Are you about starting a fruit export business? If YES, here is a complete sample fruit export business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a fruit export business. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample fruit export marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for fruit export companies. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.
The fact that fruits are consumed in all parts of the world makes it a thriving business to go into. It is a fact that not all fruits grow in every country because of soil components and climatic conditions, so these fruits need to be exported from their countries of origin and abundance to other countries.
A lot of companies are into fruit exportation, but it is very important to state that the fruit exportation business is quite capital intensive.
As a matter of fact, you must be willing to pool huge cash together to be able to launch a fruit exporting business or any exportation business for that matter. This is so because you are expected to own a fruit farm, rent/lease a warehouse, pay for haulage/shipping and other logistics.
So if you have decided to start fruit exporting company, then you should ensure that you carry out feasibility studies and market survey. This will enable you to identify countries that need your fruits and the type of fruits they need. Business plan is yet another very important business document that you should not take for granted when launching your own business.
Below is a sample fruit export company business plan template that can help you to successfully write your own with little or no hassle.
A Sample Fruit Export Company Business Plan Template
1. Industry Overview
Players in the fruit export industry primarily export fruits from one country to another. The fruits are placed in crates and shipped or transported via sea or land borders to the expected country. Most fruit farmers tend to be active in the fruit exporting industry.
Investors who are interested in the business usually purchase wholesale from fruit farms and then export to their clients overseas.
The Fruit Export industry, just like most businesses in the retailing industry, depends on strong consumer spending. Over the last half decade, the economy has begun recovering from recessionary declines with both the Consumer Confidence Index and disposable income increasing.
Going forward, as the economy of the united states and other countries of the world continues to recover and consumers are expected to loosen their discretionary budgets, the industry is anticipated to experience growth.
The Fruit Export industry is indeed a major sector of the economy of the United States of America and it generate several billion dollars annually from loads of fruits export companies scattered all around the country. The industry is responsible for the direct employment of thousands of people.
It is important to state that there is no fruit exporting company in the United States of America that has a lion share of the available market. New entrants into the industry can favorably compete for the available market even if they don’t have fruit farms.
They can travel all the way to The Caribbean to seal the deals and then export fruits to countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America et al.
It is a fact that a major chunk of the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) comes from the general export industry of which the fruit export industry also contributes. This is why the United States of America’s economy is measured with the yardstick of how well the exporting business is fairing.
When there is an unstable economy, purchasing power drops and it impacts the export industry negatively which may result in the closure of some fruit export companies.
The fruit export industry is a profitable industry and it is open for any aspiring entrepreneur who has the financial requirement to come in and establish his or her business.
You don’t need to have a fruit farm before you can become a player in this industry; your ability to know where to get different types of fresh fruits cheap and a ready market outside of the United States to export them to is key in this line of business
2. Executive Summary
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is a registered Fruit Export Company that will be based in Orlando – Florida. Aside from owning a standard fruit farm, we have been able to lease a huge warehouse facility that is big enough for what we have in mind and the facility is located close to one of the busiest seaports in the United States.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will be involved in exporting a wide variety of fresh fruits (both organic and non-organic) from the United States to other parts of the world. We will also go into partnership with some the largest fruit farms in The Caribbean.
We are aware that there are competitions when it comes to exporting fresh fruits, which is why we spent time and resources to conduct a thorough feasibility studies and market survey so as to be well positioned to favorably compete with all our competitors. We have a long term plan to own our fruits farm.
We have a CRM software that will enable us manage a one on one relationship with our customers no matter how large they are or how far apart they are from us. We will ensure that we get our customers involved in the selection of the types and species of fruits that will be on our export list.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a firm, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our customers’ needs precisely and completely whenever they patronize our fresh fruits.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is a family business that is owned by Sebastian Wilfred and his immediate family members. Sebastian Wilfred has a B.Sc. in Business Administration, with over 5 years’ experience in the shipping and export industry, working for some of the leading brands in the United States. Although the business is launching out without a fruit farm, but we have a long term plan to own our fruit farm.
