The main advantages of the salad production business are constantly growing demand and high profitability. Demand is driven largely by the accelerated pace of life, since the bulk of consumers of this product are office workers. Profitability is based on the low cost of the products included in the salads, which allows them to be sold at a high premium. Also, a distinctive feature of the business is the simplicity of the technology for manufacturing the product and easy entry into the market. All this together makes salad production an excellent way to make money.
At the moment, the following situation has developed on the market: about 90% of manufacturers sell their products not directly, but through retail outlets and networks. It is difficult to become a supplier to a large retail chain, but it is not difficult for a novice businessman to establish contacts with small shops and public catering outlets. Products are in greatest demand in the spring-autumn period, as well as in winter. In summer, demand decreases due to vacations among workers, since they constitute the main target audience of manufacturers.
How to beat your competitors?
Despite the fact that the “salad” market is growing rapidly these days, competition there is already very high. However, not all companies produce good quality salads. To provide high-quality products, you need relevant experience, financial investments, good specialists, and excellent quality raw materials.
In order to beat your competitors and become a supplier of salad products to large supermarkets, you need to have many options of top quality products in your assortment.
You can also create new types of salad based on customer tastes. And, as you know, new recipes are promoted on the market through tastings and promotions, like any new food product.
Documents and licenses
For a small salad production shop, you can register as an individual entrepreneur. If your business is located in a city with a small or medium population, a simplified tax regime (UTII) is suitable. The declaration with reporting is submitted quarterly. Tax payments are deducted according to UTII, as well as social payments for employee salaries. In megacities, UTII does not apply.
Sanitary services put forward very serious demands. Find out about all the regulations before searching for premises and suppliers. In the process of selecting and renovating a building, you will have to take into account the layout, the location of garbage containers relative to the product loading point, the availability of certificates from suppliers, the choice of detergents for cleaning the workshop and a lot of other nuances. Also, you should find out the requirements of the fire safety service in advance.
In addition to standard recipes, the workshop must have original dishes, for the production of which it is necessary to have certificates. The registration procedure may take three months.
Necessary equipment
Depending on how many salads you plan to produce per month, you need to select the necessary equipment. So, if you plan to produce products in a fairly large volume (from 5 or more tons per month), then it is advisable to purchase industrial lines for preparing salads, that is, a full production cycle with packaging. The cost of such equipment is on average 3,000,000 rubles. If there is no such money, but the desire to open a salad business is very strong, then nothing can be done, and you will first have to use home equipment (food processor, meat grinder, refrigeration equipment, knives, dishes and other kitchen utensils) that every housewife has at home, but over time, buy something better. The salads are made by hand and packaged by hand. In this case, there will be practically no costs, but if there is no such equipment at home, then you will need to spend only 200,000 rubles on its purchase, but not 3. Is there a difference?
Staff
A shop with an automated production line requires only a few operators to load raw materials and control the operation of the machines. Although there are cheaper lines that require pre-cleaning of vegetables or work only with thermally processed products. In this case, the number of personnel will be larger.
For a mini-workshop in which the technological process is performed manually, 4 workers per shift will be required, 2 of whom must have education and experience as a cook. When the enterprise operates in two shifts (12 hours each), the staffing will be as follows:
- manager – 1;
- technologist – 1;
- supply and sales manager – 1;
- shop specialists – 4;
- auxiliary workers – 4;
- courier with a personal car – 1.
All workshop workers must have health certificates and undergo regular medical examinations.
The functions of manager and manager at the starting stage can be performed by the entrepreneur himself. It is recommended to outsource all other processes not directly related to production (accounting, security and cleaning of premises and territory).
Salad making room
The premises for the production of salads must meet all the requirements for food production of SanPin. The room should have:
- hot and cold water;
- sewerage;
- electricity;
- room for making salads;
- refrigeration chamber for storing prepared products;
- refrigeration chamber for storing necessary raw materials and ingredients.
As for the area of the room, it will directly depend on the volume of products being manufactured, as well as on whether you plan to make salads alone or hire any staff.
Marketing
Most of the products will be sold through retail chains. To conclude contracts with shops, cafes and supermarkets, it is necessary to provide certificates confirming the quality of raw materials and compliance with the preparation technology. An undoubted advantage will be the availability of original recipes. Also, you need to offer potential customers favorable prices, ensure prompt delivery and be willing to flexibly resolve difficult situations.
You should prepare for the fact that up to 10% of products will be returned by retail outlets. Losses in this case will fall on your workshop.
You need to constantly expand your list of clients. Place advertisements in the media from time to time - this will provide you with orders at various celebrations and banquets. Consider the seasonality of your business. Salads are more popular in winter, but decline in summer. Think about what you can offer your clients during this period.
Be sure to create a website with online ordering functionality. Delivery can be carried out directly from the workshop or the retail outlet closest to the buyer that sells your salads.
Offer your customers something special. Chemical-free foods are now extremely popular. Perhaps this direction will become your gold mine.
