Do you want to start a honey processing business? Find here a detailed plan guide on different aspects to consider before starting a honey processing unit.
There is a growing awareness of the nutritional, medicinal, and industrial uses of honey. Consequently, the demand for pure and good-quality honey is increasing. In view of this, a trend is fast developing to install honey-processing plants by entrepreneurs as well as public institutions.
However, setting up a successful honey-processing business require not only a love for beekeeping but also knowledge regarding buying raw materials, equipment needed, honey processing process, and much more.
8-Step Honey Processing Business Plan for Beginners
1. Understand the Market
As per industry pundits, the global demand for honey is expected to reach over a whopping 3 million tonnes by the year 2024. Other than the food processing industry, medicine, and consumer products are big buyers of honey in the present day.
Before starting the honey processing business, it is advised to research the market, both domestic and export, and gather as much information as possible to understand the recent market trends and demands.
2. Learn Bee Farming
You can either buy honey from bee farmers or can produce honey from your own bee farm. In both cases, for a beginner, it is essential to learn the basics of bee farming. There are many types of honey you will come across while talking to beekeepers or growers. Some popular ones are alfalfa, avocado, blueberry, clove, eucalyptus, etc.
3. Learn the Manufacturing Process of Honey
There are some basic steps you need to follow while manufacturing honey. The broad steps are procuring raw honey, filtering, and packaging. Some of the equipment you will need to have been heating, filtering, and storage tanks, gravity Clarifiers, honey filters, extractors, draining trays, bottling and sealing machines, storage tanks, etc.
Honey being a biological substance and intended for food & pharmaceutical use, honey processing needs greater attention in quality and handling. The moisture content in honey plays an important role in deciding the quality of honey.
Honey with more than 20% moisture is thinner inconsistency. The moisture content in honey increases due to the hygroscopic nature of honey in which the surrounding atmospheric moisture is absorbed by honey. If the moisture content is more than 20% the honey is liable to spoilage due to fermentation & granulation.
Considering the present practice of collection, storage & handling of honey under uncontrolled conditions including climatic factors the honey needs processing, reduction of moisture & packing with utmost care to protect the valuable natural properties.
4. Create a Business Plan
After going through the entire business ecosystem, it is time now to write a detailed business plan for your honey processing business unit. If you are looking for funding, this business plan will be a critical tool to pitch to investors. You can take help from free business plan software and tools in writing your own business plan.
Some of the basic aspects your business plan must include are the following:
- Initial and recurring costs
- Market demand
- Pricing plan
- How do you plan t sell honey products?
5. Name Your Honey Business
It is extremely important to select a catchy name for your honey processing business. A properly chosen name for your business will enhance brand growth and fetch new customers. You can check our detailed guide to naming a business to learn more.
6. Make Your Honey Processing Business Legal
If you want to build a stress-free business, it is advised to follow the rules and regulations set by the concerned authorities. Licenses and permit requirements depend from country to country and state to state. Check with local authorities what kind of permissions you need to start and run this kind of business.
Also, register your company with an appropriate business structure. If you are from The United States, for example, forming an LLC will fetch you extra benefits at an extra cost.
7. Create Good Packaging
Catchy packaging plays a big role in selling honey products. Make attractive labels that catch the attraction of customers. It is seen consumers prefer glass bottles as they can see the color of the honey inside.
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8. Promote your Honey Processing Business
Having all said and done, unless you plan to promote properly your products, your honey processing won’t be successful. Create a marketing plan and promote the honey items as per your budget.
The demand for honey is increasing day by day. the key target market for honey is the medicinal and ayurvedic industry, food processing industry, exports, and domestic retail market. As per your budget, decide which niche you will be concentrating on in the initial phase of the honey processing business.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
