Are you about starting a vegetable farm? If YES, here’s a complete sample vegetable farming business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE to raise money.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a vegetable farming business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample vegetable farming marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for vegetable farms. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.
Why Start a Vegetable Farming Business?
As an aspiring entrepreneur who is interested in starting a business in the agricultural sector of your country, you can be rest assured that there are loads of business opportunities available, and vegetable farming is one of them. Vegetable farming is known to be a profitable business which has over the years evolved from small scale (backyard garden), into a global industry in all countries where it is carried out.
Countries in the Caribbean, South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa are known to be in the forefront when it comes to cultivating varieties of vegetables. If you are considering starting a vegetable farm business, the good news is that you cannot get it wrong.
This is because various types of vegetable are consumed by almost everybody all over the globe. It is important to state that starting a vegetable farming business comes with its own share of challenges, but that does not rule out the fact that it is indeed a profitable business venture.
An aspiring entrepreneur can either choose to start a vegetable farm on a small scale or on a large scale depending on their financial status.
If you have decided to go into vegetable farming, then you should ensure that you carry out thorough feasibility studies and market survey. Business plan is yet another very important business document that you should not take for granted when launching your own vegetable farming business.
Below is a sample vegetable farming business plan template that can help you to successfully write your own with little or no difficulty.
A Sample Vegetable Farming Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Vegetable farmers grow a wide variety of vegetables in open fields and in greenhouses. Some vegetable farmers also grow a variety of fruits and other crops.
If you are a close observer of the vegetable farming industry, you will agree that the industry is anticipated to increase due to increasing consumer health consciousness, which has led to increasing demand for fresh produce. While per capita fruit and vegetable consumption has remained stable in recent time, the price of vegetables has increased as consumers demand premium, fresh vegetables.
So also, the number of both small and large farms has been increasing. Small, local farms are benefiting from the organic, local movement, while large, commercial farms are improving labor efficiency. Going forward, players in the vegetable farming industry will continue to increase revenue generation for their business.
The Vegetable Farming industry is indeed a fast – growing industry that is pretty much active in all countries of the world. As a matter of fact, The Netherlands has some of the largest greenhouses where vegetables are cultivated in the world.
That is the scale of food production in the country so much so that in 2000 alone, greenhouses occupied about 10,526 hectares, or 0.25 percent of the total land area.
The Netherlands has an estimate of 4,000 greenhouse establishments that operate well over 9,000 hectares of greenhouses and employ about 150,000 workers, producing €7.2 billion worth of vegetables, fruit, plants and flowers, some 80% of which are exported.
Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 76,459 registered and licensed vegetable farms scattered all across the United States responsible for employing about 317,590 and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $26 billion annually. The industry is projected to enjoy 2.5 percent annual growth.
One thing is certain when it comes to vegetable farming, if you are able to conduct your market research and feasibility studies before choosing a location for cultivating your vegetable, you are likely not going to struggle to grow the vegetable farming business and also sell your vegetables because there are always food processing companies and consumers out there who are ready to buy from you.
Lastly, with vegetable farming it will pay you not to only cultivate vegetable and sell them for consumption in farm markets to retailers and consumers. You can as well start a complimentary business like vegetable processing plant to package your vegetables to save cost.
The bottom line is that if you have enough farm land (space) and you are interested in maximizing vegetable farming, you are sure going to make huge profits from the business.
2. Executive Summary
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is a registered and licensed commercial farm that will be based in the outskirts of Los Angeles, California – United States. We have done our detailed market research and feasibility studies and we were able to secure 25 hectares of land to start our vegetable farm.
We will always leverage on greenhouse farming to cultivate vegetable hence we will construct a structure with walls and roof made essentially of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.
At Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC we will be involved in the cultivation of crops such as; cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chilis, capsicum, red salad onions and snow peas, chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers, watercress,
Basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, mushroom, carrot, melon, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant as well as the choys that are used for stir fries. We will also be involved in greenhouse vegetable production.
In the nearest future, hopefully within the first five years of officially running Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC, we will start our food processing and packaging plant and also start exporting our vegetables to other parts of the world.