3. Our Products and Services
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will service a wide range of clients all across the globe, which is why we will export a wide range of well packaged fruits from the United States. Our product offerings are listed below; Exporting of fruits like Banana, Pineapple, Papaya, Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Plum, Mango, Apple, Cucumber, Dragon Fruits, Oranges, Grapes, Limes, Avocado and a host of other fruits.
4. Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to become one of the leading brands in the fruits export industry in the United States of America exporting fresh fruits to countries in Africa and South America.
- Our mission is to establish a world-class fresh fruit export business that will export a wide range of well- packaged fresh fruits at affordable prices to dealers all across countries in Africa and South America.
Our Business Structure
Although Golden Star® Fruits Export Company; will start out by purchasing fresh fruits from commercial fruit farms in the United Sates and the Caribbean and then export them to other countries of the world, but that does not in any way stop us from owning our commercial fruit farm.
We will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, honest, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all our stake holders. As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of ten years or more.
In view of that, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;
- Chief Executive Officer (Owner)
- Warehouse Manager
- Human Resources and Amin Manager
- Merchandize Manager
- Sales and Marketing Manager
- Information Technologist
- Accountants/Cashiers
- Sales Agents/Customer Services Executive
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.
- 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
Admin and HR Manager
- 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 induction for new team members
- Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
- Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
- Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.
Warehouse Manager:
- Responsible for the safe receipt, storage and dispatch of warehoused goods
- Responsible for liaising with customers, suppliers and transport companies
- Responsible for using space and mechanical handling equipment efficiently and making sure quality, budgetary targets and environmental objectives are met
- In charge of coordinating the use of automated and computerized systems where necessary
- Responsible for keeping stock control systems up to date and making sure inventories are accurate;
- Responsible for producing regular reports and statistics on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
- Ensures that the warehouse facility is in tip top shape and goods are properly arranged and easy to locate
- Supervises the workforce in the warehouse floor.
Merchandize Manager
- Manages vendor relations, market visits, and the ongoing education and development of the organizations’ buying teams
- Help to ensure consistent quality of fresh fruits are purchased and exported in good price that will ensure we make good profit
- Responsible for planning sales, monitoring inventory, selecting the merchandise, and writing and pricing orders to vendors
Sales and Marketing Manager
- Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
- Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
- Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contact
- Documents all customer contact and information
- Helps to increase sales and growth for the company
Information Technologist
- Manages the organization website
- Handles ecommerce aspect of the business
- Responsible for installing and maintenance of computer software and hardware for the organization
- Manages logistics and supply chain software, Web servers, e-commerce software and POS (point of sale) systems
- Leverages on software apps to keep track of goods (fresh fruits) that are shipped
- Manages the organization’s CCTV
- Handles any other technological and IT related duties.
Accountant/Cashier:
- Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
- Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports
- Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
- Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
- Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
- Responsible for administering payrolls
- Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
- Handles all financial transactions for the organization
- Serves as internal auditor for the organization
Client Service Executive
- Ensures that all contacts with customers (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
- Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to customers when they make enquiries
- Provide information about merchandise and delivery options
6. SWOT Analysis
Our intention of starting this business is to test run the business for a period of 2 to 5 years to know if we will invest more money, expand the business and then start our commercial fruits farm.
We know that it is quite demanding to run a fruit export business, which is why we are following due process. We know that if 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 are available to us, mitigate our risks and be equipped to confront our threats.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company employed the services of an expert HR and Business Analyst with bias in shipping and exporting startups 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.
This is the summary of the SWOT analysis that was conducted for Golden Star® Fruits Export Company;
- Strength:
Our distribution network, the business model we will be operating on, varieties of payment options, wide range of fresh fruits from within the United States and other parts of the world and our excellent customer service culture will definitely count as a strong strength for Golden Star® Fruits Export Company. So also our management team members are people who have what it takes to grow a business from startup to profitability with a record time.
- Weakness:
A major weakness that may count against us is the fact that we are a new fruit export company and we don’t have the financial capacity to engage in the kind of marketing and publicity that we intend giving the business.
- Opportunities:
The fact that we are going to be operating our fruit export company in a city that hosts one of the busiest seaports and fruit farm in the United States provides us with unlimited opportunities to purchase fruits at cheaper rates and also ship to other countries at affordable rates as well.
