Start a fresh tortilla business supplying cafés

Mexican and fusion restaurants, cafés, food trucks, caterers and a few specialty grocers.

Wholesale price per pack or per dozen on regular weekly orders, with higher margins on specialty lines like blue corn or wholemeal.

• Cooking and dough handling
• Consistent quality and food safety
• Selling to local businesses
• Reliable delivery schedules

• Food business registration with your local council and food safety supervisor requirements, check your state's rules
• Allergen labelling and packaging labelling rules under the Food Standards Code
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• Home kitchens may not be approved for wholesale, check with your council before you start
• Cash flow if customers pay late

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on equipment, packaging and your kitchen arrangements. Monthly revenue is estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500 once you have customers. Treat these as estimates and build your own budget.

Check with your local council before you start, as home kitchens may not be approved for wholesale. Also check food business registration, food safety supervisor requirements in your state, and allergen and packaging labelling rules under the Food Standards Code.

The estimate is at least around 15 hours a week, covering batch production, packing and deliveries. Time can rise as you add customers. Useful skills include dough handling, food safety, selling to local businesses and keeping to reliable delivery schedules.