This is why aside from the fact that we have secured the required farm land and most of the farming equipment and machines, we have also hired key employees who are currently undergoing training so as to be able to fit into the ideal picture of the 21st century vegetable farming business workforce that we want to build.
We are in the vegetable farming business because we want to leverage on the vast opportunities available in the agriculture industry to contribute our quota in growing the U.S. economy, in national food production, raw materials production for industries, to export agricultural produce from the United States to other countries and over and above to make profit.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is well positioned to become one of the leading vegetable farms in the United States of America, which is why we have been able to source the best hands and machines to run the business with. We have put process and strategies in place that will help us employ best practices when it comes to vegetable farming in the United States of America.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is a Private registered commercial farm that is owned by Johnson Jael and his immediate family members. The company will be fully and single handedly managed by the owner – Johnson Jael and his immediate family members at least for a period of time.
3. Our Products and Services
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is a commercial farm that will be cultivating various vegetables via greenhouse farming model and land farming for both the United States’ market and the global market. We are in business to produce both vegetables and fruits in commercial quantities.
We will also ensure that we operate a standard food processing and packaging plant as part of our complimentary services. We are in this line of business to make profit and we will ensure that we do all that is allowed by the law of the United States of America to achieve our business goals and objectives.
These are the areas we will concentrate on in our vegetable farms. If need arises we will definitely add more agriculture produce to our list;
- Cultivation of crops such as; cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chilis, capsicum, red salad onions and snow peas, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers, watercress, basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, mushroom, carrot, melon, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant as well as the choys that are used for stir fries
- Vegetable and fruit processing and packaging
- Greenhouse construction, consultancy and advisory services
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our Vision is to become one of the leading vegetable farm brands not just in the United States of America but also on the global stage.
- Our mission statement as a commercial farm is to go into full – time cultivation of vegetables and fruits that will not only be consumed in the United States of America but also exported to other parts of the world.
- We want our processed fruits and vegetable to flood the nooks and crannies of the United States and other countries of the world.
Our Business Structure
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is a commercial vegetable farm that intends starting small in Los Angeles – California, but hopes to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading commercial vegetable farms in the commercial farming industry both in the United States and on a global stage.
We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own, which is why we are committed to only hire the best hands in and around California.
At Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, dedicated, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all our stakeholders (the owners, workforce, and customers).
In view of the above, Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;
- Chief Operating Officer
- General Farm Manager
- Administrator/Accountant
- Crop (Vegetable and Fruits) Cultivation Manager/Supervisor
- Vegetable and Fruits Processing and Packaging Plant Manager/Supervisor
- Sales and Marketing Executive
- Front Desk Officer
5. Job Roles and Responsibilities
Chief Executive Officer – CEO:
- Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities
- Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy
- Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
- Responsible for providing direction for the business
- Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy
- Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
- Evaluates the success of the organization
General Farm Manager
- Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all farm activities across the various sections on behalf of the organization
- Supervises other section manager
- Ensures compliance during project executions (especially in the construction of greenhouse and hothouse et al)
- Providing advice on the management of farming activities across all section
- Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
- Using IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of the growth of crops
- Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and sale of farm produce after harvest
- Represent the organization’s interest at various stakeholders’ meetings
- Ensures that farming goals are achieved, the most efficient resources (manpower, equipment, tools and chemicals et al) are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied. Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
- Handles all financial transactions for the company
- Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
- Carrying out staff induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Oversee the smooth running of the daily farming activities across the various farming sections
Administrator/Accountant
- Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
- Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
- Carrying out staff induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis
- Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
- Responsible for administering payrolls
- Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
- Handles all financial transactions for the company
- Serves as internal auditor for the company
Crop (Vegetable and fruits) Cultivation Manager/Supervisor
- Responsible for the cultivation of crops such as; cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chilis, capsicum, red salad onions and snow peas, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers, watercress, basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, mushroom, carrot, melon, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant as well as the choys that are used for stir fries
- Supervises other workers within the department
- Work closely with the General Manager to achieve the organizations’ goals and objectives
Vegetable and Fruits Processing and Packaging Plant Manager/Supervisor
- Responsible for managing the fruits and vegetable processing and packaging plant section of the business
- Supervises other workers within the department
- Work closely with the General Manager to achieve the organizations’ goals and objectives
Sales and Marketing Officer
- Identify, prioritize and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
- Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of relevant projects.
- Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with company policy
- Responsible for handling business research, marker surveys and feasibility studies for clients
- Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with customers
- Develop, execute and evaluate new plans for expanding increase sales
- Document all customer contact and information
- Represent the company in strategic meetings
- Help increase sales and growth for the farm
Front Desk/Customer’s Service Officer
- Welcomes guests and clients to the farm by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
- Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
- Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
- Manages administrative duties assigned by the manager in an effective and timely manner
- Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients
- Receives parcels/documents for Hankins Jordan® Banana Farms, Inc.
- Distribute mails in Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC
- Handles any other duties as assigned by the line manager
6. SWOT Analysis
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC do not intend to launch out with trial and error hence the need to conduct a proper SWOT analysis.
We know that if we get it right from the onset, we would have succeeded in creating the foundation that will help us build a standard vegetable farm that will favorably compete with leading commercial vegetable farms in the United States of America and in other parts of the world.
We are quite aware that there are several large, medium and small scale vegetable farms all over Los Angeles – California and even in the same location where we intend locating ours, which is why we are following the due process of establishing a business.
We know that if a proper SWOT analysis is conducted for our business, we will be able to position our business to maximize our strength, leverage on the opportunities that will be available to us, mitigate our risks and be welled equipped to confront our threats.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC employed the services of an expert HR and Business Analyst with bias in the commercial farming industry to help us conduct a thorough SWOT analysis and to help us create a Business model that will help us achieve our business goals and objectives.
Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Hankins Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC;
- Strength:
Our strength as a vegetable farm company is in the fact that we have healthy relationships with loads of major players (agriculture merchants) in the agricultural industry; both suppliers and buyers within and outside of the United States.
We have some of the latest vegetable farming machines, tools and equipment that will help us cultivate crops (vegetables and fruits) in commercial quantities with less stress. Asides from our relationship (network) and equipment, we can confidently boast that we have some the most experienced hands in the vegetable cum greenhouse commercial farming line of business.
- Weakness:
Our major weakness is that we are a new vegetable farm in the United States and it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from international markets in the already saturated and highly competitive commercial farming industry. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to promote our business the way we would want to.
- Opportunities:
The opportunities that are available to us cannot be quantified; we know that everybody on planet earth eats different types of vegetables. So also changes in consumer preferences have led supermarkets and other retail outlets to demand fresh vegetables and fruits all year-round. We are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that is available in the industry.
- Threat:
Both the number of small local farms and the number of larger commercial farms have been growing. Increasing imports of fresh produce will slightly constrain demand for vegetables and fruits. Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely to face is economic downturn.
It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing/spending power. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a new vegetable farm or commercial greenhouse farm in the same location where our target market exists and who may want to adopt the same business model like us.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
If you are conversant with rising technology and scientific development in the agriculture industry, you will quite agree that vegetable and fruits farming via greenhouse commercial farming model are at the front burner. Greenhouse commercial farming is rapidly gaining entrance in our world today.
Greenhouse farming gives room for greater control over the growing environment of various crops. Dependent upon the technicality and specification of a greenhouse design, some of the important factors which may be controlled include temperature, levels of light and shade, irrigation, fertilizer application, atmospheric humidity et al.
Basically, greenhouses are used to overcome shortcomings in the growing qualities of a piece of land such as a short growing season or poor light levels. In essence, they are designed to improve food production in marginal environments.
So also, if you are a close observer of the trends in the vegetable farming industry, you will agree that the vegetable farming industry is anticipated to increase due to increasing consumer health consciousness, which has led to increasing demand for fresh produce.
While per capita fruit and vegetable consumption has remained stable in recent time, the price of vegetables has increased as consumers demand premium, fresh vegetables.
So also, the number of both small and large farms has been increasing; small local farms are benefiting from the organic, local movement while large, commercial farms are improving labor efficiency. Going forward, players in the vegetable farming industry will continue to increase revenue generation for their business.
