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We've started a little business! Sort of.....
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Minamoo



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 1231

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 6:48 pm    Post subject: We've started a little business! Sort of..... Reply with quote
    

Hello folks! The OH and I have been thinking of starting our own business selling my preserves for ages now and we've finally taken the plunge. This has been a dream of mine for ages (and now misdemeanors' too). It's a range of wild food products such as jams, syrups, cordials, fruit leathers, as well as dried herbs. I decided to stay away from mushrooms as they are not that plentiful where I am and I would much rather keep them for personal consumption when I find them in large amounts.

We've come up with a name for our business and a logo. It will be called "Msitu" which means "forest" in Swahili cos all the stuff will be from the wild. I'm sticking to fruits as they are unbelievably plentiful around our home and I can pick as much as I want and there would STILL be more left on the trees!

At the moment we have just started with elderflower cordial and it's very much an informal thing. We've printed up labels and are flogging off bottles to colleagues and friends. In the long run however, we would like to have a market stall and be able to sell to a much wider audience but we're not sure what we would need to do to do so.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Bernie66



Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft
PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well done, grow slowly sustainably and surely is my advice.

Effie



Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 1087

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

How exciting Mina I firmly believe it will be fabulous as you are a verry talented lady. Anyone who has owned as many kenwoods as you is well equipped to start this kind of venture

Penny Outskirts



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....
PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good luck with it Mina

mihto



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 3273
Location: West coast of Norway
PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If you can send your stuff overseas you've got a customer!

stumbling goat



Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1990

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 09 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

why call your business a name that does not tell people what it is and what it does?

while the name is nice, as names go, and organic even, it does not say anything about you except to a swahili person.

a lady i met several years ago at a country show named anilha was seelling her range of curry sauces called "anilhas curry sauces".

tells yolu what it is straight away.

pls doln't think i am knocjking your dfdreeam but IMHO you are missing out on a large chunk of appeal simply because you are being twee.

when i started a company selling donuts i called it "the donut company", when i used to hire out sunbeds i called it "Leisuretan ".

but hey good luck with it.

ec

Minamoo



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 1231

PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 09 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

stumbling goat wrote:
why call your business a name that does not tell people what it is and what it does?

while the name is nice, as names go, and organic even, it does not say anything about you except to a swahili person.

a lady i met several years ago at a country show named anilha was seelling her range of curry sauces called "anilhas curry sauces".

tells yolu what it is straight away.

pls doln't think i am knocjking your dfdreeam but IMHO you are missing out on a large chunk of appeal simply because you are being twee.

when i started a company selling donuts i called it "the donut company", when i used to hire out sunbeds i called it "Leisuretan ".

but hey good luck with it.

ec


Thanks for the advice, but I'd much rather stick to Msitu as our name. I want to have a name that speaks about who I am and is original. The word msitu sounds nice too regardless of whether or not you know what it means. At the moment we are just selling it in person so we'll just tell people what it means. If in the future we start up a website or have a market stall we'll make sure the meaning of our name is obvious to passers by. Tanks for pointing it out.

And thank you so much for the good wishes guys! It means a lot.

Do any of you know what legal hoops we have to jump through to get selling properly? I have vague recollections of some sort of health and safety tests we have to do to be able to sell things we make but I don't know anything more about it than that. Any ideas?

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 09 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good luck Mina, with your energy it has to work!

There are rules and regulations and there will be quite a few on here that know them. I tried a search of the site but obviously wasn't putting in any useful words, sorry.

earthyvirgo



Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan
PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 09 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't think the name will be such a problem.

It would only be part of the 'brand' in the long term, along with some sort of imagery perhaps.

Or, you could have the name, and a strapline to accompany it, which explains what the product is ...if people need an explanation.

Msitu
Wonderful Wild Foods (obviously something more imaginitive thatn that)

The very best of luck with it.
EV

welsh veg grower



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 2030
Location: here today but tomorrow...
PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 09 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If its any help I like the name and as ev says it just needs a strap line.

if I was you I would go to your local farmers market and see what is already available so you can develop products to fit a gap in the market. But it all sounds good so far. good luck

vegplot



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 09 10:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It sounds intriguing, the name that is. Yes, I'd go for that as a brand name, a strap line to explain would be good. heck, if an online investment fund can be branded as 'egg' ...

Go for it.

Zest is in.

AnnaD



Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2777
Location: Edinburgh
PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 09 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good luck! I'm sure it will go very well

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 09 11:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

an unusual name can also help you out, my very first 'official' business was called, for a very convoluted reason thats now utterly irrelevant- 'Grunt, Trundle and Thud', and fifteen years later I still occasionally contact old suppliers and they remember me, even though I probably bought almost nothing from then.

Like the idea of having a strapline though that makes it all clear, that gives you the best of both worlds

stumbling goat



Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1990

PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 09 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

an unusual name can be a good feature once it is known, the quirkier the better.

i do wish you good luck and success.

rv

OtleyLad



Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire
PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 09 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have an enthusiastic (and rapidly growing) veg growing community group in Otley (see here).
One of our aims is to encourage people to grow their own (hence the name Home Grown) and also to eat local. Would you be interested in giving a talk and perhaps a demo of making preserves, etc from wild or home grown food? We have regular monthly meetings and are setting up a schedule of speakers.

It would also be an opportunity to sell some of your stuff

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