Opening up a food business from your own kitchen seems easy, right? If you’re a foodie with a mind for business, you could take the cookery world by storm in doing so.
Whether you want to create cake masterpieces and ship out multi-tier wedding pieces that comfortably keep the lights on, or you simply want to make your own iced cookies and light-bites to sell at fairs and festivals, your own kitchen is the only place you need to be.
However, there are some challenges you’re likely to run into along the way. And for some foodies out there, these challenges can be a big surprise. So let’s go through them below, to make sure you know what to expect when you’re building your own little food empire.
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Setting Up a Hygienic Workspace
Your home is clean, you know that. But no one else does! As such, you need to make sure you keep it clean to a professional standard, both when you’re using it for your job and when you’re not.
For example, if you have pets, they’ll need to stay off the counters, and any pet waste you regularly deal with needs to be kept away from food prep areas. In fact, they’ll need to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible, but especially when you’re creating goods for commercial consumption.
Packaging and Labeling Foods Properly
In the world of food and beverages, there are a lot of hygiene rules surrounding simple packaging and labeling too.
It’s not just the kitchen and everything in it you have to keep clean. It’s not just the ingredients you use needing to be kept separate, boxed, and labeled with in and out dates. Anything you want to sell needs to have the same information on it too.
And depending on the category of food product it is, you’re going to need select produce packaging to help keep your goods fresh and in date, even if they were baked 5 minutes ago.
Getting Orders Delivered
How much time do you have to deliver orders by hand? Similarly, how much will it cost to make sure any items you make can be shipped out in good condition AND arrive in good condition, no matter how far away they’re going?
This is one of the biggest and most difficult challenges you’ll have to contend with, and it’s why many home food businesses only sell within their local area.
You can pack up your car with boxes of cakes, cookies, and savory delicacies, and make sure they’re all packed in tight with climate control keeping frosting and chocolate chips from melting. But what about trucks and containers used by third party companies? You’ll need to make sure items get the same treatment!
Running a home food business can be a great career choice. However, make sure you’re ready for the cleanliness and logistical challenges above. And remember, check what food regulations are applicable in your area before you start.
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