The chosen company is Kernel Keto, and it produces low-calorie bars in different flavors. The key customers are athletes, vegetarians, meat-eaters, dieters, and overweight people. The company’s main feature is the production of delicious, although natural, bars that will not be covered with chocolate glaze. Facilities involve premises, including the shop and the production room in 700 square feet, and its monthly rent will be approximately 7000 $ (Statista, 2022). It is located in my area within 100 miles from my home, on the street near the gas station. Utilities involve water/sewer, gas, electricity, and trash removal, which will be near 700 $ per month.
The production process implies manufacturing bars that consist of a mixture of almonds, cashews, and pistachio. Sticks will not contain artificial flavors, sugar, and flavor enhancers, and they will be made of dried strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and blackcurrants. Thereby, one will apple a universal technological line for the production of bars with an automatical process. This equipment consists of a grinder for the dry mass of raw materials (in the current case, dry fruits) and a unit for supplying honey (or natural syrup). Further, the mass enters the sorting compartment (where it is divided into rectangular bars), the cooling chamber (to give it a solid consistency), and the packaging compartment. Since the goal is medium production, i.e., more than homemade but less than factory, it will be a small installation in a single instance.
In addition to naturalness, the company will have a strict approach to the quality of both raw materials and the finished product. Production will be carried out in compliance with all sanitary standards. In addition, reliable suppliers of raw materials with the appropriate documentation and licenses will be selected. One will use the most harmless materials in the packaging process, and one will carry out a thorough quality check at the stage of product readiness. Given the low production level at the initial stage, each bar will be checked by hand. The check will include the presence of unground masses or contamination during the cooling phase.
There are several options for developing a business regarding turnaround time from a customer’s order. The first involves cooking on the spot: thus, the bar is made right after the customer’s order. For these purposes, an automated production unit or manual cooking can be used. In the case of manual cooking, the product will be served in paper packaging, and the cooking time will take 10-20 minutes. Their size will be larger than in automated production, and it will be like a full breakfast/snack that can be supplemented with juice or coffee.
The second option is to prepare bars for the whole day, depending on the flow of customers. In this case, the client receives a ready-made bar immediately after the order. The types of bars can be viewed on display, and with this option, an automated process is involved. It takes 3-5 minutes to make a bar on the machine, and they can be prepared with a stock of 30-70 pieces. The number of productions per day will depend on the average flow of customers; besides, it is worth considering an increasing or decreasing trend.
To stay abreast of new industry developments, I will conduct a weekly analysis of the chosen area. Precisely speaking, I will find out the statistic and data related to the improved manufacturing process and the receipts for bars. Talking about the new products or services that are in development, I would distinguish the automatical manufacturing line. The number of employees in the initial stage will be three persons: the manufacturing line operator, quality checker/cleaner, and cashier/accountant.
Reference
Commercial Real Estate. (2021). Statista. Web.