Smoked fish as a business. How to start the production of smoked fish? Equipment and inventory

Most of the "young" entrepreneurs believe that it is impossible to make money on smoking fish, and that such a business will bring more problems than profit. But they are all very wrong. Such a thing is easy to implement and relevant at any time of the year, because among consumers there is always a demand for smoked products.

Smoking at home

Smoking is the process of preparing fish by keeping it in an enclosed space filled with smoke from wood. Finely chopped wood (chips) should be used as kindling. The most important thing is not to use coniferous trees. Often used alder, willow, birch, oak or apple tree. They should be separated from the bark, finely chopped, soaked and placed in the bottom of your smoker, you can also put thin fresh twigs.

To begin with, you should purchase a smokehouse, usually it is a metal box with grates inside. Also, the box has a lid, which must be closed very tightly so that the smoke cannot escape.

Fish for smoking is also worth choosing correctly. Try to establish direct supplies of raw materials from manufacturers. Fatty fish are best suited: greenling, pike perch, perch, pike and others. Before smoking, the fish is most often salted, but you can cook it fresh.

Before salting, large fish should be gutted: remove gills, entrails and a dark film on the ribs, you can also fill the abdominal cavity of the fish with various spicy herbs (basil, dill, parsley and other spices). This is done to remove the bitterness in cooked fish, however, this procedure is not required for small fish. It is important to note that whitefish are an exception, and they must be gutted anyway, otherwise they will turn out bitter.

Especially tasty is the fish, which was soaked in spicy rossol before smoking, which makes its cape very tasty and tender. It is best to keep the fish for 2-3 hours in rossol just before smoking. During the smoking process, you will have to open the lid of the smoker and check the readiness of the product, try to do this quickly and carefully so as not to release too much smoke. Upon completion of smoking, the fish should be dried from fat with tracing paper or paper towels.

Hot smoking method

Using this method, you should be as careful as possible. With hot smoking, there is a big risk of losing fish, your precious time, and also losing customers.

The essence of hot smoking is keeping fish in hot smoke, and the main danger is the possibility of burning fish carcasses over an open fire.

For such smoking, carp (bream, asp, sabrefish), cod (cod, burbot), salmon (chum, pink salmon), sturgeon (sterlet, sturgeon) are best suited, but other fish can also be used.

First of all, the fish should be gutted and thoroughly cleaned, then soaked in a 10% salt solution for 2-4 hours. Also, gutted fish can simply be rubbed with salt inside and out, and then let it soak for 3-4 hours. Next is the matter of smoking. For smoking, a thick-walled metal box with properly selected grates is suitable. At the bottom of the box you need to put firewood, which can be used as a birch, alder or aspen. To give the fish a golden color, it is worth pouring aspen sawdust. Above the firewood, grates should be installed. Then arrange the fish so that it does not touch each other, and also does not adhere to the walls of the smokehouse itself. With good heat, the fish should be cooked for 35 to 45 minutes.

Smoking in an air grill

Airfryer will save a lot of time, as well as produce much more products in the time saved. Professional smokers confirm the simplicity of this method of smoking, having calculated, they realized that, subject to all the rules and regulations, such smoking will take no more than two hours. The smoking time directly depends on the size and fat content of the fish, and usually lasts 20-40 minutes. You also need to remember that you should not keep the fish in hot smoke for more than 2.5 hours.

Small, portable smoker

As mentioned above, smoking with an air grill is very simple. You need to choose a fish of the same size, gut it, cut off the tail and head, rinse thoroughly and dry well with paper towels, make sure that there are no paper fibers left on the fish. Next, you need to make a mixture of coarse table salt and various spices and coat the fish with it inside and out. To salt the fish, let it lie down in this form for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the fish, then put the fish on the grate at a short distance from each other, and put sawdust moistened with water on the bottom of the air grill. If you laid out dry sawdust, then they should simply be sprayed with water. Smoke the fish for 30 minutes in an air grill heated to 210 degrees Celsius.

This type of home business will bring you no small profit. The product is always in great demand among buyers, but it should be remembered that having gained a clientele, you should not degrade the quality of your product, otherwise you will lose not only existing customers, but also the potential growth of your business. You should approach the matter with full responsibility, choose fresh fish for smoking, try to take it from trusted suppliers that you trust. Also, one should not neglect the basic rules of smoking, doing business and, of course, safety.

