It would definitely be an understatement to say that Jamaican people love to eat. It is a treasured part of our culture to celebrate food; we enjoy not just partaking of a good meal, but preparing it as well. There are tremendous opportunities for persons to create profit from satisfying our never-ending demand for food.
The Jamaica Observer newspaper showcases many established and nascent businesses in our local food industry at its Annual Food Awards [last held May 31, 2012]. All of the participants have devoted considerable time, money and effort to create products that bring pleasure to people who love to eat and drink Jamaican fare.
Although it may take a relatively large investment to make it big in the food business, there is plenty of room for ordinary persons to get involved as well. As we continue to look at different ways to make extra money in these challenging economic times, let’s look at some practical possibilities to generate income in your spare time with food.
Baked goodies
On your next grocery shopping trip do a quick survey of all the food items that cater to a person’s sweet tooth. Whether mass produced or made-to-order in the supermarket bakery, there is an abundance of biscuits, muffins, cookies, buns, and other tantalising pastries on the shelves.
The market for baked goodies is a potential gold mine for anyone with even the most basic skills and an oven. With the help of various pre-packaged mixes, you can easily whip up your own products early in the morning, and bring freshly baked treats for sale to your co-workers.
Breakfast-to-go
One of the challenges of modern-day living is that there is often little time in the morning for people to spend cooking their own meals. Gone are the days when caregivers could prepare three-course breakfast menus of fruit, porridge, and a main dish complete with ground provisions.
For a keen entrepreneur, people’s problems simply provide the possibility to make profit. If you work in a place where people are hungry in the morning, then you can prepare simple items such as sandwiches, porridge, dumplings, or festival to solve their breakfast issues.
Seasonal fruits
On most of our urban thoroughfares you are likely to see vendors, laden with bagged fruit, walking amongst the vehicles and hawking their wares. You can always depend on them to offer luscious inseason local fruit such as mangoes, plums, otaheite apples, lychees, and my favourite, guineps.
Some of us are fortunate to have access to a variety of seasonal fruits that we eat and give away in abundance. Why not take advantage of nature’s bounty and package your produce for sale? You should easily find a market of buyers at work, school or the neighbourhood supermarket.
Natural juices
In their desire to improve their health, more persons are paying attention to the benefits of drinking fresh juices. Research and anecdotal evidence points to the high nutritional value and cleansing abilities of natural juices made from carrot, beet, soursop and green vegetables, among others.
Producing natural juices for sale is another great way to make use of produce that you can reap from your backyard. You don’t have to buy an expensive juice extractor initially, as a regular blender can help you to whip up a fresh batch of natural juice concoctions every day.
Home-made sauces
The local market for delectable condiments is also booming, thanks to the adventurous palates of our foodies. Manufacturers are experimenting with innovative combinations of spices, seasonings, fruits, and other food items to make very unusual meal accompaniments.
You, too, can look to your own garden for inspiration or get creative with food stuff purchased from the market. With a little imagination, you could produce your own line of jams, jellies and fruit preserves, or conceive an original meat sauce that keeps your customers coming back for more.
Food events
Practically every month a food festival is held somewhere in the country, and these are usually well supported by thousands. While you may not have the ability or resources to put on a major food fair, there are still several ways that you can earn from this type of event.
You can capitalise on the fact that people will usually support a fund-raising fish-fry, barbeque or cake sale, by selling tickets for your own monthly food sale. You can donate some of your proceeds to worthwhile charities to encourage more persons to support your efforts.
These are just some of the many ways that you can create anywhere from J$5,000 to J$20,000 in extra cash each month. The good news is that you don’t need too much time, talent or money to generate these earnings. In fact, there could be such a great demand for your products that your sideline may eventually turn into your main source of income!
Copyright © 2012 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.
Originally published in The Daily Observer, May 31, 2012
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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl