What documents are needed to sell smoked products. Business idea: smoking fish

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Why not bring joy to people and make a business out of smoking products? After all, few people are indifferent to smoked meats. Almost everyone loves them, and not a single holiday would be complete without them.

Key points when organizing this business

The main feature, if not the complexity, of this business is the room for smoking meat or fish. His choice, rent and related details. Of course, if you conceived it not only for your friends, but plan to seriously engage in it. For example, selling at the local market. What is special about the room as such? It must meet sanitary and hygienic requirements. According to them, it should not be just a room. This should be a whole workshop for processing meat products. Only then will the smoking business bring results.

The standards that the state imposes on premises of this type are as follows:

1. The workshop in which the smoking process takes place must be located no closer than 300 m from residential premises and educational institutions.
2. Cold and hot water, ventilation, sewerage are mandatory conditions for starting a business.
3. The area of ​​the room should not be less than 100 m².
4. There must be office space, bathrooms, and locker rooms.

In addition, state standards regulate the number and height of windows, the quality of masonry on the walls and a number of other requirements. So it’s not so easy to open your own food smoking business. Rebuilding existing sites and those that suit your price will not work. Yes, building such a business from scratch is not easy. But there is one way out: renting or completely purchasing the premises, which were previously used as a dining room. Such premises were built in full compliance with state regulations.

But here a second difficulty emerges. Do not forget about the state requirements published at the beginning of the paragraph. It should not just be a dining room that is suitable for the price, but one whose compliance with all other requirements does not raise questions. For example, do not underestimate the canteen of the former factory. If it is slightly re-equipped, this workshop can produce up to 10 tons of smoked fish or meat. So this business as a business is quite possible.

Main danger

What do you need to do before starting this business? First of all, you need to find those to whom you can supply these products. It is worth remembering that business owners suffer the greatest losses not when people come to them with inspections. Not at all. They suffer the biggest losses when the warehouse is overstocked and the products begin to deteriorate. Plus, there is a risk in the form of non-returns from stores. That is, no profit from sales. But there is a way out, and it is quite possible to make it so that it also brings income, like a business, and at the same time gives pleasure.

Why is this happening? The majority of stores, especially supermarkets, make the price for the consumer too high. As a result, the product is not sold out due to its high cost. What's the way out of this? Has the idea of ​​smoking fish as a business failed? No, the solution is to cooperate with small grocery stores.

There is still a danger of opening such a business in the so-called “non-fishing areas”. As a rule, many men there are fishermen, and there is a body of water that is famous for its “fishing spots.” It’s not even worth opening such a business in such areas and spending a lot of money on advertising.

Coordination is also an important aspect

Every entrepreneur who has opened a business selling smoked products should first register as an individual entrepreneur. Then you will have to deal with a large number of departments to coordinate their actions. These are the following organizations:

1. Fire Department;
2. Rosprirodnadzor;
3. Rostechnadzor;
4. Veterinary service.

Don’t forget about obtaining a product quality certificate. A smoked product, like others, requires confirmation by a certificate. In order for an entrepreneur to be allowed to trade, it is necessary to pass a special test.

What equipment is needed to open and operate a smokehouse?

It depends on the size of the business being opened, in which the main product can be called the sale of smoked meat or fish. If this is a mini-business, then you will need a smokehouse, which you can buy relatively cheaply or make yourself.

A smokehouse can be bought on average from 5,000 to 35,000 rubles. The exact price depends on many factors. In particular, from the region in which it is planned to open the smokehouse. For large-scale production you will need additional equipment:

1. Baths for washing products.
2. Refrigerators.
3. Cages with skewers in which smoking is carried out.

It is not necessary to have all the equipment. At each production, its set differs, and this is permissible.

Refrigerators for the industrial production of such products can cost 100,000 rubles or so. There are many requirements for equipment. For example, raw materials that are being prepared for manufacturing and finished products must be stored separately. And sanitary treatment of tables, knives, etc. is mandatory. after every shift.

What else is important to pay attention to? Check the expiration date and conditions in which the raw materials were stored. It is better to choose products that do not raise doubts. If a store suddenly ends up with a product of inadequate quality, it will not be easy to regain consumer trust.