Cold is a natural disinfectant, Siberian fish is not susceptible to diseases. This fish has a high fat content, which is why it is practically not consumed in the summer. In winter, it is caught from under the ice, thrown to the surface - at minus 30–40 degrees, the fish immediately seizes. She is sent to a freezer or to a cellar hollowed out in permafrost. Northerners eat it almost every day, but in areas far from permafrost, no one will eat such fish every day - the price is not favorable, because logistics increases the cost by several times. At the start, in fact, there are two questions: how to deliver it so that it is not very expensive, and how to find a buyer.

Production and sale of smoked fish

To do this, you need to select a building that will include the following premises: Warehouse - a room for storing raw materials with an area of at least 12 m2 Salting workshop - a room with an area of at least 20 m2 Smoking workshop - a room intended for placing a smoking chamber in it. 4 m2 is enough to accommodate one such plant, but the area should be considered if you are going to expand your production. Warehouse - a room for storing finished products, with an area of at least 10 m2 Packing shop - a room with an area of 12 m2 Also, another room for personnel rest is needed in production, and it is also unacceptable to use premises without sources of clean water and sewerage in this production. In order to engage in the production of hot smoked perch, it is necessary to consider the sequence of the process, namely, the technology for the production of smoked fish is important. The first stage of production is the defrosting of raw materials.

Home smoking: meat and fish smoking, cold and hot smoking

Thus, they smoke sturgeon (better - stellate sturgeon), salmon, bream, asp, whitefish, sea bass, herring, cod. Tasty and small kopchushki (herring, sprat, vendace), which are cooked at a temperature of 50-60 ° C. One thing is bad: the tender hot-smoked fish is an unstable product, and it will have to be eaten in one or two days. Vobla, ram, bream, mullet, omul, as well as a variety of balyks, mainly from whitefish, nelma, muksun, sturgeon and Far Eastern salmon are ideal for cold.

Costs and profitability of a fish smoking shop

Keep in mind that objects located in the city center will not suit you. It is better to look for rural (kindergarten, school) canteens, as they definitely passed the test by various authorities and they were given the go-ahead for use. If you think that you can organize your business on a grand scale, then look for a larger area. Catering factories or factories will produce much more finished products than small canteens.

Where to sell smoked fish

“Russia itself plays into the hands of such production with its taste preferences,” says Boris Tsvetkov, an independent food market expert. But do not rush to conclusions. At the initial stage, the desire to smoke for sale can be discouraged by going to the authorities with which it is necessary to coordinate future production, and later, when approval is received and the production of smoked meats is launched, frequent checks by the same authorities.

Business idea: selling smoked fish

At the same time, the quality of the product is key. Smoked seafood is available in many countries around the world. Therefore, it is possible, for example, to create a specialized market, as well as offer recipes and instructions for smoking fish. Decrease the range of smoked seafood to ensure the sale of all goods, or find a reputable supplier of smoked fish, in order to expand the offer.

Business idea for selling fish

With the right formation of entrepreneurial activity, you can easily achieve good results, regular customers and maximum income. Herring is considered the most popular fish among the population. It is for this reason that the sale of herring is quite a profitable business, and it is she who is constantly harvested for sale. The easiest way will be to find a supplier of raw materials. The entire range of herring is very large, the Black Sea herring is rapidly mined, as well as the Pacific, Caspian, Danube and black-backed.

Marketing and sale of fish and seafood

If a person needs fish and seafood, then he is likely to visit a specialized company store, and not a general food market; you get money immediately for the sold products (very often, the sale of seafood and fish through third-party stores is carried out according to the principle “sales first, and then money”). additional investments are needed to open a retail outlet and its promotion; selection of qualified personnel; transportation costs for the transportation of products; constant control over the work of retail; regular inspections by regulatory authorities; write-off and disposal of products with expired shelf life. It is profitable to open your outlets in small towns where there is a demand for products and there is minimal competition.

How to make a profit from a meat and fish smokehouse

It will also be useful for the businessman himself to try the products of his future competitors in order to know their taste. All these actions will give the businessman an accurate picture of the market, and he will understand that it is better to smoke. It is very difficult to convert some old room into a workshop, since according to the Sanitary Rules and Norms (SanPiN) document, it must have a certain number of windows, the workshop should be provided with hot and cold water, sewage, air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Smoking fish as a business

Since you will be engaged in the production of food products, the workshop in which the equipment will be installed must meet all established standards and requirements. You must clearly follow all the instructions, otherwise the SES may close your business at any time. In order for the business of smoking products to bring in a good income, it is also advisable to open your own outlet. To do this, you need to purchase a special showcase and refrigerators for storing goods.

