Whether it’s for extra income or the start of something much bigger, you want your home-based food business to be successful and profitable. You also want the foods you sell to be safe for everyone (especially if you’re preparing foods for school canteens).
Here let’s quickly discuss how to make your home-based food business a successful one. Perhaps this early success can motivate you to scale up your business or just build a solid reputation among your customers.
1. Know what your customers want/need (and what will be their requirements in the future)
It all starts with the customer. A common mistake is starting the business and then finding the customers. Many people come up with a “revolutionary idea” and then try to sell it. Although there are rare instances of success, this approach is actually backwards compared to what works in the real world.
A better (and often the correct) approach is to find a group of customers first (e.g. based on their age, cultural background, whether they have kids, the type of establishment, whether you can easily access those customers, if those customers can easily find you). Then you create a business or prepare the products that specifically cater to that group of customers.
This applies in many types of industries and in the following food businesses:
- Home-based catering businesses
- Businesses that prepare food for school canteens and nearby markets
- Bed & breakfast accommodations
- Providing food or preparing snacks for child care centres
- Preparing meals for nearby offices and workplaces
2. Apply hygienic practices at all times
Food contamination (e.g. during handling of the ingredients and food) can instantly ruin someone’s reputation. It’s important that you do the following to ensure the food is clean:
- Make hand washing a priority (e.g. hand washing areas should be very near, washing hands before handling ready-to-eat food and after handling raw food)
- Prevent unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food (each contact can be a cause of contamination)
- Always wear clean clothing, tie back long hair and avoid wearing jewellery on hands and wrists (objects might mix in with the food and ingredients)
The goal is to prevent introducing microbes and unnecessary objects into the food. This way the food will remain safe for consumption and you protect your reputation.
3. Apply proper refrigeration or maintain safe temperatures
Foodborne illnesses often result from the storage and display of potentially hazardous foods (e.g. cooked meat, seafood, dairy products, prepared salads, protein-rich foods) in inadequate temperatures for extended periods. This gives the perfect conditions for microbes to thrive and reproduce.
For cold foods, these items should be stored at a temperature 5℃ and below (for hot foods it should be 60℃ and above). Storing the food within the temperature danger zones (between 5℃ and 60℃) should be avoided or minimised. This way you limit the microbial and enzymatic actions happening in the food and you keep the food safe for consumption (and lengthen its lifetime).
Here at COOLTRANS we specialise in refrigerated deliveries and observe tight temperature control. We also strictly meet deadlines because we understand that time is of the essence in transporting perishable goods. Contact us today and let’s discuss your requirements whether it’s for a single carton delivery or larger deliveries for your home-based food business.