You should not purchase products directly from shopping centers. This is not economically viable. It is better to purchase goods from the manufacturer. For example, these could be pig farms, fish factories, etc. Manufacturers usually have the necessary quality certificates. Fish, all stages of smoking of which took place at home, is considered to be of higher quality. That is, a small business, if properly promoted, can bring considerable income.

When will the costs be recouped?

If you approach each point of starting a business correctly, then the costs can pay off in just six months. But this will happen only if there are no failures and if the entrepreneur went through all the stages as clearly as possible. In particular, if he managed to select the right employees.

Hiring smokehouse employees is an important step. It will be better if they have work experience, because producing food is a very responsible business. And the quality of products directly depends on the experience of employees.

The number of employees depends on the size of the enterprise and the experience of the entrepreneur. If a businessman is young, and not so much in age as in terms of experience, he can hire 1-3 assistants.

A large enterprise requires more people. For example, it wouldn’t hurt to hire an accountant and a meat deboner. You can open a store of finished products if there are conditions for this and there is a demand for it. In any case, then you will also need a seller.

What fish is suitable for salting and smoking?

It is more correct and profitable to carry out these manipulations with the fish that swim in your local reservoirs. Or with meat that is found in a given region. The consumer likes this and it suits the concept of restaurants and cafes, because... they usually rely on local “gifts of nature.”

Many people believe that it is better to purchase raw materials in distant areas. They are wrong. This is not profitable for small businesses. The freight transport infrastructure in our country is too unreliable. This significantly hinders the development of a business such as the production of smoked meats.

If an entrepreneur nevertheless chooses this path, then he must have a food technologist on his staff, and he must be highly qualified and with extensive work experience.

He must be able to determine the condition based on one type of frozen meat or fish. This person is an important condition for a business like smoking to develop.

By the way, according to the rules, frozen fish cannot be smoked. Anyone who follows this rule will have a business - smoking will probably be successful.

They turn their attention to the possibility of inexpensively producing high-quality food products. Smoking meat and fish is one such idea. At first glance, a smokehouse does not require expensive equipment, and the final product has a high cost. Good data to start with. But is everything really so smooth, and will the smokehouse as a business be able to provide sufficient profit for a small production? This will be discussed further.

Smoking business

Smoking is a food processing process in which the original product is exposed to the heat of smoke and is preserved due to its bactericidal properties. This is a very ancient method of preparing and preserving raw meat.

But the modern food industry has so distorted the very idea of ​​smoking in pursuit of volumes and cheaper production that what is sold today from supermarket shelves as smoked products has nothing to do with smoking. Most often this is a meat product - boiled, steamed and treated with liquid smoke. Of course, we are not talking about any benefits or bactericidal properties of such meat. Rather, it’s the other way around.

The disappearance of real smoked meats from the assortment of stores sent a good message to private businesses that are ready to invest money in the production of a natural and healthy product. But there are two limitations: only a small amount of smoked meat can be produced at home, and it is quite high, therefore, the final cost of the product is much higher than the price of a fake in a supermarket.

When starting to implement a business idea for a small smokehouse, you must take these two features into account.

The most expensive and time-consuming method of producing a smoked product is cold smoking. On average, the entire process takes about a week. As a result of hot smoking, the finished product can be obtained in a few days.

Hot smoking differs from cold smoking in the process of preparing raw materials and the temperature of the smoke. With the cold method, the smoke temperature is from 30 °C to 50 °C. The processing period is 3–5 days. When hot, the temperature is from 80 ° C to 110 ° C, and the processing time is from several minutes (for small sources) to five hours (for large pieces of meat).

The main difference between the product obtained as a result of cold smoking is longer storage, a minimum percentage of liquid, and brighter taste.

A small farm can organize both a hot and cold smokehouse. The choice depends on the entrepreneurial idea and market needs. If a businessman is willing to spend a large amount of time, produce a truly high-class product, and there is a circle of clients who are willing to pay for this quality, then it is worth thinking about a cold smokehouse for a small business. If the business is focused on the market and the mass buyer, then a hot smoker is more suitable.

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Purchase of raw materials and equipment

Private smokehouses as a business operate both on wood smoke and on smoke generators. The choice depends on the business model.

If an entrepreneur does not have constant access to firewood, or does not want to increase the cost of the finished product by purchasing expensive wood, then you can get by with a smoke generator. This device can be purchased from manufacturers, its cost is about 2 thousand rubles, or you can make it yourself.

