Last week, we talked about how now is the right time to start a business. Many businesses are facing challenges, but in the middle of this crisis, you can also find the perfect business that will get you through this pandemic. What’s more, it can definitely continue on after the lockdowns and become a valuable asset for your future.
This week, we’re continuing in this series and will share a few business ideas that you can start on while the lockdown is still barely lifted.
The State of the Food and Beverage Industry
While dine-in service was reinstated with the implementation of the Modified General Community Quarantine, and Manila started allowing diners back in the middle of June, restaurants will still struggle to fully reopen.
89% of consumers are still hesitant about shopping in physical stores, and the same can be said for eating outside of the safety of their own homes. Take-out and delivery services will continue to be the preferred method of indulging in outside meals.
People are becoming more health-conscious, with health being first priority for Filipinos and taste being a close second. Fresh produce has become more popular, with an exceptionally high 444% year-on-year growth locally.
DIY meal kits are becoming more and more popular, with many restaurants packaging their food for home consumers to cook and assemble at home. Enterprising individuals are also producing their own meal kits, fueled by social media.
Businesses in this industry are also focused on moving their business online, providing online ordering and delivery services.
Ideas For Your Food-Related Business
Here are some interesting food business ideas to get your brain started.
- Delivered meal services - advertise your meal plan ahead of time and open for pre-orders in your local community to manage demand.
- Cook a large batch for your family and freeze extra servings in packs, and sell these to your local community so they can enjoy your cooking by thawing and heating your food.
- If you have that perfect recipe and can source ingredients in your market, why not create your own meal kit? Portion the ingredients for your recipe and include the actual recipe in your kit so newbie cooks can feel accomplished at cooking a delicious meal from scratch. Baking kits are just as sought-after!
- Make baking or cooking videos and put them on Youtube or Facebook. You can earn money from advertising either on Youtube directly or partnering with businesses.
- With the proliferation of food businesses going online (as well as new ones opening), food photography is in demand and you can make a good business out of beautiful flatlays that will generate sales for other food businesses.
- Make a batch of baked goodies at one time and package them in easy to sell packs.
- Capitalize on people looking into reviving or learning a new hobby by teaching an online course you make yourself for beginner cooks and bakers.
- Freeze your baked goods and provide instructions on reviving them for your customers.
- If you’ve got a handle on nutrition, creating a service that makes meal plans for other people can help others stay healthy during this pandemic.
- Healthy food brands are on the upswing: if you’ve got an eye for health and the know-how, starting your own food brand doing purely delivery is an option until dine-in gets back to normal.
These are just a few ideas that you can tailor-fit into a business that you can be proud to call your own.
With the country’s focus on nutrition and staying healthy, going into a food & beverage business is a safe bet. It might not be long when you find yourself swamped with orders; that’s where an automated assistant that can take your customers’ online orders can be helpful to your business.
Stay tuned for next Friday when we’ll share other business ideas in a different industry!