Fruit & Veg Van

[JustJoe]

Hi all,

I've had an idea for a small business and thought I would share it with all the knowledgeable people on UKBF in the hope of some useful critique or advise.

Basically, I want to buy a van and sell fruit and veg in a similar way that some people sell fresh fish. I have two target audiences 1) park up between 16:30 and 18:30 somewhere on the way out of town centre that gets a lot of foot fall with people walking home/to bus stops etc 2) between 18:30 and 20:00 I plan to have a set route round suburbia so people know what sort of time I would be in their area each week. Park up for 15 mins or so in each spot and then move on.

I believe there are many people who would like to buy there fruit and veg from a small grocers but buy from the supermarket for convenience. And as more people shop online I think fruit and veg is one of the few thing people don’t want someone else picking for them. I’d sell myself on good, fresh, locally sourced produce with a good organic range, while trying to be competitive on price.

Does anyone know of anyone doing this already and if so how do they get on and what are their main obstacles?

Any advice welcome!

I’m new on here so if I’ve missed any obvious information that’s necessary please ask.

Thanks for reading

Joe

 

[PDC]

Don't know much about this kind of business I'm afraid but one other location is town centers at/around lunchtimes. Since all the supermarkets went from 9 items or less checkouts to the to self service ones, which you can't use with non pre-packaged fruit, buying a few items of fruit at lunch times has become too time consuming to do.
Obviously this depends on location and competition but certainly around here there is a big gap in the market.

Good luck.

 

[kulture]

I would imagine the main obstacle being getting the correct licence/permission for street trading.

 

[JustJoe]

Thanks for the responces,


I believe it is possible to pay for loose fruit and veg at the self service check outs. I would have to rely on better produce and people's ethics to buy local.

I'm in touch with the council regarding permits as that could be a show stopper.

I've been doing a bit more research and found a number of similar businesses most of which are run as community projects or even charities in areas where there is nowhere to buy veg. It struck me that small rural villages with no shops might also be a good idea.



Cheers,


Joe

 

[TotallySport]

there was someone doing veg boxes last year but I can't remember his username, he seemed to be doing OK at the time, no idea about now.

 

[buybetterbeds]

I don't know where you are based or where you intend to source your stock (presumably wholesale market), but check what your fuel costs are likely to be and I would think that you need to concentrate on fairly high density housing so that you are not driving too much. Also make a reasonable allowance for spoilage, especially if we get any summer weather. Check cost of buying/leasing van and insurance.
I would sound out local people for their opinions, asking them to be honest and if you decide to go ahead consider local marketing prior to launch. Leaflet drops are usually reasonable cost and get the message direct to your market.

Above all be prepared for unsocial hours and GOOD LUCK.

 

[emmylou74]

you should also think about doing veg and fruit boxes. I would definitely use a business like yours of you sold organic. I have a terrible time getting organic fruit and veg and would love somewhere local doing it. We got a small greengrocers open up and I asked if he could bring in organic but he said no because its too expensive. I pay extra for good quality organic things - so frustrating!

 

[kelvin1950]

This shop is our neighbour and she started with fruit & veg deliveries. Seems to be doing OK. http://www.organically-speaking.com/

 

[Tombo46]

Don't have time at the moment but will reply as soon as I do. I grew up in the fruit and veg trade and I own a Greengrocers in Sheffield.

 

[JustJoe]

Thanks for all your input, it's really useful to get your thoughts and ideas!

There are a number of veg box delivery places around but what I want to offer is the greengrocer experience, being able to look and choose and feel part of the community.

I'm now looking at starting in rural villages where there isn't a shop selling fruit and veg, circa 1000 population there are a number is my area (north Yorkshire) and looking on acorn, a lot of them are quite affluent, perfect for an organic range. Park up in the centre of the village same time every week, picking my time of day depending on the proportion of retired/self employed/full time employed residents.

The beauty of it been mobile is, if some villages work and some don't I can change my route trying new villages. With flyer drops in the run-up weeks.

Varieties will defend somewhat on the season, as i want as much locally sourced as possible. I'm going to make as many contact with local farms as possible and only go to wholesalers for popular products that I can't get from local farms.

The street trading license I would need varies by district council from £2400/year to £0. Need to register with food standards agency but - from speaking to them - as I'm not preparing anything, it's more of a technicality.

Getting an izettle chip and pin machine seems like it will be invaluable! I can't believe more market traders don't have them?

Was looking for some inspiration for types of vehicles and found one that captured my imagination, if you are interested google "mobile greengrocer abc" and go to images. I want mine to be a bit more high class but it gives you the idea.

Thanks again!

 

[ChrisBackman]

I think you should also target people who are on their way home from work, you never know what people are thinking then, but it's usually got something to do with food.

 

[Poppet2]

You will be very lucky to just get a trade licence to trade ANYWHERE on the street/highway from a vehicle unless it is in a permanent position such as a street market, farmer's market or boot fair.
Problem is, local shops nearby will complain that they are paying extortionate rates for renting business premises, while someone like yourself with less overheads, undercuts them in price. Think about it, if this was so easy, why isn't everybody selling food produce from vans. Years ago the rules were less stringent then today. The only people who can legitimately sell food on the highway with the least amount of regulations are 'Ice-cream' vans. This is due to some bye-law which allows them to street trade on the highway, but stay no longer then 15 minutes in one spot. By all means try permanent market pitches, but the public highway in general or outside busy railway stations (which in most cases belong to the property of the railway company concerned), will be almost impossible. Still, you might be lucky with one local authority.

 

[Poppet2]

Another option would be to sell on Industrial estates were there are workers on private land (with permission of course). Better still why not develop a sandwich snacks & hot drinks outlet from the van. Think of all the workmen on large building projects and sites when the re- building of houses starts again. Look out for a Jiffy van on eBay.

 

[Jo Harrison]

You also want to think of areas which have a high footfall... how about a hospital or doctors surgery? Ideal places for fresh fruit and veg as health is top of mind round these places. Plus they are usually busy


Consumers are really interested in provenance and buying 'local'. This is a key differential to Tesco and Asda who try to do it but not as successful as the local greengrocer.

Hope it goes well