You can make a smoking chamber yourself or order it from those craftsmen who know how to do it.

An industrial smokehouse with a built-in smoke generator and other smoking equipment costs about 500 thousand rubles. Note: subject to certain conditions, an entrepreneur can.

Today, households use equipment to generate electrostatic voltage in the chamber to increase the profitability of the smokehouse.

Due to the effect of such voltage, the smoking period is reduced several times. So, to obtain cold smoked products, only 10–12 minutes are enough.

The video shows an example of using an electrostatic smokehouse for a small business:

And another important point for opening your own smokehouse is the purchase of high-quality raw materials: pork, beef, poultry, etc.

The quality of the final product largely depends on how fresh and properly processed the meat was placed in the cabinet. Therefore, if an entrepreneur plans to engage in smoking, he must establish direct supplies from farms where beef cattle and poultry are raised, as well as from fisheries. The closer suppliers are to it, the better for business.

Payback of the idea

The initial investment in a business such as a smokehouse in a garage or on a personal plot does not exceed 60 thousand rubles. For this money you can purchase the necessary equipment, debug it and undergo training.

Here are some approximate calculations for a business plan for a smokehouse. In a week in a garage or on a personal plot, you can organize the processing of 10–20 kg of meat.

The average price of raw meat is about 200 rubles per kilogram. The average cost of smoked products is about 400 rubles per 1 kg. Consequently, having bought and smoked 10 kg of meat in a week, an entrepreneur will spend 2 thousand rubles. But you need to take into account that during smoking the meat loses about 15% of its weight. Consequently, from 10 kg of raw materials, about 8.5 kg of finished product comes out. The income will be 3.5 thousand rubles. Profit – 1.5 thousand rubles. Additional costs include payment for transport, fuel and electricity.

Obviously, a mini-smokehouse as a small business is a completely justified investment. But subject to all necessary conditions: loading high-quality meat, adhering to technology and refusing to use chemical additives in the form of liquid smoke, etc.

It is useful to read what is necessary. Composition and cost of the line, requirements for the sausage shop.

Everything you need to get started.

The most popular ones that can bring good profits to a novice entrepreneur

Conclusion

A hot and/or cold smoked smokehouse is a profitable idea for a small business. Moreover, considering that start-up costs are relatively low, and profitability is about 40%. The difficulty of this production is that this product does not have a very large sales market, and therefore the entrepreneur is unlikely to be able to reach large production volumes.

The holidays wouldn't be complete without them, so why not make a smokehouse the core of your business. Please note that there are always people near the counters with smoked fish and sausages; they buy fragrant “smoky” products, regardless of the time of year. A smokehouse as a business is a good start to your business; the demand for such products will not fall, and if there is demand, then there is income. So, where to start a smoking business?

Properly organized smoking production can bring considerable income

Studying the market

To identify the pros and cons of smoking production, you need to study sales volumes on the market for the products:

• study the pricing policy and assortment of suppliers in the area where you are going to open a business, or at least take a closer look at the prices on the shelves;
• through analytical work, identify the wishes and tastes of customers;
• study samples of competitors' products to identify their advantages and disadvantages;
• find profitable sales points.

Choosing a place

First, decide on the format of your future business - small or full-scale production. Depending on this, the volume of products produced will be different.

Home smoking as a business can be organized in the free space of a private home - on a personal plot or in a garage.

The choice of location depends on the starting capital and experience. For large-scale production, you will have to rent a separate large room - this will be a workshop for the production of delicacies. Take into account the fact that it is difficult to convert an old enterprise into a full-fledged smoking shop that meets all sanitary standards and requirements of government agencies.

State regulations:

1. Room area from 100 m2 or more.
2. The smoking shop should be located three hundred meters from residential buildings.
3. Mandatory availability of cold and hot water, sewerage, ventilation system.
4. The enterprise must have bathrooms, service rooms, and locker rooms.

Building a full-scale business from scratch is difficult, so think it through. Perhaps a mini smokehouse for a small business is right for you to start with, you can always expand over time. For those wishing to immediately open a large workshop, we recommend taking a closer look at the former canteens, which were created taking into account state standards.

Gradually you will improve the place of production

Regardless of the area, it is necessary to provide premises for the supply of raw materials, their salting, packaging, storage of sawdust, liquid smoke, containers, as well as prepared meat or fish (separate chambers for different smoked meats).