Sales
When organizing a small production, sales of products are possible only through supermarkets selling products. Such stores willingly enter into contracts with salad suppliers.
If production is established in large volumes, then you will need to look for additional distribution channels. For example, customers can order salads over the phone. It is also possible to organize your own points of sale.
European business ideas that are not yet in Russia
Small business in Europe is thriving, and therefore there are plenty of interesting ideas that have no analogues in Russia. We will consider the most interesting and adaptable to our country below.
Bicycle cafe
If you are for an active lifestyle and you are not interested in just dining in restaurants and cafes, then here is a good business idea for you - creating a bicycle cafe.
The essence of such a place is that a visitor can ride there directly on his bicycle and have a snack in the same position. This is not only convenient for the vehicle owners themselves, but also relieves parking spaces and prevents the theft of bicycles.
Due to the fact that there are few parking lots for bicycles in our country, this idea will be in demand. To start a business you will need about 500,000 rubles and a permit from the municipality is required. You can achieve full payback in just six months.
A store with selections of products based on recipes
This is one of the best ideas, which for some reason has not yet found its implementation in our country. The essence of this new business idea from Europe is that the store sells not just products, but ready-made sets - for example, for a certain type of soup, salad, side dish, second course and even third.
This is beneficial to a person because:
- You don't have to look for everything on the list, and there's no risk of forgetting anything.
- There are no products in excess quantities - for example, you only need to make 1 serving of salad, and it is impossible to buy products strictly in such a set.
True, this type of business cannot be called budgetary - to start, you will need at least a million rubles - to purchase products, consumables, as well as select and prepare for operation the premises itself, plus documenting the business.
Chocolate designer
The pioneer in the market is . The point is that a person can create his own type of chocolate online, not only in terms of composition, but also in appearance.
The process of creating chocolate itself gives positive emotions not only to children, but also to adults, so the service quickly gained popularity in France, and also quickly found its spread in other countries.
Perhaps this is one of the few business ideas from Europe that has taken root in Russia - there are not so few companies and small private workshops. But, since the service is just developing, it is possible to profitably occupy a niche.
Vending with goods for travelers
The vending business is just developing in Russia, and in most cases we see vending machines with coffee and snacks. Less often with shoe covers, various consumables - for clinics, hospitals.
An excellent new business idea from Europe – vending with goods for travelers. The best place for installation is airports, train stations, bus stations.
The features of business in this direction are as follows:
- It makes sense to sell small goods in a vending machine that a person might simply forget - headphones, hygiene items, small clothes, comfort goods, and so on.
- The cost of such a machine starts from 150,000 rubles.
- It is not always possible to agree on renting a space at the airport, but if you really want to, you can do anything.
There is no such direction of the vending business in Russia yet, so feel free to start your own business - it will definitely pay off.
Vending with the sale of rolls
Rolls, sushi and other dishes of Japanese cuisine are no longer exotic for our country. So, supermarkets have been selling ready-made sets for a long time; the set can be assembled as you wish. And since the vending business is just developing in our country, selling rolls through such a machine can be a very good idea.
It should be noted that a vending machine for selling food costs an order of magnitude more than conventional machines - the price starts from 250,000 rubles. Plus the rolls themselves cost a lot - so to start you will need about 300,000 rubles, and this is the bare minimum.
By the way, such machines are already starting to be installed in the capital, but in the regions, of course, they are not yet there. So there is every chance to start a good business without competitors.
Healthy food restaurant
Healthy food restaurants with calorie counting are another fresh business idea from Europe. Moreover, this will be relevant in our time, when we need to take special care of our health and nutrition.
The number of calories of consumed dishes is indicated not only on the menu, but also on the receipt for payment - so that the excess eaten will be clearly visible, including in material terms. By the way, there won’t be any particular difficulties in implementing such an idea - you just need to introduce a calorie counting system and offer visitors food that is healthy.
Construction of non-standard houses
Construction of houses of non-standard design is one of the most popular Western business ideas, but it cannot be done without special education and a team of specialists.
In Europe, such architectural structures are in demand - minimalism, panoramic windows, individual design - all these are the requirements of a modern person. But this is far from the simplest, one might even say a highly specialized type of business. To start, you will need at least 2 million rubles and a fairly large amount of permitting documentation.
At the same time, it must be recognized that there are very few such companies in Russia now. So this is a promising direction, it makes sense to work through this business idea carefully and start working on the project.
Taxi passes
YandexTaxi and Uber are those services that, we can confidently say, have made a breakthrough in the passenger transportation market. But in Europe they went further and introduced subscriptions for taxi trips - this provides a stable flow of customers to carrier companies, and gives the customers the opportunity to save big.
This service makes it possible to use a taxi “for free” for a certain amount of time or kilometers. But such a “travel ticket” will be beneficial for those who often use taxi services.
In large cities of the Russian Federation, similar services already exist, but business in this direction is just developing, so it’s an excellent idea for a startup. But keep in mind that to start you will need at least 1.5 million rubles. You can save money if you enter into a partnership agreement with existing carrier companies.
