be less than $500 – much less in some states.
  • Insurance. Liability insurance is a must when preparing food products for sale. You should have at least $2,000,000 in coverage. Shop around for policy quotes. When I first started I received quotes from $500 a year to $5000 a year, and everything in between.
  • Permits. Depending on the laws in your state and the food products you are preparing, you may need permits from the local health department and/or your state Department of Agriculture. Even so, these permits are usually less than $200.

Equipment:

Although you may have visions of mixing pounds of dough in a 60-gallon commercial mixer or filling packages of dry goods with an automatic hopper system, almost any food business can be started without specialized equipment. Start small and save your dollars until sales volume warrants equipment purchases a necessity, not a nice-to-have.

Even if you aren’t looking for specialized equipment, purchasing new measuring cups/spoons, baking dishes, bulk storage containers and the like can add up to hundreds of dollars quickly. Look for inexpensive equipment at dollar stores, estate sales, your local Goodwill, and yard sales.

If you need something not usually found in a home kitchen, like a soup cooker or a heavy-duty blender, search ebay or Craigslist for restaurant liquidation sales.

Supplies:

You can save hundreds of dollars – in the long run – by purchasing your product supplies in bulk. For example, when I ran my Specialty Food Business, many of our products included instant minced onion as an ingredient. To purchase a pound of this product at the grocery store costs about $6.00, but when purchased in bulk cost about half that amount. Of course, I had to purchase 50 pounds at a time. While the per pound cost was much less, instead of having $6.00 tied up in supplies, I had almost $200 tied up in supplies. That was fine when we were selling a lot, but when we were just starting out it made more sense to spend the six dollars.

Purchase as many of your supplies locally as possible. Visit restaurant supply stores if there are any in your area, or purchase at the local Costco or Sam’s Club. Many grocery stores and health food stores will also order products in bulk for you at a lower price. Instead of purchasing 25 one-pound bags of rice, see if your local grocery store would order you a case of rice, or one 25-pound bag of rice. When your sales increase order 500 pounds or more directly from a wholesaler or distributor.

Need help with your new business web pages, product development, or employee step-by-step guide? Contact me!

[

This is a great time to start a business – and a food business in particular.

food business

© Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com

It’s All About the Economy

What? Isn’t the economy doing great? Yes, it is – overall. But salaries are still lagging, and hours at work are still increasing, and some of us want to control our own destiny! Starting your own business is the best way to take control of your life, whether you start a gig on the side, or you go all in and make your own full-time job.

Everyone Eats

Everyone eats, but only a few cook meals from scratch anymore. That leaves plenty of opportunity for those food entrepreneurs providing ready-made, convenience, heat-and-serve, pre-cut, and stir-and-mix type products.

Low Barrier to Entry

Because everyone eats, food is a familiar business to most of us, with an easily understood product. Contrast that to a medical research company, or a tech services business, or a financial planning entity – all of which require years of formal education or training. We start our training in the food business shortly after birth – leaving us with lots of experience under our belts (yes, poor pun intended).

The American Heartland

What a great country this is. We grow and manufacture almost any product ingredient needed right here at home; from peaches in Georgia to olive oil in California to wheat in North Dakota to beans and lentils in the inland Northwest. Growing our ingredients here at home allows us many food business options to choose from, all at a reasonable price.

Improved Health

Want to do something to reduce obesity and improve American’s overall health? Start a specialty food business that utilizes wholesome, high-quality, natural and/or organic ingredients and avoids excess salt and saturated fat. We may not cook much anymore, but we still know good food when we taste it and there is always room for more delicious but healthy products in the marketplace.