What documents are needed

If you want to open a smoking business at home, write down the list of documents:

• document from the sanitary and epidemiological station;
• conclusions of such organizations as Rosprirodnadzor and Rostechnadzor;
• document from a veterinary organization;
• fire department permit;

Without these certificates, you will not be able to establish a business in this area. Since it concerns the food industry, SES employees will take samples of finished products monthly.

Your products will be regularly checked by SES

Purchase of equipment

After you have found a suitable premises and decided on the scale of your business, buy equipment. His choice depends on the scale with which the “smoked business” will unfold. For large-scale production you will need:

• Technological tables.
• Several sinks.
• Cutting boards and knives.
• Smoking chambers with skewers. If you plan, buy a special smoking chamber for this type of product.
• Scales.
• Large refrigerators, freezers.
• Trolleys for transporting meat around the workshop.
• Transport for the sale and delivery of finished smoked meats.

The list may be incomplete, due to the characteristics of different production workshops. We have published an indicative list of equipment. For home-based production of smoked meats (for example, if you smoke meat to order), it can be reduced, for large workshops it can be expanded. Write about it in the comments, indicate what, in your opinion, should be in the smoking shop.

Equipment processing

The smoking room must have an exhaust hood and good ventilation, and doors and hatches must be tightly closed. If possible, immediately purchase slats and skewers in double quantities, since they need to be processed daily: cleaned, washed in a 1% soda solution and scalded with boiling water. Smoking chambers are processed once a week.

It is important to maintain constant cleanliness in the workshop

You will also need moisture meters and thermometers to measure the humidity and temperature in the chambers where food is prepared for sale. The readings of measuring instruments are recorded in a special journal. Don’t forget about disinfection: cutting boards should be soaked in a 5% soda ash solution after each shift, then dried thoroughly. Disinfect tables on which you cut fish and meat twice a day. The main thing is that these rules are followed not only for the sanitary and epidemiological station. After all, cleanliness is always important, especially where food is prepared. If your smoked products are always fresh, moderately smoked, not overdried and without a bitter aftertaste, people will buy them.

Test purchase

The best option is to purchase products in your region so as not to travel far. Buy in small quantities at first because you don't know how sales will go. With small volumes, it is easier to compare prices and quality from different suppliers. Fisheries readily respond to offers of cooperation, offering competitive prices and quality products. Do not buy frozen raw meat - this will immediately affect the quality of the finished product or leg.

How to find buyers

The main goal of any business is a good sales market, which entails a decent income. Remember that smoked meat is not like clothing or utensils that can be stored in a warehouse for months. It is important to sell the meat as quickly as possible, while it is fresh, aromatic, and edible, after all. Otherwise, you can quickly lose clients and also lose business, because you don’t want to work at a loss.

You can find sales points at local markets, supermarkets, grocery stores, and beer bars. After all, smoked fish is healthier and tastier than chips and snacks. To attract buyers, offer competitive prices and, if possible, a wide range. In the future, you will be able to sell your products in a chain of stores. Remember that at every stage of business movement, the high quality of the product plays an important role.

Plan for launching your own project

• selection of assortment - 3 days;
• purchase of equipment - 1 day;
• equipment installation - 2 days;
• bringing the workshop into working order, cleaning - 5 days;
• obtaining the necessary permits - 2 weeks;
• selection of employees - a week;
• purchase of products - 1 day. Production can begin on this day.

You should find a reliable supplier of fresh food

Financial side

Approximate costs for a mini-format business:

• The required amount to purchase equipment is 3,000-45,000 rubles.
• Purchase of products - from 9,000 rubles.
• Payment for transport, rent of a small room, cost of electricity per month - approximately 11,000 rubles.

So, the amount you will need is 50,000 rubles. Payback is achieved on average in 3 months. As you can see, it is worth basing a business on, the main thing is to approach the issue responsibly, taking into account all the nuances.

Business plan for fish

We present to your attention a business plan for a fish smokehouse. Let's take hot smoked mackerel as an example. If you smoke and sell only this product, you will be able to make a profit in the first month, provided that sales points are found. The cost part of medium-scale production includes the following items:

• Rent of premises per month - 95,000 rubles.
• Purchase of fish - 500,000 rubles (cost per kilogram 100 rubles).
• Salary to employees (12 people) is approximately 280,000.
• Electricity and other production costs - 100,000 rubles.
• Transportation costs - 200,000 rubles.
• Taxes - 300,000 rubles.

