If you enjoy food and love cooking, there is no reason why you can’t start a food business from home. In this article, we will explore what food you can make and sell from home, along with what is involved in starting a food business from home with the help of the chief of Pollo Campero Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga.
How To Start a Food Business From Home
Selling home-cooked food to the public is not just a question of taking a recipe, making it, and then selling it. Consider what it takes to start a home-based food business from home.
Before you start your home-based food business, think about who your target market is. Food business from home will be more successful if you identify your target market first. For instance, if you live near a university or community college, you might want to consider light meals and heavy snacks.
If you are located near a particular ethnic demographic, you might consider authentic ethnic dishes that suit that demographic. If you are located near an office building, you might want to concentrate on providing lunch meals.
If you wanted to get specific and niche down further, you could offer healthy lunch snacks and meals in your target market. Alternatively, you may wish to concentrate on organic foods or food for vegans. The more you research your target market, the better you will be able to provide homemade food to sell profitably.
Permit To Sell Food From Home
Before you jump into homemade food to sell, you must be aware that most US states have regulations around the food industry. Just because you are operating your food business from home, doesn’t mean this exempts you from local, state, and federal regulations.
To operate a home-based food business, you will need to follow food safety regulations and apply for permits. It’s critical to research what is required to sell homemade foods. Ensure you have all the right permits and licenses to operate.
A home-based food business varies how much it is regulated. If you don’t sell your home-prepared food interstate or online, you probably will incur less regulation. If your food business doesn’t require refrigeration, then you are also less likely to face restrictions.
Selling Homemade Food Online
Online is a great channel to sell food from home.
Before launching into selling homemade foods online, consider how easy it will be to ship or deliver. Selling candy online that’s easy to pack and has a long shelf life is quite different from selling frozen or perishable food.
Meal prep can be sold online if you are delivering to a local area. Customers can order online, and then have the meal prep package prepared and delivered on the day it’s needed.
If deciding to enter the takeaway food business, remember you are up against giants in the industry like McDonald’s. There is a balance between being too cheap and being too expensive. If you are too cheap, you may not make money. If you are too expensive, you will lose customers.
Try to come up with take-away food that is unique. Target local gyms with healthy takeaway options. Specialize in takeaway vegan or gluten-free food ideas where you aren’t in direct competition with the fast-food chains.
Selling homemade food online will require a website or Facebook page where you can take orders online. To make an online food business more profitable, you can add a small surcharge to your base prices, before listing your food for sale with a delivery service such as Uber Eats.
Food Business Ideas With Small Capital
Not all home-based food businesses need to involve capital. You can turn your passion for home cooking into the food you can make and sell from home with little investment.
If you have limited capital to invest in, consider catering as an option. You can pre-sell a menu, get a deposit, purchase the raw ingredients and start preparing. All without having to invest a lot of capital upfront. The odds are you will need extra help on the day or the day before. The final payment from the client on the day will help with your cash flow.
If you love cooking but don’t love the idea of making food then selling it, you could opt to become a personal chef. Often working families don’t have a lot of time to devote to meal preparation. They hire others to create well-balanced, healthy meals for them. You can either cook in a client’s home or cook from home, and then deliver. If you cook in a client’s home, ordering raw ingredients can be paid for and provided by the client. No capital involved; simply turn up, cook, and get paid for your efforts.
Another way to engage in your passion for starting a home-based food business is to become a cooking instructor. You can promote cooking classes within your home and pre-sell places to enthusiastic students. By pre-selling classes, you should be paid for more than your time and ingredients without needing capital investment.
If food is your passion, why not set up a YouTube channel and teach others to cook your favorite home recipes. Alternatively, start a food podcast where you interview home cooks. Start a home-based food business specializing in healthy school lunches. Pack these in recycled paper bags with the child’s name on them and deliver them to your local school.
In summary, innovative ideas for a food business are only limited by your imagination. Capitalize on the convenience and low overheads of running a home-based food business. Brainstorm what food you can make and sell from home. Capitalize on your passion for food and become a stay-at-home mom at the same time.
Grab yourself a catchy name, design labels that resonate with your target market, and start cooking up a storm!
You may also be interested in: Five Tips for Starting a Food Truck