We have been able to conduct thorough feasibility studies and market survey and we know what our potential customers will be looking for when they order fresh fruits from us; we are well positioned to take on the opportunities that will come our way.
- Threat:
The fact that fruits have short shelf life is a threat to a business like ours. Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a new fruit export company in same location where our market exists. So also, unfavorable government policies from home country and export country may also pose a threat for businesses such as ours.
7. MARKET ANALYSIS
- Market Trends
Loads of factors come into play in the fresh fruit export cum export industry. Government policies, trade agreement and mutual benefits are some of the key factors that encourage export and import. This is why any company in the United States that is into exporting of goods must ensure that they check the trade relationship the US has with the country they intend exporting to and also the country’s status on fresh fruits importation et al.
Maximizing profit in the fruit export industry requires that you own your farm. If you are conversant with the happening in the fruit export industry, you will notice a trend amongst top fruits exporting companies; they are known to own their own vast fruit farms.
8. Our Target Market
It will be safe to submit that fruits have the widest range of customers; almost everybody on planet earth consumes fruits; fruit is indeed one of the most popular foods in the world.
In view of that, we have positioned our fruit export business to service fruits dealers and fruits juice plants all across countries in Africa and South America. We have conducted our market research and feasibility studies and we have ideas of what our target market would be expecting from us.
Our Competitive Advantage
A close study of the fruit export industry reveals that the market has become much more intensely competitive over the last decade. As a matter of fact, you have to be highly creative, customer centric and proactive if you must survive in this industry.
We are aware of the competition and we are prepared to compete with other leading fruit export companies throughout the United States. Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is launching a standard fruit export company that will become the preferred choice for fresh fruit distributors.
Our distribution network, the business model we will be operating on, varieties of payment options, wide range of fresh fruits from within the United States and other parts of the world and our excellent customer service culture will definitely serve as a competitive advantage for Golden Star® Fruits Export Company. So also our management team members are people who have what it takes to run a business.
Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and objectives.
9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is in business to export a wide range of fruits to distributors and wholesalers all across countries in Africa and South America. We are in the industry to maximize profit and we are going to ensure that we achieve our business goals and objectives.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will generate income by exporting the following products;
- Exporting a wide range of fresh fruits like Banana, Pineapple, Papaya, Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Plum, Mango, Apple, Cucumber, Dragon Fruits, Oranges, Grapes, Limes, Avocado and a host of other fruits.
10. Sales Forecast
One thing is certain when it comes to the fruit export business, if you are able to explore the markets within your target market area; you are sure going to make huge profits.
We are well positioned to take on the available market in countries all across Africa and South America and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income from our first six months of operation and grow the business and our clientele base.
We have been able to examine the fruits export industry, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projections are based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to startups in Orlando – Florida.
- First Fiscal Year: $350,000
- Second Fiscal Year: $550,000
- Third Fiscal Year: $850,000
N.B: This projection was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor exporting same produce as we do to the same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.
- Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy
Before choosing a location for Golden Star® Fruits Export Company, we conducted a thorough market survey and feasibility studies in order for us to position the business in a location that will enable us have access to fruit farms and seaports.
We hired experts who have good understanding of the industry to help us develop marketing strategies that will help us achieve our business goal of winning a larger percentage of the available market in countries all across Africa and south africa.
In summary, Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will adopt the following sales and marketing approach to win customers over;
- Introduce our fruit exporting company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to distributors and wholesalers in countries all across Africa and South America
- Ensure that we have a wide range of fresh fruits in commercial quantities at all times.
- Create a loyalty plan that will enable us reward our regular customers
- List our business and products on yellow pages’ ads (local directories)
- Leverage on the internet to promote our business
- Engage in direct marketing and sales
- Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)
11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy
Despite the fact that our fresh fruits export company is well located, we will still go ahead to intensify publicity for the business. We are going to explore all available means to promote our business. Golden Star® Fruits Export Company has a long term plan of exploring markets beyond Africa which is why we will deliberately build our brand to be well accepted in this continent before venturing out.