The costs amount to more than a million rubles, and now let’s calculate the profit.

During smoking, fish loses ten percent of its total weight. If you purchased 10 tons of fresh frozen products, then after smoking you will get 9 tons. By multiplying, we find out what income awaits you: multiply 9 tons by 220 rubles (price per kilogram of finished fish), we get the amount of 1,980,000 rubles for one month. Net profit - 400,000 rubles per month. At this rate, the business will fully pay for itself within a year. The main thing is to find sales points so that the products are quickly sold. The business plan is approximate so that you understand how you can make money in this area. Nobody says that in the first month you need to buy 10 tons of fish; you can easily start with 50 kilograms. For home business even with 5 kilograms.

Any business starts with an idea

The business of smoking meat is no less profitable. The main thing is to create a good assortment. You can smoke pork, chicken, lard - whatever you want. Before you start, explore several smoking technologies on our website and choose the least expensive one. Shops, restaurants and cafes are happy to buy such products. It is advisable to note that there is a lot of smoked fish, chicken and lard in the markets. There is little real smoked meat. We do not take into account balyks and loins in vacuum packages, since they smell faintly of smoking. Therefore, before buying equipment, there must be a clearly thought out idea. Decide what you will produce: exclusively fish or only meat, or both. If you don’t have the required amount on hand, start small, for example, by legalizing smoked products. Outside the market or among friends, many people smoke to order. There will be buyers, because some people prefer only factory smoked meats, while others prefer homemade delicacies.

Smoked products are the most popular delicacies. It’s not for nothing that a lot of people crowd around the counters with deliciously smoky smoked meat or fish. People have been, are and will always be in demand for these products. And if there is demand, then there is supply, an offer to open a business related to smoking meat or fish products. A person who wants to get into this business should have no doubt that his own smokehouse will bring profit, since many people love smoked meat and fish products and eat them at any time of the year. This means that you need to cast doubts aside and begin implementing your idea. Where should you start a smoking business?

Planning for future activities

An aspiring entrepreneur should keep in mind that the implementation of any idea involves planning.

Before drawing up a business plan, a businessman must answer the following questions:

1. What kind of enterprise is supposed to be opened (home smokehouse or workshop).
2. Where (in what premises) the business will be located.
3. What equipment is needed for the future business.
4. What documents will be needed to implement the idea.
5. Where to get (purchase) products for smoking.
6. Where will the finished smoked products be sold?
7. Is there enough money to start a business and draw up a business plan correctly?

To answer all these questions, you need to study the demand of the population in the region where you plan to open a business, collect information about suppliers of raw materials, study the SanPiN requirements for smokehouses, etc. So, the plan is implemented in the following order.

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Entrepreneur studying market demand

Having decided to open a smoking business, an entrepreneur must understand that such an idea came to mind not only to him. Therefore, it will be necessary to study the existing market. What is the plan of action? First, you will need to go to shops and markets and look at the range of products offered, compare the cost of smoked meat and fish products from several manufacturers.

You will need to observe buyers and their preferences, ask sellers which delicacies are best bought. It is a good idea to conduct a social survey of the population, using students for this purpose, who, for a small fee, will conduct a survey on the questionnaire questions compiled by the businessman, and he will receive accurate information about the market for the consumption of smoked fish and meat. It will also be useful for the businessman himself to try the products of his future competitors in order to know how they taste. All these actions will give the businessman an accurate picture of the market, and he will understand what is better to smoke.

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Premises and equipment for the smokehouse

If an entrepreneur wants to sell delicacies that smell of smoke at the market, then he can smoke meat or fish even at home or in some outbuilding. If the business is serious, then the businessman will not be satisfied with a home smokehouse. It is necessary to open a whole workshop for smoking products. You will need a good room with an area of ​​at least 100 square meters. m, in which such a workshop will be set up. The sanitary service places a number of requirements on production premises. The most important of them is that the workshop is 300 meters away from industrial enterprises and residential buildings.