Choosing smoked fish: with smoke or with chemistry?

It is customary to cook whole only small specimens weighing up to 1 kg. For example, roach, capelin, ram, bream, fish, sabrefish, roach, whitefish, mullet, mackerel, hake, herring. But the carp and large ide must be gutted. In catfish, burbot, cod, haddock, sea bass and large mackerel, their heads are cut off and all the insides are also removed. Such large fish as catfish, whitefish, sea bass, sturgeon, white fish, nelma, and other representatives of the deep sea weighing more than 7 kg are cut into sidewalls and balyk (back).

Reading 10 min. Published on 08.01.2020

Smoked fish and meat are in demand products and occupy a serious niche in the modern food market. Consumer demand creates supply, but how do you open a smokehouse from scratch? You will find answers to the most important questions in this material.

Opening a smokehouse: registration and necessary documents

To open your own smoking shop and for the legal activity of the enterprise, legal registration of a number of documents is required:

Registration of the organizational and legal form of the future enterprise (LLC, or other legal entity).
Opening and arrangement of the workshop (lease agreement, or property). At the same time, the premises must fully comply with sanitary requirements and standards.
Obtain a conclusion and work permit from Rospotrebnadzor, fire inspection, Rostekhnadzor, Rosprirodnadzor.
For the release of products must be a veterinary certificate.

After receiving all the necessary documents and conclusions, the veterinary service and the SES can conduct periodic inspections, to which they have a legal right. This should be remembered and the required state of the workshop and production should be maintained in the proper form.

Where and how to sell smoked fish and meat: we study the market and competitors

Market research is a must before starting any business.

When opening a smokehouse from scratch, pay attention to the following aspects:

Examine the product range and pricing policy of those enterprises that are already engaged in the production of products in your area.
Try to find out the preferences and tastes of consumers, conduct a survey among the population.
Carefully study the products of competitors, evaluate all the pros and cons, draw conclusions. This will prevent mistakes when releasing your own similar products.
Find and designate the most profitable points of sale.

After receiving answers to all the above questions, you will know how to proceed further - with whom to conclude sales contracts, which products to produce in the largest volume, and which ones to maintain in a minimum volume only for the range.

Features of the production of smoked fish and meat: smoking technology

The technology of smoking fish and meat is different from each other. At the same time, the smoking chamber must support the following modes: cold and hot smoking, cooking, drying, roasting.

Dry-cured meat products

The preparation of dry-cured meat products does not require any heat treatment. The raw materials used are beef, pork, chicken, turkey meat.

Preparation consists of the following steps:

Meat preparation, washing and drying.
Dry salting (no brine, only salt). The duration of exposure at this stage is 5-7 days. At this time, the full ripening of the meat takes place, all bacteria and microbes are removed.
Drying meat in a smoking chamber at a temperature of 20-22 degrees.
Smoking in the chamber (duration about 40-45 minutes).

A feature of this cooking method is repeated drying and smoking - these procedures are performed several times (3-5), repeating one after another. As a result, the product should acquire a rich golden color and a dense structure. The recipe and technology may vary depending on the type of smoking chamber.

Cold smoked fish

First, the fish is thawed and cut. After the preparatory work is completed, the product is salted in brine for a period of 3 to 10 days, depending on the size of the fish.

The next step is drying. For this, the smoking chamber has an appropriate mode. After the fish is smoked with cold smoke (not higher than 25 degrees). In the smoking chamber, this process takes several hours.

Hot smoking

The technology of hot smoking is distinguished by its temperature regime - the main process takes place at a high temperature. The advantage of the method is to obtain more juicy products, since moisture is retained as much as possible. The disadvantage lies in the shortening of the shelf life.

The main stages of hot smoking technology are:

Preparation of raw materials (washing, gutting).
Salting (for several days).
Drying.
Smoking.

When using smoking chambers, products are prepared quickly, under optimal conditions that meet all requirements.

What equipment and space is needed for a smokehouse?

Opening a smokehouse is not an easy task, because even the premises are subject to serious requirements. The building must be located in a special sanitary zone, at least 300 meters long from residential areas.

In the premises at the enterprise it is necessary to equip compartments and rooms for special purposes:

Warehouse with a cooler for storing raw materials (no more than 1 day).
A workshop where saline solution is prepared and salting of raw materials is carried out.
Room for packaging finished products.
The room in which the sanitary processing of returnable containers will be carried out.
Compartment for drying clean containers.
Closed warehouse for containers.
Closed warehouse for storage of disinfectants.
Storage room for sawdust, fuel.
Compartment for storing packaging material and additional equipment (if any).
Warehouse for finished products (daily storage).

It is desirable to arrange the supply of finished products without storage, but this is not always possible, therefore, it is necessary to equip refrigeration equipment in a separate room for a warehouse.

Small inventory required for processing raw materials for smoking:

A table for cutting fish and a separate table for meat (cutting two types of raw materials on the same table is not allowed).
Boards for cutting (2-3 pieces for each type of raw material).
Knives for cutting (2-3 pieces for each type of raw material).
Capacities.
Weighing and refrigeration equipment.
Trolleys for transportation of raw materials and finished products.

The main equipment is smoking chambers and refrigerators.

The following requirements are imposed on smoking chambers:

The doors of the smoking chamber must be closed tightly.
The presence of ventilation and a hatch in the cell are considered a prerequisite.
Such parts of the smokehouse as slats, ramrods should be doubled, as they are sanitized every shift.
Presence of thermometers in smoking chambers. The temperature regime is recorded in special journals.

The average cost of a smokehouse is 100-130 thousand rubles. Daily processing in this case is 200-300 kg. With an increase in production, the number of smokehouses also increases.

Tables, boards, cutting equipment must be processed in accordance with sanitary standards every shift. If it is meant to release cut or sliced products in individual packaging, you should remember to indicate the packaging date, batch number, and expiration dates on them.

Finished products cannot be stored together with raw materials. Fish and meat cannot be stored and processed together at any stage of production.

We choose suppliers of fish and meat for the smokehouse

The choice and purchase of raw materials should be treated with special attention, since the quality of the finished product and, accordingly, the reputation of your production depends on this. It is better to order raw materials directly from manufacturers. In this case, these are those leading legal activities.

It does not make sense to choose shops, supermarkets and other retail chains as a supplier, since the costs of rent, taxes, etc. will be included in the products. With direct suppliers, the cost of raw materials will always be lower. It is worth considering the fact that after smoking, fish or meat loses about 10-12% in weight, so you need to look for a supplier with a favorable offer for price and quality. .

It is important to cooperate with suppliers from the same region where the activity is planned. In this case, there is no risk of receiving stale goods, and transportation costs are reduced.

To work with suppliers, you must conclude a contract. Upon receipt of the goods, a quality certificate for products and veterinary certificates for meat must be attached. They must correspond to the date of delivery, the type of raw material, the weight of the delivery must match up to grams. When cooperating with legal suppliers, no problems arise in the future.

What staff would be required to smoke fish and meat?

At the initial stage of organizing production, 2-3 people will be required, it is desirable that they have experience in this area. When using modern smokehouses, special education is not required, but at the same time, technological maps with a recipe that will be used in production must be approved. Usually these cards are included with the equipment, they are consistent with current regulations and meet all requirements.

Personnel must have the skills to operate the equipment, understand the technology of smoking . The presence of sanitary books is mandatory for each employee of food production.

When opening a larger workshop that will produce more than 2 tons of finished products per month, several smoking chambers (2-3) will be required, and the number of employees will also increase by 2-3 times. With the expansion of production to such a level, it makes sense to open our own points of sale, respectively, and the composition of workers will also increase.

At the initial stage, one person responsible for production, one assistant is enough. This number of staff is enough for a mini-smoker. With expanded production, a raw material receiver and a person responsible for its processing, a separate person for cutting and salting fish, a production manager responsible for a warehouse, a driver and vehicles with a cooler for transporting goods, an accountant, technical staff for cleaning at the factory are required.

Sample business plan for opening a smokehouse from scratch: calculation of costs and income

The costs for opening a smokehouse are not too high, and the payback period is no more than two to three years. But with a competent approach and well-established relations with the sales market, this time can be halved.

At the initial stage, for a small workshop, funds will be required in the following amount:

The cost of equipment is 400 thousand rubles.
Registration of documentation 25 thousand rubles.
Repair work in the workshop, arrangement and rental costs for this period of time - 300 thousand rubles.
Starting costs for raw materials 250 thousand rubles.
Additional expenses of 100 thousand rubles.

Total: 1 million 75 thousand rubles.

This is the minimum initial investment. Now consider what current costs are required for the annual maintenance of a small smokehouse.

