According to statistics, chips are the most popular and sought-after snack. So, the average Russian citizen annually consumes half a kilo of this product, and the American - as much as 10 kilograms.
Moreover, this market segment is constantly growing, so its share is increasing annually by 15-20%. In this regard, even despite the existing competition, the entrepreneur has a real chance to take a worthy place in this niche and build a profitable business. We will talk further about how to open our own production of chips.
Product varieties
There are two main types of chips: from whole potatoes and extruded (or reconditioned), which are made on the basis of semi-finished products - granules, flakes or starch. The production of products of the second type is simpler and cheaper. In addition, such chips contain less fat and calories than their "counterparts" from whole potatoes. In this regard, today most manufacturers produce extruded snacks.
Permits
It is impossible to start production of chips without completing a series of permits from SES and Rospotrebnadzor. This is due to the fact that you will release food products.
You will need to get the following documents: agreed and registered technical specifications for the production of snacks, technical instructions for the manufacture of the product, the recipe, a hygiene report from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, certificates for raw materials and equipment (they can be obtained from suppliers). In addition, depending on certain individual characteristics of your project, additional paperwork may also be required.
Selection of premises
In order to organize a small production of potato chips, you will need to prepare a workshop, the area of which will be about 160-200 square meters. meters. Half of this space will be used directly for the placement of the production line. On the rest of the area there will be warehouses of raw materials and finished products, as well as domestic premises.
The workshop must be provided with electricity and water supply, sewage and ventilation. Before starting the production of chips, you need to make sure that the room meets the standards of food production, which must be confirmed in writing by SES employees. In addition, all fire safety requirements established by law must be observed.
Chips Technology
In general, this process is quite simple and consists of the following steps:
1) At the very beginning, it is necessary to prepare the raw materials, which are potatoes. Vegetables are washed, peeled and cut into plates with a thickness of one to two millimeters. To simplify the process of slicing potatoes, tubers should be approximately the same size and shape.
2) The next step is the processing of the obtained plates with steam and hot water (blanching).
3) Next, a preliminary drying is carried out, during which excess moisture is removed.
4) In the next step, the potato wafers are fried in sunflower oil at a temperature of about 150 degrees Celsius. Flavors and any ingredients are also added in accordance with the product formulation.
5) Finally, ready-made chips are packaged in special packaging and sent to the warehouse.
Potato Chips Production Equipment
Today in the domestic market there is a fairly wide selection of lines for the manufacture of this product. Moreover, equipment for the production of chips can be bought both made in Russia and foreign production.
Consider, for example, a line for the production of snacks of this type from the domestic company Ural-RT. It consists of a washing bath, an apparatus for cleaning potatoes, a blancher with a basket and an attachment, a machine for cutting vegetables, a deep fryer, a work table and other auxiliary elements. This line includes not only chips manufacturing machines, but also a packaging machine.
Ural-RT offers three equipment options depending on productivity: 20 kg of finished products per hour (cost of about 600 thousand rubles), 40 kg of chips per hour (1.7 million rubles) and 60 kg of snacks per hour (2.2 million rubles).
Staff recruitment
To service the production line with minimum productivity, you will need the following employees: three operators and a technologist. In addition to this staff, it will be necessary to hire sales managers, a cleaning lady, movers and a driver.
As for operators, in order to service the device for chips, special education is not required. As a rule, young workers are taught all the tricks of the senior comrades directly at the workplace.
The operator’s salary is about 15 thousand rubles. Technologists get about the same. The salary of the driver is about 10 thousand, the loader - 5 thousand, and the cleaners - 3 thousand rubles per month. Managers, as a rule, work on the conditions of a small basic salary and a percentage of sales.
Sales of finished products
Today, chips are sold almost everywhere - both in retail stores and in wholesale firms. Of course, the most difficult thing is to establish the process of marketing finished products in large cities, on the market of which a large number of both domestic and foreign brands are already represented.
In the provinces, it is much simpler to organize an implementation scheme: it is with great pleasure that they buy inexpensive chips of good quality made in Russia. The main task of the entrepreneur is, as they say, to present their products to the maximum in all possible trading enterprises, which will not only stimulate the sales process, but will also increase recognition.
Potato Chip Making: The Financial Side
First of all, it is necessary to approximately calculate the amount of starting capital that will be required to organize the production of this variety of snacks. It will consist of the following main positions:
- purchase, delivery and installation of the production line - 2 million rubles;
- preparation of the workshop for work (repair, decoration, etc.) - 0.5 million rubles;
- Creation of a two-week supply of raw materials, including potatoes, semi-finished products, sunflower oil, additives, salts and packaging materials - 0.5 million rubles.
Thus, it is easy to calculate that the initial investment in the production of chips is about 3 million rubles.
As for revenue, with a 12-hour line load per day, annual revenue will be about 12-14 million rubles. At the same time, planned profitability is at the level of 20%. Initial investments in the business should pay off within 18-24 months of active work.
Alternative Snack Production: Meat Chips
We are all well acquainted with a similar product made on the basis of potatoes. But meat chips today are only gaining popularity, which makes their production a very promising business idea. What are these snacks like?
These chips are made from natural meat ingredients and have a long shelf life. These snacks are a healthy product. Due to the fact that they are made from natural meat, such chips are rich in valuable food component in the form of protein.In addition, they contain only a small amount of fat. But such substances harmful to our body as trans fats, flavor enhancers, flavorings and other chemical additives are completely absent.
As for the equipment for the production of meat chips, it is not so widely represented on the market as for the potato counterpart. However, if you want to purchase a production line, it will not be difficult. It is only necessary to consult with a competent technologist.
The minimum amount that will be required to purchase equipment will be 500 thousand rubles. In general, the starting capital required to organize the production of meat chips is estimated at 2.5-3 million rubles. Profitability and payback indicators of this business are at the level of potato counterpart.
But as for the organization of the sales process, here, even in large cities, an entrepreneur will have much less problems than a manufacturer of classic chips. After all, this product still belongs to the novelties, and in retail outlets it is presented in a rather narrow assortment.
