[Noisebridge-discuss] small business proposal - ideas, suggestions?

Frantisek Apfelbeck algoldor at yahoo.com
Sun Jun 12 16:22:48 UTC 2011


 
Hi guys,
I'm thinking about brewing for my living and I would like to ask you if you 
could go through my idea and basic data which I put together. It is more a 
project to promote local organic brewing and being able to live from that than 
some hard "get as much you can" business model, the first I like the second is 
just not my style.

Thanks for any info,

Sincerely,

Frantisek




Business proposal (small scale)

I'm considering opening a small "temporary business”. Here are some basic data 
which I can think of and longer explanation under, would love to have feedback. 



Time frame: 3 months (Jun-Oct/2011)

Field: brewing/fermented products/cooking

Goal: do what's my passion and pay my bills

Necessary profit: 600-800 EU per month

Time investment: 25-35 hours per week

Experience in the field: good (both commercial and experimental levels) 

Scenario after 10/2011: hand it over to other interested people, hopefully with 
some benefits for my previous work but not necessarily

Price per liter (l) of product: 
ingredients/general cost: 0.5-1 EU per liter 
selling price: 4-6 EU per liter (before taxes)
working hours: 10-15 hours of work should give around 100 l of product


I would like to open a “business” where I would brew and sell my product, 
probably including also some food products. I really enjoy brewing and I do 
believe I could do a really nice promotional work at Galway (Ireland) and get my 
living from it. I would need some 600-800 EU to end up as a surplus per month to 
cover my cost of living. I should be able to survive the first month on lower 
income than 600 EU, let say 400 EU should do. I've more than three months for it 
of a clean time. I've friends who are already selling on local markets in this 
area and they are living from it. They are confirming that most of the customers 
are not regular ones (lots of tourist or one time shots). I do not know about 
anyone doing probiotic beverages around. I've done commercial brewing before up 
to 300 l per week of product being ready to sell on weekly bases. The product 
was of a top organic quality and one of the best around the San Francisco bay 
area (that is just fact). The legal status here in Ireland should be, that I can 
officially sell product once I get a license (should be cheap) and it looks like 
that the "hygiene" should be alright, people are doing the food production for 
markets from their homes (not exactly kosher but it workds). I can dedicate to 
this up to 35 hours per week or so, should be no too much more than that because 
I'm finishing my master thesis.

Now is here someone who could help me to think about this properly so I can do a 
business proposal, estimate the costs of production, taxes etc. It is just that 
I've never done this completely by myself so I do not want to forget about 
something important. I plan do this type of projects in different countries 
preferably under some existing “company or cooperative” but I do not see 
anything like that here yet, it is very new in Ireland but there is definitely 
interest in it.


The “facts on the ground” are these:

- I've place where I can brew, it is quite big garage in my landlady house, 
suits quite fine

- I've part of the brewing equipment already, the rest I can get for free and 
hack it or buy for really cheap (tenths of Euro) 


- I've all the cultures already running and in decent quantities

- I'm involved in a local brewing group which we are now starting as a non 
profit where are lots of cool people and which is focused on experimental and 
promotional brewing 


https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/091_Brew_Masters

- I can very probably get in to the markets and I'm starting to be quite well 
connected to the local hacker and slow food movement social networks

- the biggest obstacles are: 
I do not have a cooling unit (+-4-8 C) which is quite important (2-3 big fridges 
would do)
I do not have transport of my own (however my friends can probably help me out 
with their car)
I do not buy for whole sale prices yet
I've very low resources (several hundred Euro at best)

Well this are the basic points about what I want to do. I would like to 
summarize this project before I leave for Japan and hand it over to the people 
who would continue in it. I would not mind to have some benefit from it, 
preferably smaller but for long term but it is not must, it would just help me 
to live and promote fermentations around the globe. I do understand that this 
time frame is quite short but I can either work somewhere like dishwasher etc. 
or try this which is my passion.

Please send me your comments and suggestions I'll be ready for the chalange!

Sincerely,

Frantisek



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