We calculate:

The rent is 300 thousand rubles.
The cost of power supply is 220 thousand rubles.
Purchase of raw materials 2 million 800 thousand rubles.
Salary for staff (2 people) 500 thousand rubles.
Taxes 270 thousand rubles.
Transportation costs 120 thousand rubles.
Other (additional) expenses 150 thousand rubles.

Total: 4 million 360 rubles.

To reduce the payback period and quickly make a profit, several types of sales should be combined:

Sales for sale in retail chains . With an average price of finished products of 400 rubles per kilogram (meat, fish), sales of 800 kg per month will bring 320 thousand rubles.
Deliveries to catering points . If sales amount to approximately 300 kg, then the monthly revenue from this point of sale will be 120 thousand rubles.

Total: 440 thousand rubles.

Annual revenue will amount to 5 million 280 thousand rubles. We add up current expenses and start-up investments, we get the figure of 5 million 435 thousand rubles.

Output: in this case, the first year of operation of the workshop "leaves" for payback and current expenses. But next year will bring a net profit of almost 900 thousand rubles!

Risks associated with opening a smokehouse from scratch

Any business has its risks, and you should be aware of them, because then they can be minimized or avoided altogether. It is better to start with a small workshop, then the cost of equipment will be reduced, and the products will be sold in a timely manner in full. Over time, when the reputation is won and you have “your regular customer” on the market, you can start expanding.

It is not reasonable to launch a large-scale production of smoked meats from scratch right away, there is a high risk of minimal sales, and then the enterprise will become unprofitable.

Working with unreliable suppliers can also bring its own risks associated with low-quality products.

In the summer months, it is necessary to use refrigeration equipment, to maintain the optimum temperature in the workshop.

Unloading and loading of raw materials and finished products should be carried out at a fast pace. Fish or meat should not be allowed to stay without refrigerators for a long time, otherwise it deteriorates, and the shelf life is reduced.

Early market research, assessment of demand and competitiveness helps to establish a profitable business. But do not be too self-confident, and even if you have established contacts with sales points, be prepared for possible risks and losses, because the chosen production allows you to receive products with a short shelf life.

Don't forget to keep proper documentation. All quality certificates, veterinary certificates and other product certificates must be available.

The business of producing smoked fish and meat can bring a solid income with minimal investment. The main thing is to evaluate all the opportunities and risks of sales, but it is better to have your own point of sale!

It is quite easy to organize a small enterprise for the production of various smoked meats. Judging by the reviews, smoking fish as a business brings stable income even in times of crisis. There are often fake products prepared using liquid smoke on the market, so if you offer a real quality product, this will allow you to build up a customer base in a short time. In this article we will talk about how, in the field of smoking fish.

How to start a fish smoking business

Before opening your own production, you should conduct "reconnaissance" in the market. The first thing to decide is the size of the enterprise and production volumes. Home smoking as a business may not bring too much income, but it does not require large organization costs, which is quite suitable for getting started (read how). Over time, when the production process is mastered and sales channels for finished products are established, it is possible to switch to a larger format and open a workshop.

It is best to start a business, taking into account the characteristics of competitors, carefully studying popular products and existing prices. You can stand out from the background of already recognized manufacturers with the help of higher quality, lower prices or an original offer. When choosing one or another option, do not forget to make calculations and reflect them in your business plan. To avoid mistakes when compiling this document, we recommend that you read how to write .

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Documents for the implementation of activities

If the enterprise is small, then the best legal form of your business will be an individual entrepreneur. Registration of an individual entrepreneur is much easier than a legal entity, and it costs less.

In order to be able to legally sell finished products, you will need to go through the declaration procedure for compliance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union (TR CU) “On Food Safety”. To do this, you should contact any accredited certification body and submit documents on demand and product samples. At the end of the procedure, you will receive a declaration of conformity.

To increase the level of customer confidence in your products, you can also obtain a GOST certificate of conformity "Cold smoked fish", however, such a document is not mandatory, unlike the previous one.

It should be noted that if you plan to immediately open a shop for the production of smoked fish, it is worth collecting a number of documents certifying the suitability of its premises for the implementation of your chosen activity. Such documents include the conclusion of the SES on compliance with sanitary standards and the conclusion of the local authority of the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the fulfillment of fire safety requirements.

What kind of premises and equipment will be needed for production

The place for production should be at a safe distance from residential areas. This will allow not only to obtain a positive opinion from the fire service, but also to avoid conflicts with neighbors. Renting land and buildings will entail additional costs, so it is advisable to use sites located on the outskirts of the city or in the countryside to open a smoking shop.