8. Our Target Market
Naturally, the end consumers of vegetable farm produce and those who benefit from the business value chain of the vegetable farm industry is all encompassing. Every household consumes produce from vegetable farms be it vegetables or fruits et al. In essence, a vegetable farmer should be able to sell his or her farm produce to as many people as possible.
We will ensure that we position our business to attract consumers of fresh vegetables and fruits not just in the United States of America alone but other parts of the world which is why we will be exporting some of our vegetables and fruits either in raw or processed form to other countries of the world.
Our competitive advantage
It is easier to find entrepreneurs flocking towards an industry that is known to generate consistent income which is why there are more commercial farmers in the United States of America and of course in most parts of the world.
For example, Statistics has it that there are 2.2 million farms in the United States of America, covering an area of 922 million acres. This goes to show that there is an appreciable number of farmers in the United States of America but that does not mean that there is stiff competition in the industry.
As a matter of fact, entrepreneurs are encouraged by the government to embrace commercial farming. This is so because part of the success of any nation is her ability to cultivate her own food and also export foods to other nations of the world.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is fully aware that there are competitions when it comes to selling vegetables and fruits all over the globe, which is why we decided to carry out thorough research so as to know how to take advantage of the available market in the United States and in other parts of the world.
We have done our homework and we have been able to highlight some factors that will give us competitive advantage in the marketplace; some of the factors are effective and reliable farming processes that can help us sell our produce at competitive prices, good network and excellent relationship management.
Our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of hardworking and highly proficient farmers, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in various niche areas in the vegetable farming industry.
Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected team members, we have some of the latest and efficient vegetable and greenhouse farm machines and equipment and we will be guided by best practices in the industry.
Another competitive advantage that we are bringing to the industry is the fact that we have designed our business in such a way that we will operate an all – round standard vegetable farm that will be involved in diverse areas such as vegetable and fruit cultivation, food processing and packaging plant. With this, we will be able to take advantage of all the available opportunities within the industry.
Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us, help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is in the vegetable farming business for the purpose of maximizing profits hence we have decided to explore all the available opportunities within the industry to achieve our corporate goals and objectives.
In essence we are not going to rely only on the sale of our farm produce to generate income for the business. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC;
- Sale of crops such as; cucumbers, shallots, tomatoes, lettuce, chilis, capsicum, red salad onions and snow peas, chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers, watercress, basil, coriander, parsley, lemongrass, sage, beans, peas, kohlrabi, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, mushroom, carrot, melon, sweet potato, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant as well as the choys that are used for stir fries
- Vegetable and fruit processing and packaging
- Greenhouse construction, consultancy and advisory services
10. Sales Forecast
From the survey conducted, we were able to discover that the sales generated by a vegetable farm depend on the size of the farm and the nature of the vegetable farm.
We have perfected our sales and marketing strategies and we are quite optimistic that we will meet or even surpass our set sales target of generating enough income/profits from the first year of operation and build the business from survival to sustainability.
We have been able to critically examine the vegetable farming industry, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast.
- First Year-: $250,000
- Second Year-: $500,000
- Third Year-: $900,000
N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown that can impact negatively on household spending, bad weather cum natural disasters (draughts, epidemics), and unfavorable government policies. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
- Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
We are quite aware that the reason why some vegetable farms hardly make good profits is their inability to sell off their farm produce, especially perishable crops as at when due. In view of that, we decided to set up a standard food processing plant to help us
- Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to stakeholders in the agriculture industry, companies that rely on the agriculture industry for their raw materials, supermarkets, grocery stores, hotels and restaurants and agriculture produce merchants et al.
- Advertise our business and agriculture produce in agro – allied and food related magazines and websites
- List our vegetable farms on yellow pages ads
- Attend related agriculture and food expos, seminars and business fairs et al
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Engage in direct marketing
- Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
Any business that wants to grow beyond the corner of the street or the city they are operating from must be ready and willing to utilize every available means (conventional and non – conventional means) to advertise and promote the business.
We intend growing our business which is why we have perfected plans to build our brand via every available means. Below are the platforms we can leverage on to boost our vegetable farm brand and to promote and advertise our business;
- Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
- Sponsor relevant community based events/programs
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our business
- Install our BillBoards on strategic locations all around Los Angeles – California
- Engage in roadshows from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
- Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
- Contact corporate organizations and residents in our target areas by calling them up and informing them of Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC and the farm produce we sell
- List our vegetable farms in local directories/yellow pages
- Advertise our vegetable farms in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
- Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles and trucks are well branded with our company logo et al.
