Online specialty ingredients supplier

Cafes, caterers, small restaurants and food businesses across your state or further afield that want specialty items in bulk.

You earn the margin between your bulk buying price and your trade price, with repeat orders from regular customers. Bulk pack sizes and subscription-style reorders help lift order values.

• Sourcing and negotiating with suppliers
• Setting up a simple online shop
• Customer service by phone and email
• Stock and order management

• Food business registration and labelling rules, which can apply even to packaged goods (check with your local council and Food Standards Australia New Zealand)
• Repacking or relabelling food usually brings extra rules, so check before you start
• Import rules if you bring in goods from overseas, including biosecurity requirements
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Courier costs and damaged or delayed shipments eating into margins

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how much stock you buy and how you set up your online shop. These are estimates, so work out your courier costs and first orders carefully before you launch.

Check food business registration and labelling rules with your local council and Food Standards Australia New Zealand, as they can apply even to packaged goods. Also check extra rules for repacking or relabelling, import and biosecurity requirements, and insurance.

Monthly revenue is typically around $1,000 to $6,000, depending on your product range, customer base and how often cafes and caterers reorder. These are revenue estimates, not profit, and courier costs and damaged shipments can eat into margins.