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There’s no denying the noticeable rise in small food businesses amidst the pandemic. Think of all the sushi bake and ube pan de sal sellers that sprung up during the height of the craze! As people found new ways to make ends meet, budding home cooks and bakers turned to social media to share and sell their culinary feats. If you’re passionate about cooking, starting your own food business can be a great source of additional income, and serve as an enjoyable hobby from the safety of your own home. Curious to learn more about starting your own food business? To help aspiring foodpreneurs and restaurant owners, La Germania recently partnered with successful chefs, restaurant owners and creatives for a two-part webinar series called the Food Business Bootcamp. In this free virtual event, talented foodpreneurs such as celebrity chef and restaurant owner Chef Lau shared their insights and key takeaways on launching and running a successful food business. Here are some tips on what to keep in mind:

Start small

Before turning your food hobby into a revenue generating business, it’s important to start small. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to secure a huge loan or have a ton of cash in order to start. Begin by working with what you already have. Otherwise, list everything you need such as ingredients, equipment and packaging, and factor in marketing and logistics costs to get an idea of your expenses. You’ll soon find out you don’t need millions to start! Afterwards, you can start small and test out your products by selling to your family, friends and neighbors, as this will give you the opportunity to ask for feedback to improve your products before starting full-scale production.

Tell your brand story

The truth of the matter is that a lot of food businesses sell the same products. This is why you need to distinguish what makes your products stand out from the competition, and convey that through your branding. Consider your target market, and what sort of branding would resonate with them and entice them to try your product. Are you targeting a premium crowd? You can convey luxury and elegance through your branding, food styling, and social media content, such as Apéritif by Karla Zulueta. Are your products centered around Filipino comfort food, and home-cooked classics? Check out Almusal Cafe’s branding, which is cozy and inviting. In light of the lockdown, creating high-quality content for your social media account has also been imperative to attracting new customers and staying top-of-mind for previous patrons.

Invest in good quality kitchen partners

To create good quality food products, you need to invest in kitchen equipment of equally superior quality. La Germania’s line of ovens and stoves allows you to prepare exquisite dishes in an easy and convenient way. Built according to the highest European standards in terms of construction and design, La Germania appliances are durable and user-friendly. This means they’re the perfect partners for burgeoning food businesses and budding foodpreneurs to unleash their kitchen genius.