When choosing fish smoking as a business, you need to understand that this area of activity has rather high competition in the market. Many entrepreneurs are engaged in smoking at home, while being both fishermen. This article will discuss how to establish a business, what nuances you need to consider and what to look for when organizing your own smoke production.
general information
Like any other business, the smoking business has a number of its features. If you plan to open a production aimed at a wide range of consumers, you should equip the premises, following numerous sanitary and hygienic requirements.
The situation is much simpler if you want to establish fish smoking at home for personal consumption and for minimal sales in the local market. To do this, you will need very small investments and a little of your own efforts. Let's talk in detail about what is necessary to create your own mini-production.
The first steps
Considering smoking fish as a business, you should understand that first of all you will need production facilities. This will be the main and most costly part of the future business. Not everyone can afford to build their own turnkey smokehouse, so entrepreneurs prefer to rent ready-made production facilities.
Since a lot of requirements are made to the room, you can consider dining rooms in industrial areas as an object. In addition to the fact that they are being built taking into account all the requirements and norms, their location will correspond to one of the conditions for creating a smokehouse, namely: its location no less than 300 meters from residential buildings.
Your chosen direction has a high level of risk according to the classification of SES. That is why the body has a lot of requirements and standards for the opening of the workshop.
Norms SanPiNa
SanPiN 2.3.4.050-96 sets out in detail the rules for organizing the production and sale of fish products. We will not describe in detail the entire section, but only dwell on those points that relate directly to the smokehouse.
Smokehouse organization requirements
1. Production of smoking fish products, in addition to the premises where the main technological processes are carried out (cutting, defrosting, salting and leveling), must be equipped with the following rooms:
- a cooled room for a daily supply of raw materials;
- a room for the preparation of saline;
- premises for packaging of finished products;
- a refrigerator for temporary storage of finished products;
- room for sanitization returnable packaging;
- a room for drying and storage of containers;
- a container warehouse with a site for its repair;
- a room for storing sawdust and fuel, as well as detergents and disinfectants, smoke liquid;
- storage room for auxiliary and packaging materials.
2. Smoking chambers must be equipped with tightly closing doors, hatches and exhaust ventilation of mechanical stimulation.
3. Elements of the smokehouse (ramrod, slats, etc.) should be in double quantity. 1 time per shift, they are sanitized. Chambers and stands are treated once a week.
four.Thermometers, psychrometers and moisture meters should be installed in the smoke chambers to control temperature and humidity. Their testimonies are recorded in special magazines. Hot smoked fish should have a temperature of at least 80 degrees inside.
5. Raw materials for smoked production products must comply with regulatory requirements.
6. Finished products should be quickly cooled (to a temperature of 20 degrees), packaged and placed in a refrigerator. Until the moment of sale, hot smoked products should be stored at a temperature of -2 ... + 2, cold smoked - -5 ... 0 degrees.
7. Hot smoked fish should not be stored for more than 12 hours from the moment they were unloaded from the smoke oven. Fish freezes immediately after cooling, the temperature should not exceed minus 18 degrees.
8. Packaging containers (boxes) of smoked fish should have openings on the end sides.
9. When producing smoked balychny products in small packaging, it is necessary that all the equipment has its own marking.
10. Laying slices and slices is done with special forks or spatulas.
11. Tables, cutting boards that are used in fish processing must be washed with a hot solution of soda ash (5%), then disinfected, rinsed and dried.
12. The export of finished products and the supply of raw materials must be carried out through separate entrances and elevators.
13. Transportation, storage and sale of finished products of hot and cold smoking should be made in accordance with the requirements for perishable products.
In addition to the SES, it is necessary to coordinate the opening of production with Rosprirodnadzor, the veterinary and fire service, Rostekhnadzor.
Equipment costs
Equipment for smoking fish can be purchased and installed, having a relatively small amount of money available - about 300 thousand rubles. This is taking into account the fact that you get it not new, but used. For work you will need:
- refrigerators for storing raw materials;
- smokehouse for fish;
- bathtubs for washing and salting products.
Smokehouse selection
Today on the market there is a large selection of smoking chambers with various technical characteristics. Imported smoking equipment can provide a minimum profitability in processing from 8 to 10 tons per day. Small enterprises that do not have such volumes can pay attention to domestic units. Their price starts from 130 thousand rubles.
Smokers for small businesses can make production cost-effective when loading 200-300 kg per day. This can be a good option not only for beginning entrepreneurs, but also for those who are going to expand. By assembling a line of 5-6 plants, it is possible to process 8-10 tons of finished products per day. Smokehouses for small businesses will increase the economic efficiency of equipment.
Raw materials
Now let's talk about raw materials. Namely, what will be smoked and where to come from. You need to develop a range of products based on the culinary preferences of the residents of your region. It is advisable to buy fish also in your city or region. This point is fundamentally important, because only by reducing the time of transportation you can get a high-quality and fresh product that has all the necessary documentation.
Therefore, choosing fish smoking as a business, carefully study the market for raw material suppliers so that you do not incur losses in the future. After all, you risk not only your money, but also the taste of the product. Focusing on small industrial volumes, you should not order 20 tons with fish.
The quality issues of the purchased raw materials and finished products are one of the most important ones that you may encounter when starting a business. Without the necessary education in this area, think about a technologist and a specialist in quality control of incoming products.The latter can be part-time and a veterinarian. He has the right to write out all the necessary supporting documents for the finished product.
Product Sales and Risks
An entrepreneur who smokes fish at home does not count on big sales. It is enough to have a point in the local market, regular customers, and the products will be sold. Another thing is if the volumes of finished smoked fish are quite high, and marketing is not well established. The products are stored in a warehouse for a long time and deteriorate due to short lead times.
The key to success will be a well-established distribution network. You can conclude agreements with large retail chains. But you should evaluate the share of risks when working with such giants. They tend to greatly overstate retail prices, while achieving maximum profit. Consumer demand is declining, the product is spoiling due to short storage periods, you have returns of expired products from the client.
A good solution would be to open your own small retail outlet. In addition, you can provide products for sale to small shops, where, subject to a certain level of retail prices, you can get guaranteed sales of your products and low return on goods.
Finally
When choosing fish smoking as a business, do not forget that the basis of the enterprise should be the high quality of your products. Adhering to traditional recipes, using fruit chips and firewood, purchasing high-quality and fresh raw materials, you will be able to win the trust of customers and earn a good reputation for your company. Namely, this is the key to a successful business.
