Selling plants as well as sauces/salsas

[SadisticPeppers]

Don't know if I mentioned on it here this before (lots of alcohol celebrating the transplanting of my plants), but last weekend, I went to the local Farmer's Market I've contacted about getting a stall rented with in the near future. There was only one person there selling hot sauces, but he was part of a national chain, and none of the sauces used anything grown locally. Still the guy at the stall was cool and we were talking for a few minutes. During that time, no less than three people came up separately and asked if he was selling superhot plants. He pointed to me and said I was doing so. The people all asked what I was growing, etc., and asked when I'd be opening up here.

I figure now since I have about 30 plants in pots and am in the process of doing another tray, this time of Morouga Scorpions, it would be a nice start, but a start nonetheless. I'll of course keep several plants (5-6 of each type at most) for cultivating the peppers, seeds, etc., and the rest of the plants I'd sell. I realize it'd be quite a bit of effort, but as the gentleman selling the sauces said, nobody there in the 5 years he was there sold any pepper plants of any kind, and the hottest thing they had there as far as whole peppers were the occasional bin of mild jalapenos. And considering these plants are tropical, take a decent amount of effort to grow, and are uncommon/exotic plants, I could charge a decent amount for them. All three people who came up and wanted plants said they'd be more than willing to drop $20+ for a single superhot plant, even if it was still a few months from producing. So if I get enough plants going, I could definitely make something of this, as well as get some good salsa, sauces, etc., established.

Thoughts?

 

[S.S.Tupperware]

It could work, I have a couple hundred starts just for that purpose... 20 bucks, don't hold your breath, 5 would be the max i think unless its big enough to have flowers or pods... sauces are too much trouble, but maybe pods or powder. I'll just stick with starts, but might unload some pods if I have enough extras...

 

[SadisticPeppers]

$5 might be a little small for me, since the pots alone are $2, not to mention soil, etc. So unless I start selling the starters in red Dixie cups (which I did give some thought to doing), I'd have to do $10 minimum, which I may well be able to get away with seeing as most stores in the area don't sell jalapeno plants for anything under $9 here, and the breeds we're talking about (bhuts, Butch T's and Morouga Scorps) are somewhat harder to grow and much less common.

 

[biscgolf]

lots of pepper plants available at my farmer's markets- only myself and one other guy sell superhots though. plants in 3.5 inch pots go for $3.

from a regulatory standpoint it is much easier to sell plants than salsas/sauces.

 

[Crusher]

I paid $20 dollars each for my first two plants last year, but they were full of pods. From memory I would say 15-20 pods per plant, and they were a Douglah and a Butch T in 3 gallon pots.

 

[Pash]

$5 might be a little small for me, since the pots alone are $2, not to mention soil, etc. So unless I start selling the starters in red Dixie cups (which I did give some thought to doing), I'd have to do $10 minimum, which I may well be able to get away with seeing as most stores in the area don't sell jalapeno plants for anything under $9 here, and the breeds we're talking about (bhuts, Butch T's and Morouga Scorps) are somewhat harder to grow and much less common.

The first thing I would do is figure out how to lower the cost of your pots and soil. Also, instead of Dixie Cups, try nursery pots. They are the same price as cups, and give your operation a more professional look.

In Southern California, peppers are $3 or $6 at Home Depot. The Fullerton Arboretum is selling peppers for $3 in 3.5" pots and superhots for $5.

Consider selling mostly small plants for ease of transportation and low initial cost to you. I bet you could sell baby superhots for $10. You could make up little bags of your own organic fertilizer mix and sell those too.

 

[SadisticPeppers]

Thanks for the advice, guys & dolls

Since i don't have access to eBay at work, I checked out nursery pots available at Home Depot. I almost had a heart attack at first because I thought it said that a 1 gal. pot was $9.49, then I saw it was a 10-pack and $17.48 for a 20-pack Whew! I think between that, and buying sphagnum moss in bulk ($10 for a 3 cu.ft. bag, I think I should be fine.

On second thought... just checked on Amazon... They have a set of 200 4" Azalea pots for just under $37. That may be a viable option as well...

 

[AlabamaJack]

do you have to have a tax number (for your business) to sell at that farmers market?

 

[SadisticPeppers]

I checked with them, and since for the time being I'm doing this as a private venture (just myself) they don't require a separate Tax ID number, All the vendors there, except for two or three of the biggest there, are individuals selling their wares, and have no companies, or company affiliations whatsoever.

 

[biscgolf]

you are likely to need an inspected kitchen to sell salsa. if you want to sell hot sauce with vinegar in it you will likely need to jump through even more hoops: process class, product testing, etc. in virginia this all falls under the domain of the state department of agriculture rather than the local health department for farmer's market sales. big food companies have driven the legislation to make it difficult for the little guy to get started.

 

[SadisticPeppers]

Floriida does have what is called the Cottage Food Act, or FL House Bill 7209, which permits people to bake, make and then sell baked and other perishable food goods out of their home from an unlicensed private kitchen (read: their home kitchen). It was passed in 2011, and as long as my annual sales of such items remains below $15,000 a year, I can keep on making things. If/when it gets close to that amount is when I'd have to worry about getting a formal commercial kitchen to begin making things.

 

[armac]

I would be cautious, if you do not set it up right....incorporated or limited liability, if someone gets ill, and they claim it was your salsa, your personal possessions could be taken in a civil suit.

Do some research.

 

[AlabamaJack]

I would be cautious, if you do not set it up right....incorporated or limited liability, if someone gets ill, and they claim it was your salsa, your personal possessions could be taken in a civil suit.

Do some research.

Bingo...you really need to set up an LLC to protect your personal holdings against business loss...and your business needs to be totally segregated from your personal holdings...if you are not protected via the LLC, you can lose everything you have if the right person comes along and sues...

 

[SadisticPeppers]

Duly noted. Thanks for the info

 

[PIC 1]

I have close friends with catering businesses , resturants,,,,so forth. Here in Illinois it use to be easy to sell salsa's, sauces, pickled items....baked goods at local farmers markets , but now the state is looking for certification. I make my runs to the local "watering holes" with my processed products.......most of the people I know. But at the markets or craft vendor shows it only takes one clever fox to take "one" to court .......regardless and need I say, no insurance, no livelihood.......all can be taken away...

Greg

 

[3/5King]

Home Depot gives away nursery planters of all sizes once the season starts (the guy told me they start stacking up at the end of march)

These are free!! Get yourself set up for the season easily (That's my plan and I'm st st stickin' to it) Good luck!