Country Enterprise - adding value to your produce by catering for pubs, cafes etc

<P> To produce food for sale into pubs and other similar organisations is another type of enterprise. </P><P>The publican's prime concern will be portion control. You have to live with that concept at the front of your mind to succeed. Very often pies and casseroles are dished up by bar staff. Unless the portions are clearly identifiable, the public gets an extra-large helping and the publican gets an extra-low profit. Items such as large apple pies rarely get ordered more than once — a few slices from the pie one day and the same the next. By the third day the apples are possibly fermenting, the pastry has gone soggy and more profit goes into the dustbin. The aim in all products for this market has to be good presentation coupled with awareness of the market you are in. </p><P>Many publicans are very happy to explain their needs to you. They will often persevere to reach an acceptable end-product. This is dependent on you making quite clear at the outset that you are prepared and able to be flexible. Meanwhile, of course, you must keep a very close eye on your own profit margins. To start with you should work out a minimum order. This is the amount of business you require on each call to justify the trip. </P><P>When supplying fresh food your deliveries will have to be close together. If you intend to supply frozen food, you will have to transport it so that it does not start to thaw in transit. For small orders and small distances a frozen food box is satisfactory. If you have to carry some of the delivery around for a whole day it is not. </P><P> <A HREF=kitchen4.htm">sales to pubs</A></P>