wazua Thu, Mar 28, 2024
Welcome Guest Search | Active Topics | Log In | Register

2 Pages12>
Cereals Business
Alo
#1 Posted : Tuesday, March 15, 2011 11:20:13 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
I have never operated a business and now i am thinking of plunging myself into Cereals Business. I don't have the huge capital though, i want to kick start with Kidogo capital and add as i progress. Anyone who is in or has been there? How did you go about it. Kindly saidia na mawazo hapa. What are the legal requirements et all? Spank me not please. Any advise, idea, help will be highly appreciated.smile Pray
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
Alo
#2 Posted : Tuesday, March 15, 2011 5:17:28 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
Help a Lass here please
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
muganda
#3 Posted : Tuesday, March 15, 2011 10:13:24 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 9/15/2006
Posts: 3,901
@Alo once knew someone actively engaged in breakfast porridge business. You know abit like Incas, stuff would be packed and more likely consumed as option to cereals.

Production
Key issue to consider. How to scale up and produce say 1,000 packs a month. Her packaging was manual to begin with, and quickly posed problems

Packaging
Off a shop shelf, the packaging is the only way people 'taste' the product before making a purchase decision - very key.

Positioning
Realise how many products are out there, and how quickly big players affect your fortunes. What single thing can customers say, "You know why I like/buy that product..."

It will be imperative to harness a share of customer volumes. If you could get into a supermarket chain the better - logistics hustles disappear. Otherwise, a 'Kaskazi' kiosk network maybe the only option, and logistics becomes an issue as big as production.


Promotion
With a relativily unknown brand with constrained marketing budget, you are left with below the line, direct marketing. The thing that's a sure winner is sales ladies.

Procedures
I remember she just had a registered company/business name, a bank account for payments, a registered trademark for the product, and an official barcode. Not sure whether KEBS mark was essential, perhaps just a value-add to get product buy-in.

runjam
#4 Posted : Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:14:27 AM
Rank: New-farer


Joined: 6/21/2010
Posts: 73
Location: kenya
@Alo...which cereals ? Is it breakfast cereals or grains like beans and greengrams ?
runjam
#5 Posted : Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:16:31 AM
Rank: New-farer


Joined: 6/21/2010
Posts: 73
Location: kenya
@Alo...which cereals ? Is it breakfast cereals or grains like beans and greengrams ?
Alo
#6 Posted : Wednesday, March 16, 2011 9:01:08 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
@ Muganda, thanks alot brother,you have enlightened me i wasn't thinking of it that way, i was of cereals i.e grains e.g beans, peas, maize etc. as runjam asked. Thanks again i can now incorporate that in my idea. @ runjam any ideas on grains business will be much appreciated.TIA
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
runjam
#7 Posted : Wednesday, March 16, 2011 3:10:11 PM
Rank: New-farer


Joined: 6/21/2010
Posts: 73
Location: kenya
Alo...coincidentally, i am in the process of starting the same business...i am waiting for the response from the registrar for the business name so that i can start the operations.
You could consider sourcing for the grains from Nyamakima.there are many stores there but you need to first research on each shop's wholesale prices so that you can maximise your gains on each product.

Alo
#8 Posted : Wednesday, March 16, 2011 3:48:12 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
@ runjam, that's good news, i am based in Mombasa, and i want to start small. Where's Nyamakima? Forgive my ignorance. You can get in touch via wawushrich@gmail.com we saidiana.
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
runjam
#9 Posted : Thursday, March 17, 2011 8:49:30 AM
Rank: New-farer


