Alcohol Licence Required?

[Owensy1405]

Being at home so much due to lockdown and having plenty of time to think about life, me and the wife are thinking about the things we would like to do once we start to get back to some kind of 'normality'.

We've decided, or more so she has, that she would like to get away from the normal mundane 9-5 office job and that she would like to start her own business, making and selling cupcakes and cocktails. Now we know selling cupcakes seems to be quite a popular thing, however that's besides the point and we've been giving the idea some serious thought over recent times and we feel that combined with the cocktails that this could be a winner. However, neither of us have done anything like this before and there are a couple of things we are stuck at and I though the Pistonheads community would be able to help;

1) Selling alcohol in the form of homemade cocktails delivered to your door, does this require her to have a licence for selling alcohol? and would she be required to 'ID' people?
2) I presume a basic food hygiene certificate would be required also?
3) Is there a need for insurance for such a small business?

Has anyone done or know of anyone who has done similar? if so, how successful was/is it?

Any advice on starting a small business?

Thanks

Edited by Owensy1405 on Saturday 13th June 12:20

[StevieBee]

Owensy1405 said:

1) Selling alcohol in the form of homemade cocktails delivered to your door, does this require her to have a licence for selling alcohol? and would she be required to 'ID' people?
2) I presume a basic food hygiene certificate would be required also?
3) Is there a need for insurance for such a small business?

Yes
Yes
Yes

You also need to read up on labelling for potential allergies in the food and drink you sell.

CupCakes are popular but more of a hobbyist / kitchen top type business. And just my personal opinion, I can't see any significant demand for cocktails delivered to your door. Maybe an event type service but not door to door.

I may be wrong of course so before you commit to any investment, I suggest you conduct a little bit of market research to assess demand.

[Simpo Two]

StevieBee said:

And just my personal opinion, I can't see any significant demand for cocktails delivered to your door. Maybe an event type service but not door to door.

Yup. It might work as a wedding bolt-on, but at home? 'Oh I suddenly fancy a Tequila Sunrise, I'll just get on the phone and a bloke in a van will bring it round'. How much is that going to cost before you can make a living out of it - £25?

And do people really wash their cupcakes down with cocktails?

Weddings. Turn up with a pretty van. Serve cupcakes in the afternoon, cocktails in the evening, paid in full up front.

[Turn7]

My firm were convinced that draught cocktails were going to be the next big thing.......

Unsurprisingly, they bombed and lost us a fair chunk of change....

[Simpo Two]

Turn7 said:

My firm were convinced that draught cocktails were going to be the next big thing......

'Two pints of Brandy Alexander and a packet of crisps please'

[Algarve]

I always assumed these cupcake things and all these other job / hobby combos (you could call them Jobbies) were just a fiddle to get around the working 16 hours a week to claim certain benefits.

They certainly don't appear to me to be viable as standalone commercial projects without the free gov money added on.

[Turn7]

Simpo Two said:

Turn7 said:

My firm were convinced that draught cocktails were going to be the next big thing......

'Two pints of Brandy Alexander and a packet of crisps please'

To be fair the end product was "ok", but it clearly lacked the drama, andhence the USP of cocktails.

https://frizzenti.com/cocktails-on-tap/

[0a]

I noted the other day that a place in Edinburgh is now offering to deliver cocktails via Deliveroo. https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/edinburgh/old-town/th...

I like a good cocktail, but part of the fun is seeing them freshly made. I am not sure how well they would travel.

[skwdenyer]

Algarve said:

I always assumed these cupcake things and all these other job / hobby combos (you could call them Jobbies) were just a fiddle to get around the working 16 hours a week to claim certain benefits.

They certainly don't appear to me to be viable as standalone commercial projects without the free gov money added on.

Plenty of money to be made in cupcakes. Doesn’t mean many are making money from cupcakes however. It is a tough business, requiring *enormous* gross margins to make sense.

Very hard to get the margins to work without significant scale and investment.

[GT03ROB]

Turn7 said:

My firm were convinced that draught cocktails were going to be the next big thing.......

Unsurprisingly, they bombed and lost us a fair chunk of change....

Not quite as silly as it sounds. It's not uncommon in parts of the US to have frozen margaritas, available on draft from slush puppy type machines!

[Road2Ruin]

This is only my opinion, but I have to say I agree with a previous poster, I wouldn't order either online as i would worry how they travel, and, I wouldn't wash a cupcake down with a cocktail!

[hotchy]

skwdenyer said:

Algarve said:

I always assumed these cupcake things and all these other job / hobby combos (you could call them Jobbies) were just a fiddle to get around the working 16 hours a week to claim certain benefits.

They certainly don't appear to me to be viable as standalone commercial projects without the free gov money added on.

Plenty of money to be made in cupcakes. Doesn’t mean many are making money from cupcakes however. It is a tough business, requiring *enormous* gross margins to make sense.

