[su_dropcap style=”flat”]F[/su_dropcap]OOD PROCESSING can be a great business to get into if you’re able to make the right choices. Provided you know the right product for the market, you can become a staple supplier in your industry. You can bring opportunities to lots of people, making yourself a pillar of the community. However, it’s unlike other manufacturing businesses you can start. Working with food always takes a certain degree more legwork. We’re going to run through some of the most common issues or decisions you’ll run up against. Hopefully, we can make the path to starting your own food processing business a bit clearer.
Finding your niche
A big part of making sure that your food processing business will be successful is choosing the right kind of food to get to processing. This requires a lot of market research to see what’s provided locally and what’s missing. There are a lot of choices, so you should be able to find some sort of gap in the market. The food processing industry covers all kinds of profitable choices from baking to chocolate making. It also includes meat, poultry and alcohol. There are lists that can help you narrow the local opportunities so you’re left with the most likely niches to fill.
Finding your premises
Like every industrial or manufacturing business, you’re going to need a lot of space to establish your premises. You should consider how close your premises will be to those you do business with for the sake of transportation. Placing it in a place that’s easily commuted to is another factor of getting a strong workforce, too. With food premises, there are usually laws and guidelines that you will be obliged to follow, too. It might include rules for how you store food and extra fees as well, so do your research locally.
The rules and regulations
Of course, it’s not only premises that have to be deemed fit to the rules. You’re going to have to deal with a lot of legal stipulations in any business centered around food. Food Safety Acts exist in just about all developed countries, as well as separate guidelines on hygiene. These might include procedures that you’re required to keep note of. Failing to follow these guidelines often results in fines and even the closure of whole businesses. So make sure you and your employees stay on the right side of them at all times.
Your staff
Of course, a food processing business often has a lot of employees under its roof. Besides production line workers, you will also need engineers, cleaners and administrators. So, how do you get the right staff for the job? Recruiting is about understanding the needs your employees have. They have to show standard and efficiency, as well as the ability to cohere to all rules set out. Setting up trial periods for employees is the best way to discover this. There are also services like Aerotek who can help you find workers suited to your business
The equipment
A lot of the funding that goes into a food processing business is diverted towards the all-important equipment. This is, after all, how the whole business functions. The standards of machinery in food processing often has to account that it is food, a consumable item, you’re dealing with. This means equipment can’t contaminate the food in processing. See details from Cablevey Conveyors on the kind of equipment that fits these standards. Maintaining your equipment is another important part of running the business. Faulty equipment can lead to a lot of faulty products. Keeping a close eye on your equipment ensures you don’t lose all the money entailed in having to bin all those products.
Negotiating with retailers
As a food processor, most of your business is going to come from retailers. So you need to learn how to get in touch with them and negotiate with them. Local food trade shows and setting up your own business events can be a great way of building that business network you need. Diversify your clients so you don’t rely too much on any one of them. Learn how to negotiate with them. This usually relies on how accurate and real-time your presentations to them can be.
Taking care of your staff
Making sure they’re the right staff isn’t the only thing that you should be concerned with. In a processing or manufacturing environment, safety is always a priority. Keep all safety equipment logged and get replacements as soon as one goes missing or faulty. Give safety training regularly. You should also ensure you treat them well as humans, not just workers, instead. Being an employer has a lot to do with the kind of workplace you provide. If you provide one where your workers are treated well, they’ll be happier and more motivated to remain part of the team.
Managing risk
There’s also a lot of risk to the business that you should be prepared to face or avoid. There are five main causes of risk you should be looking at. Supply-chain risk, where loss of a supplier or transport can pose a danger. Equipment risk, which we’ve already mentioned. Spoilage and contamination, often caused by power outages or faulty equipment. Food safety and recall. Computer and internet disruption. All businesses in food production should have coverage from these risks. You should also be constantly finding new ways to minimize these risks in your system and equipment.
Automating your business
The place for employees that food processors give is important. However, so is making sure everything runs efficiently and to good value. Automating the processes of your food processing plant can help you do just that. It could involve leveraging all your automation systems to one network. You could choose to automate office admin tasks, as well. There’s a lot of software on offer that can take the tedious office work off your hands. This includes human resources systems tracking holidays, sick leave and benefits. Find ways to automate your business to make running it all the easier.