12. Our Pricing Strategy
If you want to get the right pricing for your farm produce, then you should ensure that you choose a good location for vegetable farm, choose a good breed/seed that will guarantee bountiful harvest, cut the cost of running your farm to the barest minimum and of course try as much as possible to attract buyers to your farm as against taking your farm produce to the market to source for buyers; with this, you would have successfully eliminate the cost of transporting the goods to the market and other logistics.
We are quite aware that one of the easiest means of penetrating the market and acquiring loads of customers for all our vegetables and fruits is to sell them at competitive prices hence we will do all we can to ensure that the prices of our farm produce are going to be what other commercial farmers would look towards beating.
One thing is certain, the nature of vegetable farming makes it possible for farmers to place prices for their farm produces based on their discretion without following the benchmark in the industry. The truth is that it is one of the means of avoiding running into a loss. The easier you sell off your harvest the better for your business.
- Payment Options
The payment policy adopted by Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.
Here are the payment options that Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC will make available to her clients;
- Payment via bank transfer
- Payment with cash
- Payment via online bank transfer
- Payment via check
- Payment via Point of Sale Machines (POS Machines)
- Payment via mobile money transfer
- Payment via bank draft
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our clients make payment for farm produces without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who may want to deposit cash or make online transfers.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
When it comes to calculating the cost of starting a vegetable farm with a standard greenhouse farm, there are some key factors that should serve as a guide. The most important expenses is the construction of the greenhouse or hothouse as the case may be.
As a matter of fact, if you choose to start mechanized crop farming, then you should be willing to raise huge capital base to start the business. This is so because some cultivation machines/equipment can be pretty expensive. Below are some of the basic areas we will spend our start – up capital in setting up our vegetable farm;
- The total fee for incorporating the business in United States of America – $750
- The total cost for payment of insurance policy covers (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) at a total premium – $9,400
- The amount needed to acquire/lease a farm land – $50,000
- The amount required for preparing the farm land – $70,000
- The cost for acquiring the required working tools and equipment/machines/fencing et al – $10,000
- The amount required for the purchase of the first set of vegetables and fruits seedlings et al – $50,000
- The amount required to set up a standard vegetable processing plant within the farm facility – $100,000
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $40,000
- The cost of launching an official website – $600
- The amount required for payment of workers for a period of 3 months – $100,000
- Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,000
Going by the report from detailed research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need an average of $500,000 to start a standard vegetable farm with a processing plant in the United States of America. Basically, vegetable farms do not require an office space, most people that run vegetable farms operate directly from their farms. But we have decided to open a small liaison office; a place where administrative jobs will be carried out.
Generating Funds/Startup Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC
No matter how fantastic your business idea might be, if you don’t have the required money to finance the business, the business might not become a reality. Finance is a very important factor when it comes to starting a vegetable farm. No doubt raising startup capital for a business might not come cheap, but it is a task that an entrepreneur must go through.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is a family business that will be owned and managed by Johnson Jael and his immediate family members. They are the sole financiers of the firm but may likely welcome other partners later which is why they decided to restrict sourcing of start-up capital for the business to just three major sources.
- Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
- Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
- Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).
N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 (Personal savings $80,000 and soft loan from family members $20,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $400,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers that they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.
One of our major goals of starting Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.
We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to sell our farm produce (vegetables and fruits) a little cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.
Johnson Jael® Vegetable Farms, LLC will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.
As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if this is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry and they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List / Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Incorporation: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts in various banks in the United States: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Leasing of farm land in Los Angeles – California (preparing the farm land inclusive): Completed
- Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
- Start – up Capital generation: Completed
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging, Marketing/Promotional Materials: Completed
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Building /construction of greenhouse and hothouse facility: In Progress
- Purchase of the needed working tools, machines and equipment: Completed
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
- Farm land Treatment, Health and Safety Arrangement: In Progress
- Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry (agriculture farm produce merchants, transporters/haulage and suppliers of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides): Completed