As a matter of fact, our publicity and advertising strategy is not solely for winning customers over but to effectively communicate our brand. Here are the platforms we intend leveraging on to promote and advertise Golden Star® Fruits Export Company;
- Place adverts on international based newspapers, radio and TV stations.
- Encourage the use of word of mouth publicity from our loyal customers
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and other platforms to promote our business.
- Ensure that our we position our banners and billboards in strategic positions all around Orlando – Florida
- Advertise our fresh fruits export business in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site
- Brand all our official cars and trucks and ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirt or cap at regular intervals.
12. Our Pricing Strategy
Fresh fruits meant for exports are priced based on the weight and that is the pricing policy that we are going to adopt. We know we don’t have the capacity to compete with other bigger fruit export companies, but we will ensure that the prices of all the fruits that are available in our exporting list are competitive with what is obtainable amongst companies within our level and in our location.
- Payment Options
The payment policy adopted by Golden Star® Fruits Export Company 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 Golden Star® Fruits Export Company will make available to her clients;
- Payment via bank transfer
- Payment via online bank transfer
- Payment via mobile money transfer
In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our clients make payment for their purchase without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials.
13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)
In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting/leasing a big facility, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.
This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations for your business. These are the key areas where we will spend our startup capital;
- The Total Fee for Registering the Business in the Unites States of America – $750.
- Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits as well as the accounting services (software, P.O.S machines and other software) – $3,300.
- Marketing promotion expenses in the amount of $3,500 and as well as flyer printing (2,000 flyers at $0.04 per copy) for the total amount of $3,580.
- The cost for hiring Business Consultant – $2,500.
- The cost for insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $2,400.
- The cost for the payment of rent for 12 months at $1.76 per square feet in the total amount of $105,600.
- The cost for warehouse remodeling (construction of racks and shelves) – $20,000.
- Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
- Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $60,000
- The cost for start-up inventory (stocking the warehouse with a wide range of different species of fresh fruits and creates / containers) – $250,000
- The cost for the purchase of forklift and trucks – $25,000
- The cost for store equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $13,750
- The cost of purchase and installation of CCTVs: $10,000
- The cost for the purchase of office furniture and gadgets (Computers, Printers, Telephone, TVs, Sound System, tables and chairs et al): $4,000.
- The cost of launching a Website: $600
- Miscellaneous: $10,000
We would need an estimate of $550,000 to successfully set up our fruit export company in Orlando – Florida.
Generating Startup Capital for Golden Star® Fruits Export Company
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is a private business that is owned and financed by Sebastian Wilfred and his immediate family members. They do not intend to welcome any external business partner which is why he has decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital to 3 major sources.
Since they are the sole financier of the business, they have decided to adopt the following means to generate startup capital for the business;
- Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings
- Source for soft loans from family members and friends
- Apply for loan from the bank
N.B: We have been able to generate about $150,000 (Personal savings $100,000 and soft loan from family members $50,000) 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 signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited with the amount.
14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy
The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business, then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.
One of our major goals of starting Golden Star® Fruits Export Company is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for 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 export our different species of fresh fruits a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.
Golden Star® Fruits Export Company 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 re – training of our workforce is at the top burner.
We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.
Check List/Milestone
- Business Name Availability Check: Completed
- Business Registration: Completed
- Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
- Opening Mobile Money Accounts: Completed
- Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
- Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
- Application for business license and permit: Completed
- Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
- Leasing of warehouse facility and remodeling the warehouse: In Progress
- Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
- Generating capital from family members: Completed
- Applications for Loan from the bank: In Progress
- Writing of Business Plan: Completed
- Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
- Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
- Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
- Printing of Promotional Materials: In Progress
- Recruitment of employees: In Progress
- Purchase of the needed furniture, racks, shelves, computers, electronic appliances, office appliances and CCTV: In progress
- Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
- Creating Awareness for the business both online and around the community: In Progress
- Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement (License): Secured
- Compilation of the list of fruits that will be available for export: Completed
- Establishing business relationship with fruit farms in the United States of America and the Caribbean: In Progress