Food Business Ideas
If you’re a foodie with the heart of an entrepreneur, then starting a food business might be exactly what you’re looking for. From coming up with scrumptious new delights to teaching others how to do it, here are 10 edible enterprises that might inspire you to open shop and start baking:
1. Bakery
If you love baking, why not get paid to do it by opening a bakery? Use family recipes, create your own or find desserts you can replicate perfectly every time.
How to start this business idea
You can start this business idea part-time baking during the evening and on weekends until it makes enough money for you to make it your full-time gig. Then you’ll need a retail space and equipment, but you can start from home accepting online orders and delivering them to the areas around where you live.
How to keep this business idea successful
- Diversify – Have multiple income streams to sustain your business
- Have a social media strategy
- You definitely need a website.
2. Catering
Do you love hosting parties and cooking food for your friends and family? If you’re a skilled cook you could be selling your delicious creations.
How to start this business idea
Since it’s just you for now, focus on smaller parties and home gatherings. Ensure you have enough kitchen space to prepare the food and a way to transport it to the venue.
How to keep this business idea successful
When you have more staff, you can start doing larger parties and functions. Go above and beyond by offering to clean-up after the party for great customer service.
3. Food truck
Do you want to open a restaurant without paying rent and having to buy tons of kitchen equipment? With a decent set of wheels and a small-scale food preparation station you can launch a food truck business.
How to start this business idea
Starting a food truck business means you’ll have decreased start-up costs, competitive pricing and lower risk of failure. Decide on a specific food and perfect the recipes to sell at your mobile eatery.
How to keep this business idea successful
Focusing on a particular speciality can help your food truck business stand out from any competition and aid in your branding strategy.
4. Spice processing
Spices not only enhance the flavour of food, but also have health benefits, which are in high demand. The market for ready-to-mix spices has grown.
How to start this business idea
Develop spice combinations that will offer unique tastes and find an existing spice manufacturer to help you blend your unique recipes.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you’ve established yourself, you can start experimenting with new and different taste combinations. “I created my own unique blend of healthier spices that would complement popular foods, but offer better quality, with health benefits, and at an affordable price,” explains Mikie Monoketsi, founder of Mama’s Spices and Herbs.
5. Cook for people
If you’re good at cooking food in bulk and you’re good at making food that freezes well, you can sell home cooked pre-made meals.
How to start this business idea
You can offer your services to the elderly, parents and busy working professionals, who don’t have the time or the energy to make food for themselves, but who still want healthy options.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you’re established you can offer your customers a menu they can choose from and you can expand what (the range of?) meals you offer to keep it interesting for them and you.
6. Cooking Class
If you love to cook, but more importantly, you love to teach others to cook, why not get paid to do it?
How to start this business idea
You can start this food business idea part-time, teaching in the evenings and on the weekend. Offering your services at schools, as team building exercises or for anyone looking to learn how to cook.
How to keep this business idea successful
Keep learning new recipes and offering categories, for example, you could teach people how to make desserts, or Italian meals, or vegan meals. These new categories will bring previous customers back to learn more.
7. Bartender
Do you make a mean cocktail? Are you good at making friends with strangers? Why not get paid to pour and mix drinks at parties and events?
How to start this business idea
A bartender-for-hire service requires low seed capital. You can market your services to catering companies, event planners and hotels, to get your name out there and help you establish a customer base.
How to keep this business idea successful
Continue to learn new drink options and improve your technique and performance. By appearing more experienced and professional you can gain access to larger events.
8. Meal Delivery
If you’re good at compiling the best ingredients and coming up with amazing recipes you can sell your meals ideas to busy South Africans.
How to start this business idea
UCook launched from a garage, David Torr and his team would pack the ingredients into boxes with a recipe and sell it to customers. You can use social media to make people more aware of your service.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you have a loyal and growing customer base keep offering new perks and new recipes to keep them interested and engaged with your service.
9. Organic Food Shop
There are a growing number of health-conscious people who prefer organic food, especially in urban areas. You can launch an organic food shop to help them find the healthy food they’re looking for.
How to start this business idea
You’ll need to decide what organic foods you’re going to carry in your store. Then, establish a network of organic food distributors. You’ll need to stock your store before you open, which means you’ll need a significant amount of capital to start this venture.
How to keep this business idea successful
Continuously advertise your business to increase your customer base and make more people aware of your organic food shop.
10. Microbrewery
Do you love making craft beer? Trying different ingredients to get new flavours? You could open a microbrewery and sell others your tasty inventions.
How to start this business idea
To start you’ll need to brew a significant amount of your product, package and start selling it. Once you’re selling and growing your customer base you can decide whether to open a venue of your own to serve your craft beer.
How to keep this business idea successful
Once you’ve established your brand and/or venue you can start stocking other craft beers, open a second venue or widen your distribution channels so more people can try your product.