2019 - Is This The Year That You Start Your Home Preserves Business?

Thinking Of Starting a Home Preserves Business?

It's the time of year when many of us start thinking about big changes and new beginnings.  For some, that might mean taking up a new hobby or vowing to eat more healthily, but for others, it could mean thinking about starting their own business.  If you're considering setting up a home preserves business, this blog post is especially for you, as we thought we'd cover just that today.  Please read on for our  thoughts on what you need to think about and some tips on how to start off on the best possible footing.

Do Your Research

The first things to think about are the what, who and where of your business - what will you sell, to whom you will sell and where you will sell it?  Getting to the bottom of these will help you start fleshing out a business plan and will really help you understand whether you have a USP (unique selling point) and whether your plan is really viable.

Starting with the what - what will you sell?  Is jam-making your passion or do you prefer chutneys, pickles or sauces?  Perhaps you have your own beehives and would like to sell your own pure honey or products made with your honey?  You could decide to be a specialist, producing jams in only a limited range of flavours or you may prefer to be more of a generalist, producing jams, marmalades, jellies, chutneys, piccalilli, chilli jams, vinegars and every other conceivable preserve you can imagine.

Whatever you decide, it's important to think about how your preserves will be different from all the other home-produced jams and pickles that are available in delis, farmers' markets and the like.  Will they include only organic ingredients or might they be low-sugar alternatives?  Perhaps they will all have unique and unusual flavours to make them stand out from the crowd?

The next step is to do some testing and some informal market research.  Try making a batch of your preserves and testing them out on friends and family. It's important to stress to your 'guinea pigs' that their honesty is vital as feedback that is just 'what you want to hear' is of no value to you in the long run.  Ask for open and honest feedback about taste and also about presentation and about the price that people would be willing to pay and the frequency that they would be likely to buy.

Finding Your Target Market

Of course, many artisan producers sell their goods at farmers' markets and food festivals and these are very good channels for the small-scale producer.  There are other options to consider, however , including selling through local delicatessens and speciality food stores, selling to B&Bs, restaurants and hotels and even selling via party plan!  Don't forget online sales too, as this could be a way to get your product in front of a wider audience that would normally be possible.  Let's say that you produce a range of child-friendly preserves that are healthy and low in sugar, for example.  By using social media and online channels, you could specifically target busy parents who are looking for easy ways to source tasty and healthy food items for their children.

Wholesale Glass Jars And Bottles

For anyone starting a new business, controlling costs is key to success. Many potentially brilliant fledgling businesses have fallen at the first post by being careless with their limited funds in the early stages, spending money on unnecessary equipment, or buying materials at retail prices rather than hunting out some wholesale deals.

That's were Wares of Knutsford can help.  We offer flexible wholesale terms to business customers, whether you have been trading for decades or you are just starting out.  By buying wholesale glass jars and glass bottles, you will save a considerable amount, you'll always have plenty of glass bottles and jars in stock ready for production.  You will also present a professional image when you sell your produce, with it presented in the same style of glass jars or bottles, all with the same neat lids and a professional label.

If you'd like to find out more about our wholesale terms, please check out our website.  We have a huge range of glass bottles and glass jars that are available in wholesale quantities and at very competitive wholesale prices.  Our minimum wholesale order is £450.00  (excluding VAT & shipping).  Orders are delivered to you on pallets to provide the very best security for the items.

Finally, if you need to buy in bulk, but you're not quite at the stage yet were you need wholesale quantities, it's worth checking out our bulk buy savings packs.  Almost our entire range of glass bottles and jars are available in quantities of 12, 24, 36, 100 , 200, 300 and 500. It goes without saying that the more you buy, the more you save.

Check out our full range of glass bottles and glass jars by clicking here.