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How do I start a soup business. !?

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Sky321

New Member
Jan 7, 2025
1
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Warwickshire
Hi,
I’m looking to start a soup business where I produce ready to eat soups at home… package them in retort pouches. Sell them locally.

Can anyone advise how I can start - what do I need to add to the soup to preserve it?

Thanks
Sky
 
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Sky321 said:
Can anyone advise how I can start - what do I need to add to the soup to preserve it?
Click to expand...
Fresh soup doesn't last long. The stuff in the local supermarket has a quite a short shelf life.

But....

You need to talk to your local council about licensing. They will inspect your kitchen and tell you wnat changes you need to make.

You then get insurance (talk to @Frank the Insurance guy )

You then start making soup and sell at the local town or farmers market, boot sales, garden centre or wherever.
 
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AJames-Design said:
Coming from my experience, you'll need a tidy little logo and branding that will draw people towards your offering and what is special about it.
Click to expand...
Are you sure about this? At the local market they sell soup out of a bain marie without and branding other than a banner hanging off the stall.
 
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AJames-Design said:
I suppose then one could discuss the effective approach of just having a simple banner as a means of projecting home made, small scale values - as your brand approach.
Click to expand...
Yes, but a logo isn’t necessary which was the bit I picked up on from your post.
 
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fisicx said:
Yes, but a logo isn’t necessary which was the bit I picked up on from your post.
Click to expand...
True. I can’t argue with that. Though there is a value in a logo/mark in providing an alternative recognition point.
Presumably the customer recognises yourself or your stand location. A logo allows for recognition outside of one recognised scenario or one familiar face.

But yes not necessary or needed. I take that back.
 
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As OP can see - 'A soup business' can be done in several different ways.

You have decided to look at the pouched product - Fresh soups without preservatives can be sold like this, but you have to be fairly tight on shelf life and storage.

You need a firm business plan including a budget. For this you need to do some spadework - quotes for production of pouches, artwork, ingredients and so on to get to a price point at which the product is profitable, whilst covering the fixed costs (insurance, premises etc) AND leaving you something in your pocket.

At this point you need some sample products and pitch the product to prospective buyers and discuss price points to see if the business is viable.... and not be scared to walk away or totally revamp if the outcome is negative.

Or you could take the style of business @fisicx describes and bag a pitch at a market with a heated vat of gloop and some takeaway containers and see how it goes....

There's no easy answer or easy formula: It takes belief and commitment.... but whatever.... know your numbers and don't be scared to pull the plug if its not working.
 
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Socio South West said:
As OP can see - 'A soup business' can be done in several different ways.

You have decided to look at the pouched product - Fresh soups without preservatives can be sold like this, but you have to be fairly tight on shelf life and storage.

You need a firm business plan including a budget. For this you need to do some spadework - quotes for production of pouches, artwork, ingredients and so on to get to a price point at which the product is profitable, whilst covering the fixed costs (insurance, premises etc) AND leaving you something in your pocket.

At this point you need some sample products and pitch the product to prospective buyers and discuss price points to see if the business is viable.... and not be scared to walk away or totally revamp if the outcome is negative.

Or you could take the style of business @fisicx describes and bag a pitch at a market with a heated vat of gloop and some takeaway containers and see how it goes....

There's no easy answer or easy formula: It takes belief and commitment.... but whatever.... know your numbers and don't be scared to pull the plug if its not working.
Click to expand...
As a rule I'd agree with you on planning etc, but the sub-text here (to me at least) is that this will be a small-scale kitchen business, which can be live-tested pretty quickly via social media and local fairs/markets

Again - WITH FULL COMPLIANCE

I wonder why pouches, rather than cartons with stick-on labels?

Definitely no need to be spending money on logos!
 
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The first thing to do is prepare a basic business business plan, focussing on the following:
  • Where & how (hot and/or cold) will I sell the soups?
  • How much will each portion cost (remember packaging)?
  • What will it sell for?
  • What technical & safety issues need to be overcome (ingredients, allergies, H&S etc)
  • How much does you need to make to break even and want to make to take earnings?
 
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Paul Kelly ICHYB said:
The first thing to do is prepare a basic business business plan, focussing on the following:
  • Where & how (hot and/or cold) will I sell the soups?
  • How much will each portion cost (remember packaging)?
  • What will it sell for?
  • What technical & safety issues need to be overcome (ingredients, allergies, H&S etc)
  • How much does you need to make to break even and want to make to take earnings?
Click to expand...

Yeah, but you need to sort the logo and branding out first...
 
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MikeJ said:
Yeah, but you need to sort the logo and branding out first...
Click to expand...
Why?

If you have a stall in the market you don’t need either.
 
