Entrepreneurs have a lot to think about when it comes to starting up a new business. From building the necessary capital and investments to finding property and hiring employees, it’s a busy and arduous process that takes plenty of time and energy. If your new business involves food and drink, there are even more important steps that you’ll need to take before you get off the ground. We’ve broken a few of these steps down for you so that you can be sure you know exactly what you’re doing. Once you’ve covered these bases, you’ll be ready for success.

Make Sure Your Storage Is Up To Scratch

If you’re planning on selling food and beverages in a café, restaurant, pub, hotel, or any kind of organisation that handles food, you’ll need to ensure that all of your food is safely stored in a facility you know you can trust. Warehousing services are great for this purpose – a company like Silk Contract Logistics will be able to store your food products in a safe, tightly regulated environment with a thorough knowledge of all the relevant codes and food-safety rules. They’ll also help to manage any logistical difficulties with transporting your products, importing specialised goods, and managing your systems.

Get The Right Licenses In Place

In order to sell any kind of food or drink, you need to have particular licenses to operate legally. These can vary depending on your location and the type of business you’ll be operating, so be sure to do your research first so that everything is in place before your business opens. Get in touch with your relevant local authority and ask all of the necessary questions and they’ll point you toward which license will suit your purposes. There are different classifications for businesses in different states, so it’s important to ensure that you’ve got the correct classification and license in place. Try not to leave licensing to the last minute, or you could end up experiencing a delay in the opening of your business.

Hire A Food Safety Supervisor

Because food involves potential risks to the health of the public, all businesses are required to have a Food Safety Supervisor on hand with training and certification to manage the hygiene and safety side of your food business. This person doesn’t have to be an external contractor – you can organise for one of your employees, or even yourself, to be trained up to handle these matters. This will involve attending classes and receiving certification that shows they fully understand the management and safety ramifications involved. They’ll also be taking on full responsibility of food safety codes adherence and direction at your business, so this should be someone who you completely trust.

Train Up Your Staff

Any staff that you employ who will be handling food at any point will need to be trained up in all aspects of the Food Standards Code. This means they need to be fully educated in all matters of food safety, including food handling and hygiene. This isn’t generally an arduous process, and can be done through classes online or through instruction manuals at your workplace. Once your staff members have all been fully trained, you’ll be able to progress with your business with confidence and trust in your entire workforce.