Frozen dessert reseller to cafés and shops

Cafés, restaurants, delis, convenience and gift shops, and small hospitality venues in your area.

You buy at wholesale prices and sell at a margin per tub or carton, usually on repeat weekly or fortnightly orders, sometimes with a delivery fee for small orders.

• Sales and relationship building
• Route planning and organising
• Careful with stock and cold chain
• Reliable and good with invoicing

• Food business registration with your local council, and which food safety rules apply to storing and transporting frozen food
• Keeping frozen food at safe temperatures during storage and delivery; check what temperature records you need
• Whether your storage space (including at home) is allowed and suitable, check council rules
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus vehicle insurance for a refrigerated van
• Thin margins and the cost of freezer breakdowns or melted stock

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $8,000 to $35,000, depending on your freezers, refrigerated van and opening stock. Insurance, including public liability, product liability and vehicle cover, is also worth budgeting for.

Check food business registration with your local council and which food safety rules apply to storing and transporting frozen food. Also check what temperature records you need, and whether your storage space, including at home, is allowed under council rules.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue is typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how many cafés and shops you supply and your range. Plan for at least about 15 hours a week. Margins can be thin, and freezer breakdowns can melt stock.