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Sky321 said:
Hi,
I’m looking to start a soup business where I produce ready to eat soups at home… package them in retort pouches. Sell them locally.

Can anyone advise how I can start - what do I need to add to the soup to preserve it?

Thanks
Sky
Click to expand...
You do need to register as a food business with your local council. You can normally do this by filling out an online form. Once submitted You have to wait 28 days before you can start trading.

After that you can trade, you dont have to wait for a kitchen/premises inspection. If you are cooking from your home the EHO has to make an appointment, if cooking from a commercial unit then they can drop in anytime unannounced.

Get yourself liability insurance. Keep records of your temperatures for every batch, cleaning records - daily/weekly/monthly and longer. EHO will want to see these.

As a micro business you dont specifically need to have labels for ingredients but it will help your customers. They should be listed with ingredients in descending order (most first). There are free online tools to help do this and just make the allergens in BOLD. The FSA website has info on the info a label should carry.

Personally I wouldnt sell soup in a pouch as its gonna be hard to make the shelf life longer. I would either look at sealable/freezable/microwavable plastic containers (they do exist I've used them) that could also be used as the cooking vessel and you would be able to freeze it until you need to sell it (probably the best way to preserve it) or in glass jars and then use the water bath method to add shelf life. However the latter will need lots of testing and continous testing to make sure your product doesnt deteriate over time.

Hope that all helps
 
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Charliechops said:
You do need to register as a food business with your local council. You can normally do this by filling out an online form. Once submitted You have to wait 28 days before you can start trading.

After that you can trade, you dont have to wait for a kitchen/premises inspection. If you are cooking from your home the EHO has to make an appointment, if cooking from a commercial unit then they can drop in anytime unannounced.

Get yourself liability insurance. Keep records of your temperatures for every batch, cleaning records - daily/weekly/monthly and longer. EHO will want to see these.

As a micro business you dont specifically need to have labels for ingredients but it will help your customers. They should be listed with ingredients in descending order (most first). There are free online tools to help do this and just make the allergens in BOLD. The FSA website has info on the info a label should carry.

Personally I wouldnt sell soup in a pouch as its gonna be hard to make the shelf life longer. I would either look at sealable/freezable/microwavable plastic containers (they do exist I've used them) that could also be used as the cooking vessel and you would be able to freeze it until you need to sell it (probably the best way to preserve it) or in glass jars and then use the water bath method to add shelf life. However the latter will need lots of testing and continous testing to make sure your product doesnt deteriate over time.

Hope that all helps
Click to expand...
AI still has a long way to go, doesn't it?
 
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How about replies going off topic, surely this is just another simple idea that probably just will not start or work.
First, consider, how much cash have you got available to spend on the start up and how much of that are you prepared to loose?
Interested in making soup - well, make some then, take it out on the high street, offer some samples for people to try.
Discover the requirements for the kitchen, do some costings, find a farmers market to sell at, discover how almost impossible it will be to make a profit and then give up the idea.
I have joined the arrogant, critical negative bunch of people who populate this site, perhaps just for this topic!!
 
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Charliechops said:
You do need to register as a food business with your local council. You can normally do this by filling out an online form. Once submitted You have to wait 28 days before you can start trading.

After that you can trade, you dont have to wait for a kitchen/premises inspection. If you are cooking from your home the EHO has to make an appointment, if cooking from a commercial unit then they can drop in anytime unannounced.

Get yourself liability insurance. Keep records of your temperatures for every batch, cleaning records - daily/weekly/monthly and longer. EHO will want to see these.

As a micro business you dont specifically need to have labels for ingredients but it will help your customers. They should be listed with ingredients in descending order (most first). There are free online tools to help do this and just make the allergens in BOLD. The FSA website has info on the info a label should carry.

Personally I wouldnt sell soup in a pouch as its gonna be hard to make the shelf life longer. I would either look at sealable/freezable/microwavable plastic containers (they do exist I've used them) that could also be used as the cooking vessel and you would be able to freeze it until you need to sell it (probably the best way to preserve it) or in glass jars and then use the water bath method to add shelf life. However the latter will need lots of testing and continous testing to make sure your product doesnt deteriate over time.

Hope that all helps
Click to expand...
You forgot allergen information.
 
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You will need
Health and safety level 2 certificate
Allergen certificate(both available on line)
Temperature logs, for fridges, cooked products, cooling etc
Your home kitchen will have to be inspected as mentioned above. 2 separate sinks, refrigeration facilities separate from your home stuff, different chopping boards to comply with Health and Safety regulations etc
You need to have labels for all products with allergens clearly displayed
You can demand higher price for fresh, no additives soup but shelf life is 3 days.
 
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