If you are passionate about food or are particularly skilled in cooking and baking, then it is highly likely that you have considered starting a food business. Whether you are looking to start your business making and selling food and drink items from your own home, food trucks, online, or in a restaurant or café, there are some essential steps you should take to set your new venture up for success.
Establish Your Business Plan
The food and drink industry is heavily saturated, with new businesses popping up almost daily. To be a success, you will need a watertight business plan regardless of the types of food you will be making or selling. Your business plan holds the key to investments and helps you to stay on track with your goals. It should be a detailed document that includes a description of your company, your market research, competitor analysis, breakdowns of your products and services, sales and marketing plan, and how you plan to operate your business. It may take a while to perfect, but it will be time spent well.
Register Your Food Business
In the UK, anyone who cooks, sells, handles, stores, distributes, or prepares food must register their food business with their local authority regardless of where they intend to trade. It is a legal requirement. Registering should be done at least 28 days before starting trading. It is free, and you can’t be refused registration. Registration details can be found on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website. If you have started trading and have not registered yet, do this as soon as possible to avoid repercussions.
Be Prepared For Inspections And Consider Additional Training
Once you’ve registered your business, your premises could be inspected by an environmental health officer (EHO). Once inspected, you will receive a food hygiene rating out of 5 under the FSA’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. An EHO will look at aspects that relate to the premises where you prepare food, your food preparation and handling practices, your documentation, and your food safety management system, which should be kept up to date at all times.
While it is not a legal requirement in the UK, you might want to consider undertaking food hygiene training so that you have all bases covered when it comes to the best hygiene practices for food production, handling, preparation, storage, and cleaning.
Supplies
It doesn’t matter what type of food business you intend to run; you will need supplies. You’ll need to consider where you will source your produce and ingredients and any required furniture and tableware. It will depend on the type of operation you will have, but you might need to source food packaging that customers can take away or transport their goods in. As businesses and consumers are increasingly worried about eco-credentials, you need to choose an option that isn’t bad for the environment. The good news is that here at Envior, we only produce biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable packaging. Whether you need pizza boxes or compostable tableware, we have your back!
Be Present Online
The final step to starting a food business is to make sure you are visible online. To attract customers from all over, you must have a website that details everything potential customers need to know about your foodie enterprise and be on social media. Social media can open many doors for your new business. It can allow you to connect with other establishments in your area, get in touch with food bloggers, and help spread the word about your venture.
Get in touch and see how we can help you be greener with your takeaway food packaging. Request a catalogue or further info on 0121 289 4295 or alternatively email [email protected].
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