It is very difficult to convert any old room into a workshop, since according to the document “Sanitary Rules and Norms” (SanPiN) it must have a certain number of windows, the workshop must be provided with hot and cold water, sewerage, air conditioning and ventilation systems. Utility rooms require changing rooms and separate bathrooms, etc. There is a way out of this seemingly difficult situation. Businessmen can rent or buy an ordinary canteen, during the construction of which all sanitary requirements were taken into account and the necessary premises are available.

As for equipment, any smokehouse must be equipped with separate refrigerators for storing raw materials and finished products. It is advised to purchase used refrigerated shipping containers instead. You will need baths for washing fish or meat, technological tables, cutting boards and knives. And naturally you will need to purchase a chamber for smoking food (an electric smokehouse). Currently, you can even build it yourself to reduce the cost of purchasing equipment.

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Who should you coordinate your business with?

Since the future business is related to food products, the SES will always be a serious controller of it. It is she who will monitor the quality of production of smoked products and the conditions in which they are produced. For each type of smoked fish and meat products you will need to purchase quality certificates. In addition, once a month the sanitary service will take samples for laboratory testing of smoked products. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations must visit the premises and check how it is protected from fires, whether the products are smoked correctly, whether safety precautions are followed, and whether there is an evacuation plan from the premises. You will need to coordinate your actions with the veterinary service, Rosprirodnadzor and Rostekhnadzor.

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Purchase of fish or meat products

Now a little about the purchase of raw materials. If we talk about semi-finished meat products for smoking, then you can purchase meat from pig breeding complexes or from farms. You should first find out where the raw materials will be cheaper. And be sure to check the quality of the purchased meat. As for fish, it will be profitable to smoke those that swim in local reservoirs. Firstly, it is cheaper, since you don’t need to spend money on long-distance cargo transportation, and secondly, your own fish is always fresher. Thirdly, many buyers prefer to eat products made from raw materials from their region.

If we talk about sea fish, then there may be difficulties associated with the high cost of its delivery, but the business is just starting and you want not to spend a lot of money at first. Also, sometimes fish may arrive to a businessman already spoiled. The frozen state of the product makes it difficult to identify its defects. Unscrupulous suppliers may pass off one type of fish as another, or a less valuable product as high quality. All these properties of a product can only be determined by defrosting it, and only by an experienced technologist. Most smoked fish producers believe that if it has been frozen, its quality will be low. Others do not pay attention to this and smoke any fish. Each entrepreneur must decide for himself what to do. But there will be greater demand for higher quality goods.

While working for “uncle”, everyone at least once in their life thought about opening their own business. If you want to have your own business, albeit small, you can take a closer look at opening a private smokehouse. Smoking for sale is beneficial for those who live in a private house, have access to direct suppliers of raw materials, or are engaged in livestock farming. It is not necessary to open a large workshop for smoking meat and fish; it can be a small private enterprise, where products can be produced without hiring labor.

If managed correctly, a small smokehouse will allow you to gain enough experience to expand production and become a competitor to larger manufacturers. Such a business is considered highly profitable and is convenient in that at first it does not require large investments and can be located in your home. A garage, a small extension or even one room is enough for this.

Recently, people wishing to open their own smokehouse are increasing every day, but even taking into account the high competition, the business is profitable. In addition to a monthly stable income that will allow you to support your family, there will always be home-cooked meat delicacies on your table every day. This is what attracts many, but as in any business, there are nuances and subtleties.

If you are a pro in this matter, you can safely enter the market with your products. Beginners can start by renting a smokehouse. Although you won't be able to earn a lot, it will be good practice. Set a symbolic hourly wage; your relatives, colleagues, and neighbors can become clients.

Hot or cold smoking: which is more profitable?

The smoking process involves heat treatment with hot smoke, while the product changes its taste and is stored much longer. Depending on the temperature regime, hot or cold smoking is distinguished. The name speaks for itself. With hot smoking, the temperature inside the smokehouse ranges from 55 to 120 degrees depending on the product, and with cold smoking the temperature does not exceed 35 degrees.

This is not the only difference; the cold method will require smoking for several days, while the hot method will require several hours. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the difference in shelf life. The shelf life of hot smoked products is from 1 to 3 weeks, cold smoked products are several times longer. There is a buyer for any smoked delicacy, but hot smoking technology is considered simpler. Since it has a short shelf life, it is better to smoke it in small batches and preferably to order.

