Strawberry business: tips for beginners

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Strawberry business is a popular type of agricultural activity. In Russia, it is developing at a rapid pace, as investments quickly pay off, the berry is in great demand and brings good income. Strawberry cultivation can be practiced throughout the year.

Benefits

Strawberry business quickly gained popularity among domestic gardeners for several reasons. Firstly, strawberries are a berry that almost everyone loves. That is why it is in great demand all the time. Secondly, this culture is quite demanding on growing conditions, and not every summer resident has the patience to engage in such a business. This means that you will have fewer competitors than growers of tomatoes or potatoes. Thirdly, one kilogram of berries has a higher value than the same amount of tomatoes or other vegetables and fruits.

Methods of growing strawberries

How to start a strawberry business at home or in a greenhouse? From the definition of a method of growing a crop. This berry can be grown in several ways. Among the most popular methods are outdoor, hydroponic, bagged and vertical. The easiest of them is growing strawberries in open ground. This does not require large investments, the technology of work is quite simple. The result is a juicy berry with excellent taste.

However, this method is not suitable for people who want to make money growing strawberries throughout the year, because berries can only be grown outdoors in the summer months. In addition, the harvest directly depends on weather conditions and climate. There is another disadvantage that this type of strawberry business has: you will have to pick berries on your knees, for this reason, labor costs will be quite high.

Strawberries should be planted in neat rows, the distance between which should be about 35-40 cm. The soil should be covered with spunbond agrofiber. This will help prevent direct sunlight from reaching the plant. In this case, the culture will receive a sufficient amount of air, moisture and heat.

Hydroponic Strawberries

Another popular way to grow strawberries is to use hydroponics. This technique is used in greenhouses and at home. The strawberry business in Israel, for example, is based on this method of growing berries. In order to get a bountiful harvest, you need to purchase a pallet. It is filled with a nutrient solution, a mesh is laid in it. A thin layer of peat is placed on topor other organic substrate in which the crop is planted.

The benefits of hydroponics are many. Firstly, the plant receives the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities, as a result of which the strawberry grows faster. It is not necessary to water the culture daily, to acquire soil for transplantation too. The growing process does not use pesticides and pesticides, so the berry is environmentally friendly.

The obvious disadvantage is the amount that needs to be invested in the business at the very beginning. A hydroponic setup is quite expensive. If you plan to grow 30 bushes, you will have to pay about 10 thousand rubles. In order for the business to develop, it is necessary to fill a 50 m2 greenhouse with hydroponic installations 2. To do this, you will need to purchase so many installations that they can accommodate 3000 bushes. It turns out that the value of the initial investment will exceed 1 million rubles.

Trucars

One of the most interesting devices for growing strawberries is the trukar. It consists of a vertically mounted tube with several pockets. They are intended for strawberry bushes. The Trucar is connected to a drip irrigation system, which makes it easier to work in the greenhouse. This device saves a lot of floor space. Each trukara can hold more than 90 bushes, and this despite the fact that it occupies an area of 0.5 m2! Secondly, it is much easier to care for strawberries when they are located in a vertical way.

Business plan

How to start a strawberry business,so as not to "burn out"? To do this, you need to draw up a detailed business plan that will describe each stage of strawberry production. This document should look like this:

1. First you need to think about the construction of the greenhouse. Specify the dimensions of the room, the necessary materials and the cost of its construction.
2. Then decide which seedlings you will purchase and where. The same item includes planting strawberries and caring for the crop - all this must be indicated in the business plan.
3. Prepare and receive all the documents that will be needed when registering an individual business. Do not forget that finished products must be certified.
4. The business plan should indicate how the berries are planned to be sold.
5. Calculate what part of the money will go to staff salaries, taxes. Enter here how much money you will need to pay for utilities.
6. Taking into account all of the above points, determine what your monthly income will be. After that, calculate what part of it will go to the further development of the strawberry business.

What should a greenhouse look like?

Outdoor strawberry farming as a business can only be practiced during the summer season and does not generate income during the winter months. Therefore, in this article we are considering how to organize a strawberry business if you plan to grow berries in a greenhouse.

The size of the room should not be less than 100 m2. If youare going to do business in the winter, keep in mind that you will need to equip the greenhouse with heating and water supply systems. They must function all year round. Greenhouses are built using different materials, the choice depends on the climatic features of the region. Film coating is not suitable for northern areas. It is best to give preference to a polycarbonate greenhouse, as this material preserves the microclimate of the room and is durable.

How to choose seedlings?

Strawberry business in Russia and other countries cannot be imagined without the purchase of seedlings. You need to purchase them from certified suppliers and breeding stations. So you can be absolutely sure that the seedlings are strong and he althy. At the station, you will receive the so-called “Certificate of Conformity by Varietal Characteristics”. With this document, you will be able to sell finished products faster.

Experienced businessmen are advised to purchase seedlings of two or three varieties that produce crops at different times. This will allow you to collect it without interruption. The best strawberry varieties are Alba, Queen Elizabeth and Gigantella. They have a high yield: from one square meter you can get 12-50 kilograms of berries every month. The mass of the fetus is also rather big, it reaches 70 grams.

Required documents

How to start a strawberry business? To do this, you need to collect all the necessary documentation in various instances:

• Registration of individual entrepreneurship in the category"Agricultural Producer".
• Confirmation that the berry belongs to a particular variety. You will receive such a certificate at the breeding station.
• Type of fertilizer used and a brief description of its composition. Purchase this document from the fertilizer manufacturer.
• Register with the tax office and get the right to sell berries.
• At the veterinary service, get a declaration of conformity of strawberries to GOST standards. Information about the quality of the product should also be indicated here.
• Get a sanitary certificate at Rospotrebnadzor.

Finished product marketing

If you are building a strawberry business from scratch, then at the first stages organize the sale of products on your own, on the market. In order to make the product look more attractive, it can be neatly packaged in small baskets. When you start to get a big harvest, you can turn to the owners of shops and supermarkets with a proposal for cooperation.

At first, you can rent a trading place in the local market. It should be small: 8 m² is enough to organize the sale of products. On average, the cost of renting 1 sq.m.

Costs

To start a strawberry growing business, you need to make an investment. At the initial stage, you will have to spend about 180 thousand rubles. Approximately 100 thousand will be spent on the construction of a greenhouseand holding all the necessary systems in the room. Seedlings cost from 25 rubles apiece, that is, if you purchase 500 seedlings, they will cost 12.5 thousand. Add here the cost of fertilizers (from 5 thousand), means for treating the premises from pests (2 thousand). Documents are issued for 15 thousand or more. Every month you will have to pay about 30,000 rubles for utilities. Renting a trading place in the market will cost 6,000 rubles.

The first income will go to business development, and the money that remains will be net profit. All investments fully pay off in a year and a half.

Staff

It will be difficult for one person to care for strawberries, so the businessman will have to hire staff to work in the greenhouse. Employees must plant seedlings, harvest, take all measures to care for the plant. The staff is recruited depending on the area of the greenhouse. The more strawberries you grow, the more workers you will need. Hire people who have already de alt with this culture, as it is very delicate.

Because it is much easier to sell beautiful, unspoiled products, make sure that workers do not transfer berries from one container to another and do not touch the fruits with their hands. It is best to collect strawberries in the container in which they will be sold. For this reason, bags or baskets for selling berries should be purchased in advance. At first, you can work in greenhouses on your own, this can be done if you have a small strawberry business.