Joined: 6/21/2010
Posts: 73
Location: kenya
@Alo,ooooh...Nyamakima is in Nairobi.Bet there are many wholesale shops in Mombasa.Ebu ask around.
mmarto
#10 Posted : Thursday, March 17, 2011 11:13:15 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 4/20/2010
Posts: 412
Location: nairobi
need to be careful....i tried lastyear and lost 30%
The only time you should be looking down on others is when you are helping them up.
selah
#11 Posted : Thursday, March 17, 2011 11:34:26 AM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 10/13/2009
Posts: 1,950
Location: in kenya
The problem with this business is that its mostly seasonal and timing is of the essence.For instance if you were to supply maize now you will be 'burnt'seriously bcoz the prices are very high and most retailers are unwilling to buy at the moment since the rain season is about to start and farmers will be forced to reduce their stock thereby reducing their prices so as to create room for new harvest.So what this means the retailers know in a few weeks the prices will come down so they can sell their stored products as they wait for the price to come down.

I would advice you to get a good retail shop that you can use as a base of operation and then start looking for retailers who you can sell to, at wholesale prices.So you can be both retailer as well as a wholesaler.

'......to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' Colossians 2:2-3
For Sport
#12 Posted : Thursday, March 17, 2011 9:20:48 PM
Rank: Veteran


Joined: 12/23/2010
Posts: 1,229
mmarto wrote:
need to be careful....i tried lastyear and lost 30%


Careful about?
Alo
#13 Posted : Friday, March 18, 2011 12:41:59 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
@ mmarto kindly expound on what happened. @ Selah, thanks for the advise, ndio maana napenda wazuans... very resourceful.
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
Euge
#14 Posted : Monday, March 21, 2011 9:14:01 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 8/4/2008
Posts: 2,849
Location: Rupi
Alo, avoid giving the cereals on credit. Make it cash and carry that will make life much easier.
Lord, thank you!
Alo
#15 Posted : Tuesday, March 22, 2011 9:18:23 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 6/23/2010
Posts: 127
Location: Msa
Tks @ Euge
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
leona
#16 Posted : Saturday, March 26, 2011 2:53:17 PM
Rank: Elder


Joined: 8/1/2008
Posts: 1,432
Location: Marsabit
@Alo, sio kwa ubaya... But why do you want to venture into a business that you seem not to be well versed with? Why not try something that you know much(or a little) about?Or else,a business that you can easily get info from someone close to you? Well,just asking... I always believe its easier to tread into waters one is a little bit familiar with than go gropping wildliy in the dark especially where cash is concerned..
Nevermind what haters say, ignore them til they fade away - Just live your life
mmarto
#17 Posted : Monday, March 28, 2011 9:56:47 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 4/20/2010
Posts: 412
Location: nairobi
careful means what @selah has explained...Timing. Also other aspects come in: i used to get maize directly from farmers but some of the grain is not very dry and starts to rot. If you want to store as a hold-up you need to be more careful coz of the rotting. You also may need to treat the maize against weevils. These two cost me alot. Bear in mind that to dry the maize or treat it against weevils all add up to the overal costs
The only time you should be looking down on others is when you are helping them up.
Pablo
#18 Posted : Saturday, April 02, 2011 1:20:13 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 3/17/2008
Posts: 567
Location: Nairobi
@Alo. Listen to Leona or you may get your fingers burnt.

For me the best way to start a business is to be handheld by someone who has been in that business successfully. That person could introduce you around and give you the unwritten rules.

Tread wisely, nasikia hiyo biashara pia ina ma cartels.
Stealth
#19 Posted : Saturday, April 02, 2011 1:50:17 PM
Rank: Member


Joined: 5/3/2010
Posts: 145
Location: East Africa
Biz ya mahindi ina cartels mainly when you want to deal huge amounts to the tune of thousands of bags. But for someone wanting 100, 200, 300 bags u r good.
waiter
#20 Posted : Wednesday, April 06, 2011 9:35:51 AM
Rank: Member


Joined: 10/27/2008
Posts: 52
Just go to Kagio, Kerugoya or Mwea. Watch and learn. It's a profitable business but timing is crucial.
Users browsing this topic
Guest
2 Pages12>
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

Copyright © 2024 Wazua.co.ke. All Rights Reserved.