How to Start Frozen Food Business In Nigeria

STARTING A FROZEN CHICKEN BUSINESS: DRESSED AND PACKAGED

Frozen food business in Nigeria is gradually turning into a very lucrative investment. The increasing rush for frozen turkey, chicken, fish and other seafood because of the busy lifestyle of most families has created huge market for this investment.

READ: How To Start Cold Room Business

As opposed to villages and rural areas where people have easy access to fresh food especially fish and poultry products in urban and developed centres frozen food is the what is readily available due to the need for convenience and preservation.

Before you start frozen business in Nigeria, it is important to put some factors into consideration. The business of frozen turkey and chicken is a high risk one especially when you did not prepare well. There is need for constant supply of electricity which is a powerful factor to consider, putting in mind the power supply situation across the nation.

==> Develop A  Frozen Food Business Plan

You need to write a business plan in the process of planning your business. A comprehensive feasibility study will help you start well regardless of the competition.

Meet with professionals or people that are already well established in the business to get clarifications on areas that are not clear to you. You plan must include how to start well, survive the competition and expand later on.

==> How Much Money Do You Have?

Your capital will determine the scale you will start from. If you are starting a one man business, understand that apart from the cost of starting a frozen food business, several costs are also involved in running it.

Some of the major capital projects in frozen business include:

– cost of renting/building a shop/outlet, cost of deep freezers/cold room,
– cost of purchasing live or packaged poultry products
– cost of generators and fuelling,
– cost of weighing scales

==> What Food Products Do You Want To Start With?

There are many food items that can be sold frozen. Seafood like fish, shrimps, crayfish, lobsters as well as poultry products such as chicken and turkey appear to be in higher demand than fruits and vegetables. Even in choosing the type of fish to start with, you should consider the taste of people in your locality. If you are just starting, stick with products that have the greatest demand. Products that give off distinct odour such as fish should not be not be kept in the same freezer with others.

==> Get Your Location Right

Frozen business flourishes more in some areas than others. Whether you situate your business in Lagos, Ibadan, Ogun, Portharcourt, Enugu, Imo, Abuja, Kano or Kaduna, your success lies heavily on how much of the your products people consume and the price it command. Assess the locality where you want to set up frozen business and try to forecast what the turn out will be in a year or two.

Although you make not make much profit in the first one or two years of starting frozen business due to the initial costs involved, ensure you choose a location with great prospects.

==> Know Your Customers

It is important to know your customers’ taste and spending habits. As a new business owner assess your customers to know who they are. You will then factor this in when choosing products to stock. Younger people prefer red meat and poultry foods while older people will patronize seafood and poultry products more.

Ensure you doing everything possible to attract new customers and keep them so that your frozen food business can grow.

==> You Need A Good Storage Facility

Your storage facility is the backbone of services offered in frozen business. You cannot think of starting a frozen chicken shop without planning on how to acquire deep freezers for frozen food, cold rooms and other cooling systems. The scale you are starting from will influence the size and number of units of these equipment you will buy.

==> Get A Petrol Generator

The problem with electricity is a major challenge in frozen chicken business. Understand that you are dealing with perishable food items and make sure you have a solid plan to get constant supply of electricity. A petrol generator is preferable to a diesel one because of the cost of fueling and maintenance.

Make sure you buy durable brands and go for the one whose voltage will carry all appliances in your facility. If you can afford it, make sure you have a spare generator in case the main one breaks down and can’t be fixed on time.

==> Offer Free Delivery As Bonus

Though you may not be able to do this for all your clients due to the extra costs involved, for short distances and bulk purchases you can offer to deliver the items free of charge.  This edge over other competitors will endear your business to a lot of people, who will be interested in buying more.

Provide a functional telephone line on standby so that customers can reach you anytime for inquiry, booking and complaints about your frozen food shop.