Rice and grain shop

Households that cook from scratch, migrant communities looking for familiar varieties, and local restaurants, cafes and caterers buying in volume.

Margin on each kilo sold. Smaller packs and specialty varieties earn more per kilo, while sacks for restaurants bring steady repeat orders at lower margins.

• Knowing rice and grain varieties
• Stock ordering and cost control
• Customer service
• Basic bookkeeping

• Food business registration with your local council and any food safety supervisor or labelling requirements in your state
• Packaged food labelling rules, including allergens and country of origin, check with Food Standards Australia New Zealand and your council
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Pests and moisture can spoil stock, plan proper storage
• Shop lease commitments and thin margins on commodity rice

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $25,000 to $100,000, depending on your shop lease, fit-out and opening stock. These are estimates, so get quotes for rent and stock before committing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on your location, range and restaurant customers. Margins on commodity rice can be thin. The estimates start from about 35 hours of work a week.

Check food business registration with your local council and any food safety supervisor or labelling requirements in your state. Check packaged food labelling, including allergens and country of origin, with Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and arrange public liability and product liability insurance.