self employment
Author
Discussion

Boxylady

Original Poster:

205 posts

211 months

Friday 21st August 2009
quotequote all
I love cooking and wondered if I can make a go of making home made vinegars and pickles etc, I have no idea where to start, any advice guys?

Kermit power

29,622 posts

229 months

Friday 21st August 2009
quotequote all
I would imagine the first thing you need to do is look into the hygiene regulations for food businesses. The last thing you need is to sink a lot of time and effort into creating your first few batches of produce, only to then have to bin the whole lot because it's in breach of some regulation or other.

Once you've done that, figure out what recipes you want to make, then cost them out in large quantities so you can determine the cost per jar (not forgetting the cost of the actual jar itself) and decide what you need to sell it for to make the whole thing viable.

Then look for suitable sales outlets - food fairs, farmers markets, internet, local delis etc... Remember to add the cost of that onto the per jar price as well.

I have absolutely no experience of this btw, so the above doubtless is wide of the mark, but it's something I sometimes think I'd like to do as well. Good luck!

Eric Mc

123,954 posts

281 months

Friday 21st August 2009
quotequote all
Boxylady said:
I love cooking and wondered if I can make a go of making home made vinegars and pickles etc, I have no idea where to start, any advice guys?
Lloyd Grossman doesn't post on here by any chance?

TooLateForAName

4,888 posts

200 months

Friday 21st August 2009
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People do.

I'm sure that a couple of people on downsizer.net have done similar things. I know one guy does pickles and jams. (also the bloke with the jerky, kilt, pink mohikan that was on dragons den is on that forum)

nurburgring1

617 posts

216 months

Saturday 22nd August 2009
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I went to a house where this was being done for a local farmers market, the whole house smelled of vinegar. Not the best smell to come home to.

Jasandjules

71,120 posts

245 months

Saturday 22nd August 2009
quotequote all
Boxylady said:
I love cooking and wondered if I can make a go of making home made vinegars and pickles etc, I have no idea where to start, any advice guys?
THe hygiene etc regulations make it very expensive and difficult - a mate of mine is a chef and he cannot afford to cook people meals in his kitchen, yet if he goes into their house and cooks for them that's fine............

Plus, as said above, vinegar and pickles? That is going to stink to high heaven?!?! Do you seriously want a constant smell of pickle/vinegar in the house?