First steps on the path to success

Any business endeavor should start with collecting information, i.e. market analysis. From the very beginning, you can ignore large manufacturers, since they are not the main competitors. And there will definitely be small entrepreneurs who are engaged in similar activities. Having carefully studied the prices and assortment, you can draw conclusions about which smoked meats are in demand. Purchasing a trial batch will help identify possible shortcomings in your opponent's products. Try to avoid them.

For a business to be successful, every step must be carefully thought through. When you want your hopes to not be quickly replaced by disappointment, you draw up something like a business plan. Even if it is just a small family business, planning will allow you to estimate the approximate costs and compare them with future income to understand how profitable it will be in your case.

Opening a smokehouse involves several stages:

• workroom equipment;
• purchase of necessary equipment;
• registration of individual entrepreneurs and registration of permits;
• purchase of raw materials;
• development of assortment;
• production and sales of products.

At first, while your business is in a kind of testing stage, you can do without registration, selling your products on the market yourself or to friends. When you are ready to reach a new level, you will need to register as a private entrepreneur. This will make it possible to supply smoked meats to retail outlets and cafes.

When you are ready to expand your production to the size of a smoking workshop, you can start looking for suitable premises. Building a new building is quite troublesome, time-consuming and expensive. The smoking shop can be located in the building of a former canteen; in Soviet times there were quite a few of them. If there is a former cafeteria in your area that is empty, feel free to negotiate with the owner.

Workplace equipment

It will be difficult to organize your own business in an apartment, but if there is an empty garage, its area will allow one or two electric smokehouses to be placed there. If you live in a private house, you can easily organize production at home. Modern smoking installations are easy to install and do not have bulky dimensions, for example, in a room of about 40 sq.m. four smoking units can be placed. From the very beginning, one mini-smokehouse will be enough.

Modern installations run on gas, wood and electricity. Smokehouses that are most suitable for small production volumes are powered by electricity. First of all, you need to make sure that the electrical wiring is not dilapidated and matches the power that the mini-smokehouse consumes. No additional communications are required; you just need to equip the workroom with a good ventilation system. In addition to the smoking installation itself, you will need a freezer for storing raw materials and finished products, a cutting table, scales, and containers for brine.

To reduce the cost of related equipment, you can try to find a used refrigerator and other equipment. On the contrary, it is not worth saving on the purchase of a smokehouse; it is better to take completely new equipment, possibly from a domestic manufacturer.

Choosing a smokehouse: main nuances

There are smokehouses on sale that run on gas, electricity and coal. The external design is not very different, but for mini-production, electric smokehouses are the most suitable, as they are the most economical and easiest to install. Their capacity can vary from 5 to 100 kg. You should select installations made of stainless steel, in the middle price segment, with a load of 50 to 100 kg. The maximum service life of such installations is 15 years.

The most suitable for the production of smoked products at home are combined installations with an automatic smoke generator. Their advantage is that both hot and cold smoking are available. Thanks to the built-in generator, the chips needed to produce smoke are automatically replaced. To produce smoke, ready-made briquettes with pressed chips are used. Thus, the smokehouse can work up to 8 hours. The price of such an installation, depending on the manufacturer, can reach 150,00 rubles.

You can save on buying a smokehouse by turning to craftsmen. In this case, of course, there is a great risk of receiving a low-quality product. If you are confident in the abilities and skills of the master, you have the opportunity to get the necessary materials and drawings, you can take a risk. This way, you will not only save significantly on your purchase, but in the future you can contact this person if you need to replace a particular part.

All that remains is to summarize the criteria that should be followed when purchasing equipment:

• camera capacity;
• Type of fuel;
• material and its thickness;
• available smoking methods;
• installation location;
• presence of a water seal;
• additional functions.

Registration of permits

At the very beginning, it is enough to be in a semi-legal position; you can produce products in small batches and sell them on the markets. Sooner or later this will not seem enough, so you will have to obtain the appropriate permits. First of all, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur; when choosing a tax payment system, it is better to choose a simplified taxation system. Firstly, the registration procedure takes place in a shorter time; secondly, individual entrepreneurs are exempt from some taxes.

Since the production is related to food, there must be permission from the SES, Rosprirodnadzor, Rostechnadzor and the fire service. Require quality certificates for all supplied raw materials and ensure that finished products also undergo appropriate testing. This is necessary so that you can hand over the products to supermarkets, restaurants or wholesale centers.