Room requirements:

area should not be less than 100 sq. m;
availability of ventilation, sewerage and electricity;
access to hot and cold water;
the availability of locker rooms for staff, sanitary rooms.

The smoking shop should be divided into zones: for production, for receiving raw materials, for storing products, for administrative and domestic purposes. Now let's talk about the necessary equipment.

Equipment and inventory

To organize a small production, a small smoking chamber with a capacity of up to 100 kg per day is quite enough. The price of such a unit will be at the level of 200 thousand rubles. If you plan to create a serious production, then it is better to acquire equipment with a capacity of up to 500-1000 kg per day. The cost of such cameras ranges from 200 thousand to 2 million rubles and depends on the quality of materials and the reputation of the manufacturer in the market. You can buy a domestic-made stainless steel camera for 200-300 thousand rubles.

Smoking as a business will be profitable, provided there is a sufficient variety of products, so the chambers must be selected universal. Most units are suitable for both hot and cold smoking, but it is important to study all the technical nuances in detail before purchasing.

Installation requirements:

tightness of the door;
reliable ventilation system;
the availability of a replaceable set of spare parts that are subject to periodic maintenance;
presence of temperature and pressure sensors.

In addition to the camera itself, you will also need additional equipment and inventory:

special tables for preparing raw materials for smoking;
containers for rinsing raw materials;
a set of tools, including knives;
scales;
refrigerators for storage of raw materials and finished products;
a set of fasteners for fixing raw materials;
auxiliary racks and trolleys, etc.

You might like it. We will tell you what are the main costs in such a business and how much you can earn on it.

What you need to know about raw materials

The quality of the raw materials determines the quality of the finished product, so a reliable supplier is the guarantor of the success and prosperity of your business. In order to bypass dealers and speculators, it is worth concluding contracts directly with producers - fish farms and livestock farms. Particular attention should be paid to the verification of certificates for the production of fish products. One single defective batch of goods can deprive you of all customers.

Important! During the smoking process, raw materials lose only about 10% of their mass, so the efficiency of the fish smoking business is considered quite high.

How to save and sell finished products

It is best to store products in refrigeration units. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to prepare a special room. The temperature should not exceed 5-6 degrees. In addition, the room must be dry and well ventilated. Under suitable conditions, the shelf life of smoked meats can be up to one year.

You can sell products both through your own outlets, and through retail chains and grocery stores. A good option is long-term cooperation with restaurants, bars and other enterprises of this type.

Summing up

Smoking fish can bring a little extra income to your family and start your own production. The opening of a smoking shop is accompanied by the preparation of a certain documentary and material and technical base, which we examined in this review. From the point of view of technological complexity, the smoking process itself is quite simple. Initial costs pay off usually within 1-1.5 years. But this business also has its drawbacks, which are associated with the risk of “burning out” on low-quality raw materials or losing finished products as a result of violation of storage conditions.

Working for the "uncle", it occurred to everyone at least once in their life to open their own business. If you want to have a small, but your own business, you can take a closer look at the opening of a private smokehouse. Smoking for sale is beneficial for those who live in a private house, have access to direct suppliers of raw materials or are engaged in livestock. It is not necessary to open a large workshop for smoking meat and fish, it can be a small private enterprise where products can be produced without the involvement of hired labor.

With proper business management, a small smokehouse will allow you to gain enough experience to expand production and become a competitor to larger manufacturers. Such a business is considered highly profitable, convenient because at first it does not require large investments and can be located at your home. For this, a garage, a small outbuilding, or even one room is enough.

Recently, those wishing to open their own smokehouse are increasing every day, but even taking into account the high competition, the business is profitable. In addition to a monthly stable income that will allow you to support your family, there will always be home-cooked meat delicacies on your table every day. This is what attracts many, but as in any business, it has its own nuances and subtleties.

If you are a pro in this matter, you can safely enter the market with your products. Beginners can start by renting a smokehouse. Although it will not be possible to earn a lot, it will be a good practice. Set a symbolic hourly wage, and your relatives, colleagues, neighbors can become customers.

Hot or cold smoking: which is more profitable

The smoking process involves heat treatment with hot smoke, while the product changes its taste and is stored much longer. Depending on the temperature regime, hot or cold smoking is distinguished. The name speaks for itself. With hot smoking, the temperature inside the smokehouse ranges from 55 to 120 degrees, depending on the product, and with cold smoking, the temperature does not exceed 35 degrees.