Very hard to get the margins to work without significant scale and investment.

I seen a lady in glasgow have a little stall in Buchanan galleries selling home made cupcakes. £2.50 each or 5 for £10. Got to say.... best ever cupcakes. Except the irn bru cupcake... she was selling hundreds of cakes that day but never came back. Maybe she got a 1 off deal on the stall, got a shop or after costs wasnt even worth it, or making 1000 cupcakes a day was too hard. Hopefully I find her again one day.

I did find a cupcake only shop in newyork aswel. Que was out the door all day long everyday. Worth the wait anyway.

So if your cupcakes are good enough, you can make money. Especially through Facebook. Everyone one and there granny seems to buy anything that pops up. I would suggest a home delivered high tea. A local closed cafe is doing that right now and they are delivering 150 a week via facebook. Obviously when lockdown is over that will change but well played on keeping his business alive and thriving.

[technodup]

0a said:

I noted the other day that a place in Edinburgh is now offering to deliver cocktails via Deliveroo. https://deliveroo.co.uk/menu/edinburgh/old-town/th...

I like a good cocktail, but part of the fun is seeing them freshly made. I am not sure how well they would travel.

There are a lot of places currently doing that, pints and cocktails to your door. However it's local bars trying to turn a coin during Covid, and as far as I can see it's sympathetic regulars doing the buying, to try to ensure they have a local to go back to afterwards.

For a standalone, start-up business I'd think no chance.

[48k]

Can only second the above. Cupcakes and cocktails is a weird combination. Can maybe see a market for "posh cupcakes for special occasions" if you can find a way to produce very high quality and get them delivered intact, but home delivered cocktails? TBH sounds like the sort of suggestion that pops up several glasses of prosecco into a "catch up with the girls"

[skwdenyer]

48k said:

Can only second the above. Cupcakes and cocktails is a weird combination. Can maybe see a market for "posh cupcakes for special occasions" if you can find a way to produce very high quality and get them delivered intact, but home delivered cocktails? TBH sounds like the sort of suggestion that pops up several glasses of prosecco into a "catch up with the girls"

I spent some time investigating options for courier/postal delivery of cupcakes for my wife’s business. There’s no way to do it. So it is either bulk/wholesale (end to end driver) or nothing. Volumetric weight is large, so efficiencies are poor.

[tribalsurfer]

Just socially met a friend who has been banging on about the "coffee van" that comes around her neighbourhood and sells fresh coffee, well today she said that a new pre-order coctail van has also started up. I'm not sure if pre-order means pre-made or mixed on site, but evidently a Cocktail Van is now a thing.

[snuffy]

0a said:

I like a good cocktail, but part of the fun is seeing them freshly made. I am not sure how well they would travel.

They would be fine, just as long as you wanted them shaken and not stirred.

[skwdenyer]

tribalsurfer said:

Just socially met a friend who has been banging on about the "coffee van" that comes around her neighbourhood and sells fresh coffee, well today she said that a new pre-order coctail van has also started up. I'm not sure if pre-order means pre-made or mixed on site, but evidently a Cocktail Van is now a thing.

Alcohol licensing is not my thing; how would you go about it for a van like that? Can hardly make a TEN for each pitch

[Algarve]

tribalsurfer said:

Just socially met a friend who has been banging on about the "coffee van" that comes around her neighbourhood and sells fresh coffee, well today she said that a new pre-order coctail van has also started up. I'm not sure if pre-order means pre-made or mixed on site, but evidently a Cocktail Van is now a thing.

How would this coffee van work outside of lockdown?

Anyone with a job isn't at home all day any more. They're also not suffering boredom to the point a novelty coffee van is worth throwing a few quid at when it comes around. And they can go to Starbucks or anywhere else when they feel the need once the lockdowns relaxed.

It sounds like a great temporary idea if you already had the van sitting doing nothing. I'm not seeing it as a successful long term biz though.

[skwdenyer]

Algarve said:

tribalsurfer said:

Just socially met a friend who has been banging on about the "coffee van" that comes around her neighbourhood and sells fresh coffee, well today she said that a new pre-order coctail van has also started up. I'm not sure if pre-order means pre-made or mixed on site, but evidently a Cocktail Van is now a thing.

How would this coffee van work outside of lockdown?

Anyone with a job isn't at home all day any more. They're also not suffering boredom to the point a novelty coffee van is worth throwing a few quid at when it comes around. And they can go to Starbucks or anywhere else when they feel the need once the lockdowns relaxed.

It sounds like a great temporary idea if you already had the van sitting doing nothing. I'm not seeing it as a successful long term biz though.

They normally pitch at stations during commuter time, and then perhaps markets, industrial estates, etc if mobile. Not obviously a cocktail market there however