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The food and drink industry is an area that you can always corner the market if your idea is unique enough and captures the imagination of the health conscious among us. With each year that passes, there is more discussion about sugar, saturated fat, and if it’s vegan-friendly. Starting any company needs to have the same fundamentals, regardless of the product. While running a company with one eye to the health conscious will make you a contemporary, important business, what are the things you need to have as key ingredients to your business for it to thrive?
Sort Out Your Certification
Working in the food industry requires more hoops to jump through than a hula hoop contest. You could still be working on your small food businesses out of your kitchen, but if you are planning on upping the scale at some point, you will need to make sure that your business meets specific regulatory requirements such as food safety and hygiene. If you are looking to upscale your business, you will need to look at the appropriate outsourcing approaches. To do this you will need to find the right business partners, and these could be smaller retailers, but if you’re looking to hit the larger ones as soon as possible, you will need to get your production site certified by an appropriate body.
Get Fixed Up Financially
Do you know the answers to all your financial questions? Are you going to be a limited company? Are you aware of the implications financially? Do you need an accountant to keep or get your books in shape? Have you thought about the right channels to go down to get the business funded? Are you looking for investors to give your business a significant financial boost? If so, you will need to build up your marketing and brand image.
Getting The Right Equipment
Based on the amount of money you have behind you at the start, you may need to downscale to cover yourself in the short term. If you have a wealth of machinery that is only being used to make a small amount of product, you are not using it to your benefit. Having the right machinery that complies with safety regulations is a trap that can slow the production line down before it has a chance to take off. You can check that the machinery is safe and effective by having PUWER assessments done or checking with your local regulation body to inspect it.
Marketing The Product
Getting your product to be thought of in the same way as the leading brands requires a strong brand, which will tie into your marketing campaign or your product packaging. The USP needs to stand out to a customer in a supermarket environment. After all, this is where most of your product will be going if you plan on competing with the big brands. If you look at the best marketing campaigns for food and drink, it communicates a story and a reason why the product will improve your life. Figure out that angle.