Opportunities for product sales

Competition in this niche is high, therefore, in order to take a worthy place in it, your products must always be fresh and of high quality. In order for your products to be well demanded, you need to adapt to the end consumer. Start with a small, top-selling product and work to expand. The more variety you have, the more opportunities you have to sell.

From the very beginning, do not expect to compete with large manufacturers, start with the smallest. Until sales points are established, it is better to make do with minimal production volumes. You will have to sell the products yourself, for example, take them to markets, organize on-site sales, and try to distribute some of the products via the Internet. To make people aware of you, place an ad on free bulletin boards, and additionally advertise your products on social networks. Focus on the fact that smoked meats are prepared from natural village meat and lard according to your individual recipes. Several regular customers will definitely appear, and by word of mouth, without knowing it, they will do free advertising.

Over time, to increase sales, you can open several retail outlets and hire distributors. The organization of retail outlets will require additional expenses: rent of refrigeration chambers, salaries for sellers. Over time, they will definitely pay off; be sure to expand your sales points. Not standing still is one of the laws of successful business.

Over time, you can open a small store on your personal property selling your products. You will not only save on rent, but also reduce the cost of transporting finished products.

What is the approximate income and payback period for the business?

There is no ready-made formula by which to calculate expected income. For clarity, the approximate profit can be calculated using the example of smoked mackerel, which is in good demand. The wholesale price of fresh mackerel fluctuates around 140 rubles per kg; finished products can be sold at a retail price of 300 rubles per kg. In this case, it is necessary to take into account weight loss, it will amount to 15-30% depending on the temperature regime.

If you smoke fish at a temperature of 55-60 degrees, from 50 kg of fresh fish you get about 40 kg of smoked fish. The total amount from sales of the entire batch is 12,000 rubles. From this amount you will need to subtract 7,000 rubles spent on the purchase of raw materials. With hot smoking, a few hours are enough to get the finished product. This means that daily production can be achieved with quick implementation. If you make a daily bookmark of 50 kg, you get 150,000 profit per month. From this amount we subtract expenses: tax, rent of a retail space, payment for electricity, gasoline costs, etc. The end result is about 100,000 net profit. In a similar way, you can calculate the profit from other types of smoked products.

If you work with such volumes, it turns out that the electrical installation completely pays for itself in 2-3 months. In practice, it will take several months to achieve such volumes. Thus, it turns out that after 6-8 months of reasonable business management, the expenses will be fully recouped and the business will generate net income.

Pros and cons of a home smokehouse as a business

So that you can finally make the right decision, all that remains is to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of this type of business. Among the obvious advantages are:

1. Independence. You work for yourself, plan your work schedule as it suits you.
2. Simplicity. To master smoking on a modern smoking installation, no advanced skills or training are required.
3. Compactness. Modern smoking installations do not take up much space.
4. Work at home. Production can be located in your home, which is very convenient.
5. Fixed income. Considering that the average salary is approximately 35,000-45,000 rubles, income from a mini-smokehouse can be several times higher than the monthly average income.
6. High profitability. In just six months the costs will be fully recouped.
7. Possibility of expansion. If necessary, you can always buy an additional electric smokehouse and thereby increase the volume of production.

However, there are obvious disadvantages that can scare you away. These include:

1. Financial risks. Any business that requires even minimal financial investments can fail. Be prepared for this and, if possible, calculate everything.
2. Obtaining permits. In order to be able to sell large quantities, it is necessary to legalize, which involves obtaining permits from government agencies.
3. Limited time. Each batch must be sold as quickly as possible. Good taste is maintained during the first three days. With each subsequent day, natural shrinkage of the products occurs, and after two weeks it can be considered illiquid.
4. Selecting a supplier. Through intermediaries, raw materials will be too expensive, so access to a direct seller is necessary. In addition, purchased meat, lard and fish must have mandatory quality certificates.

Always leave part of the profit for business expansion; sooner or later you will have to think about it.

The population will always have a constant need for fresh, tasty smoked hams, fish and chicken. A carefully thought-out assortment will be the key to your success. If you still want to open a mini-smokehouse at home and are ready to face difficulties, tomorrow start developing a business plan, choosing a smokehouse and studying the assortment of competitors. Think through all the risks, weigh all the pros and cons, and you can safely start mastering a new business!