In another post I made, we learned how you can raise funds by asking customers to pay for the product beforehand. Our product was making fresh cucumber juice. To further help our entrepreneur and whoever wants to engage in a fresh juice business, I decided to offer this tips on how to start a cold pressed juice business.
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A fresh juice business looks so straight forward and simple to start, easy to sell especially in a town like Douala with its heat. However, there are certain things you need to know before you launch your juice business. I have mentored met some entrepreneurs who are into juice making. Mentoring them helped to compile a list of things that you will need to know so as to run a fresh juice business smoothly.
Know the local health laws that concerns fresh juice business
In Cameroon, those who run restaurants or sell food or any other product that is consumed fresh are supposed to provide a medical certificate issued by a physician. Since we are talking about a delivery-only fresh juice making business, that means you are selling directly to consumers. In this case, the local laws for restaurants should cover you on that. You will need to obtain a medical certificate from a registered state physician.
For you to know more about the health regulations, you will need to get in touch with the nearest local health department where you plan to locate your business.
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Choose a fresh fruit juice making business model
As said above, we are working on a fruit juice delivery-only business model since it’s startup capital is the lowest. Starting small doesn’t matter a lot as some of the big brands we know today started really small. I can remember how Lesley Bongajum started Bonga Juice, a cold-pressed juice making business in Buea and today it is already a brand to reckon with in Cameroon. You can start it even in your kitchen. You can ask your customers to place their orders online so that you can deliver them the next day.
Having social media accounts will be necessary. A website will be the best thing. You can build an e-commerce website where your customers can place their orders and you may even deliver same day. I recommend you checkout with AlliedTechie if you want to have well-designed dynamic websites. They have a discounted package for entrepreneurs-only that includes domain name, hosting and design.
You need the capital
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This is where most young entrepreneurs have a problem. How to get funds to start a business. With this model, you can use the pre-sales method to raise funds. If customers are placing their orders online, it means they pay before hand. Remember that we are working with the delivery-only juice making business model. On the other hand, if you have the money, you can start. I read about this Kenyan who started his fresh juice business with Ksh4,500 which is approximately XAF25,000.
Juice making equipment
You can start your fresh juice business with a cheap juicer like this simple one as from XAF9,500 (price may change because it is on promo). This one will be good especially if your target market is small. However, if you can afford or need something more sophisticated, then this Extra Powerful Kitchen Robot by Kenwood can help you prepare not only fruit juices, but milkshakes and other types of cocktails. You can even use it to grind coffee beans in case you plan to expand your business in future to include other drinks.
Branding & packaging
When I talk of packaging I mean in its entirety. That is, bottles (glass or plastic), packaging, branding and so on. If you have a place already, you will need disposable cups, glass, lids, serviettes and straws. In the case where your client places a big order, you can ask them to bring their own container.
Branding is very necessary when you are running your own business. Your brand differentiates you from other fresh juice business brands. In a previous post, I shared with you the differences between a brand and a product. This could help you understand why it will be good for you to brand your fresh juice business.
Manage your costs well
You may think since the ingredients you need to make your fresh juice are common to get, there is no need actually getting the cost in detail. When it comes to fresh juice business, you need to make sure your business is sustainable. You should have it in mind that the cost of ingredients per bottle should not be more than 25% or 30% of products final selling price.
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Diversify your business
If you already have a space where you sell your juice, maybe a bar, you can add value by running other businesses. I talked above about getting a sophisticated Extra Powerful Kitchen Robot by Kenwood that can help you prepare not only fruit juices, but milkshakes and other types of cocktails. It should be noted that you can also use the same machine to grind roast coffee. You can get roast coffee beans at a cheaper price compared to already ground beans. For instance Coffee Guru offers organic roast coffee bean or ground bean planted under kola-nut trees in Kumbo, North West Region of Cameroon.
Register your business
You should not forget about registering your business with the authorities. Many may want to go underground, but I wont advise you to take that road. You will miss out the big buyers in particular like companies if you don’t have a registered business. You need to choose whether to become an incorporated company or you want be a sole-proprietor. Check this previous post on how to create a sole-proprietor business and an incorporated company in Cameroon. You can also start small by registering it as a sole-proprietor business that pays only the discharge tax.
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