This is not the only difference, in the cold way you will have to smoke for several days, and in the hot way a few hours are enough. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the difference in storage periods. The shelf life of hot smoked products is from 1 to 3 weeks, cold smoked products are several times longer. There is a buyer for any smoked delicacy, but hot smoking technology is considered simpler. Since it has a short shelf life, it is better to smoke in small batches and preferably on order.

First steps towards success

Any business undertaking should begin with the collection of information, i.e. market analysis. From the very beginning, you can not take into account large manufacturers, since they are not the main competitors. And there will definitely be small entrepreneurs who are engaged in similar activities. Having carefully studied the prices and assortment, we can conclude which smoked meats are in demand. Buying a trial batch will help you discover possible flaws in your opponent's product. Try to avoid them.

For a business to be successful, every step must be carefully considered. When you want hopes not to be replaced by quick disappointment, they make up a kind of business plan. Let it be just a small family business, planning will allow you to estimate approximate expenses and compare them with future income in order to understand how profitable it will be for you.

Opening a smokehouse includes several stages:

work space equipment;
purchase of the necessary equipment;
registration of IP and registration of permits;
purchase of raw materials;
assortment development;
production and sale of products.

At first, while your business is in the stage of a kind of testing, you can do without registration, selling products on your own on the market or to friends. When you are ready to reach a new level, you will need to register as a private entrepreneur. This will make it possible to supply smoked products to retail outlets and cafes.

When you are ready to expand your production to the size of a smokehouse, you can start looking for a suitable room. Building a new building is quite troublesome, long and expensive. The smoking shop can be placed in the building of the former canteen, in Soviet times there were quite a lot of them. If there is a former canteen in your area that is empty, you can safely negotiate with the owner.

Workplace equipment

It will be difficult to organize your business in an apartment, but if there is an empty garage, its area will completely allow one or two electric smokehouses to be placed there. If you live in a private house, then you can easily organize production at home. Modern smoking installations are easy to install and do not have bulky dimensions, for example, in a room of about 40 sq.m. It is possible to place four smoking installations. From the very beginning, one mini-smoker will be enough.

Modern installations run on gas, wood and electricity. Smokers, most suitable for small production volumes, are powered by electricity. First of all, you need to make sure that the electrical wiring is not dilapidated and matches the power that the mini-smoker consumes. Additional communications are not required, you just need to equip the working room with a good ventilation system. In addition to the smoking plant itself, you will need a freezer for storing raw materials and finished products, a cutting table, scales, and brine containers.

To cut costs on related equipment, you can try to find a refrigerator and other used equipment. On the contrary, it is not worth saving on the purchase of a smokehouse, it is better to take completely new equipment, it is possible from a domestic manufacturer.

Choosing a smokehouse: the main nuances

On sale there are smokehouses that run on gas, electricity and coal. The external design does not differ much, but for mini-production, electric smokehouses are the most suitable, as the most economical and easy to install. Their capacity can vary from 5 to 100 kg. It is necessary to select installations made of stainless steel, of the middle price segment, with a load of 50 to 100 kg. The maximum service life of such installations is 15 years.

The most suitable for the production of smoked products at home are combined installations with an auto-smoke generator. Their advantage is that both hot and cold smoking is available. Thanks to the built-in generator, the chips needed to produce smoke are automatically replaced. To obtain smoke, ready-made briquettes with pressed chips are used. Thus, the smokehouse is able to work up to 8 hours. The price of such an installation, depending on the manufacturer, can reach 150,00 rubles.

You can save on buying a smokehouse by contacting craftsmen. In this case, of course, there is a big risk of getting a low-quality product. If you are confident in the abilities and skills of the master, it is possible to get the necessary materials and drawings, you can take a chance. Thus, you will not only significantly save on the purchase, but in the future you can contact this person if a replacement of one or another part is required.

It remains only to summarize the criteria that should be followed when buying equipment:

chamber capacity;
Type of fuel;
material and its thickness;
available smoking methods;
installation location;
the presence of a water seal;
additional functions.

Registration of permits

At the very beginning, it is enough to be in a semi-legal position, you can produce products in small batches and sell them on the markets. Sooner or later, this will not seem enough, so you will have to obtain the appropriate permissions. First of all, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur; when choosing a tax payment system, it is better to choose a simplified taxation system. Firstly, the registration procedure takes place in a shorter time; secondly, individual entrepreneurs are exempt from part of taxes.

Since the production is related to food, there must be a permit from the SES, Rosprirodnadzor, Rostekhnadzor and the fire service. For all supplied raw materials, require quality certificates and make sure that the finished product also undergoes the appropriate testing. This is necessary in order to be able to deliver products to supermarkets, restaurants or wholesalers.

Sales opportunities

The competition in this niche is high, therefore, in order to take a worthy place in it, your products must always be fresh and of high quality. In order for the products to be well demanded, it is necessary to adapt to the end consumer. Start small, the hottest item, and work your way up. The more variety you have, the more opportunities you have to sell.

From the very beginning, do not expect to compete with large manufacturers, start from the smallest. Until sales points are established, it is better to manage with minimal production volumes. You will have to sell the products yourself, for example, take them to the markets, organize outreach sales, try to distribute some of the products via the Internet. To get known about you, place an ad on free bulletin boards, additionally advertise your products on social networks. Focus on the fact that smoked meats are made from natural village meat, lard according to your individual recipes. Several regular customers will definitely appear, and already they will make free advertising using the word of mouth method, without knowing it.

Over time, to increase sales, you can open several outlets and hire distributors. The organization of retail outlets will require additional costs: rent of refrigeration chambers, salaries to distributors. Over time, they will definitely pay off, be sure to expand the points of sale. Not standing still is one of the laws of a successful business.

Over time, you can open a small shop selling your products on your personal site. You will not only save on rent, but also reduce the cost of transporting finished products.

What is the approximate income and payback period of the business

There is no ready-made formula by which the estimated income can be calculated. For clarity, the approximate profit can be calculated using the example of smoked mackerel, which is in good demand. The wholesale price of fresh mackerel fluctuates around 140 rubles per kg, finished products can be sold at a retail price of 300 rubles per kg. In this case, it is necessary to take into account weight losses, they will amount to 15-30%, depending on the temperature regime.

If you smoke fish at a temperature of 55-60 degrees, with 50 kg of fresh fish you get about 40 kg of smoked fish. The total amount from sales of the entire batch is 12,000 rubles. From this amount, it will be necessary to deduct 7,000 rubles spent on the purchase of raw materials. With hot smoking, several hours are enough to get the finished product. This means that it is possible to set up daily production, subject to rapid implementation. If you make a daily bookmark of 50 kg, 150,000 profits come out per month. We subtract expenses from this amount: tax, rent of a trading place, payment for electricity, expenses for gasoline, and so on. In the end, about 100,000 net profits are obtained. Similarly, you can calculate the profit from other types of smoked products.

If you work with such volumes, it turns out that in 2-3 months the electrical installation fully pays off. In practice, it will take several months to achieve such volumes. Thus, it turns out that after 6-8 months of reasonable business management, the costs will fully pay off and the business will generate net income.

Pros and cons of a home smokehouse as a business

So that you can finally make the right decision, it remains only to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of this type of business. Among the obvious advantages are:

Independence. You work for yourself, plan your work schedule as you like.
Simplicity. To master smoking on a modern smoking installation, super-complex skills and training are not required.
Compactness. Modern smokers do not take up much space.
Work at home. Production can be located in your home, which is very convenient.
Fixed income. Considering that the average salary is approximately 35,000-45,000 rubles, the income from a mini-smokehouse can be several times higher than the monthly average income.
High profitability. In just six months, the costs will fully pay off.
Possibility of expansion. You can always, if necessary, buy an additional electric smokehouse and thereby increase the volume of products.

However, there are obvious disadvantages that can scare away. These include:

Financial risks. Any business that requires even minimal financial injections can go bankrupt. Be prepared for this and, if possible, calculate everything.
Getting permissions. To be able to sell large parties, it is necessary to legalize, which is associated with obtaining permits from government agencies.
Time limitation. Each batch must be sold as quickly as possible. Good taste qualities are preserved during the first three days. With each subsequent day, natural shrinkage of products occurs, and after two weeks it can be considered illiquid.
Supplier selection. Through intermediaries, raw materials will be too expensive, so you need to go to a direct seller. In addition, purchased meat, lard and fish must have mandatory quality certificates.

Always leave a part of the profit for business expansion, sooner or later you will have to think about it.

The need for fresh tasty smoked hams, fish and chicken among the population will be constant. A carefully thought-out assortment will be the key to your success, if you still want to open a mini-smoker at home and are ready to face difficulties, start developing a business plan, choosing a smokehouse and studying the assortment of competitors tomorrow. Think over all the risks, weigh all the pros and cons, and you can safely start mastering a new business!

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