Specialty grocery delivery from a home base

Households in your area who want hard-to-find items without driving across town, including newcomers and people living far from specialty stores.

A small markup or service fee on the groceries plus a delivery fee, often with a minimum order size and fixed delivery days to make routes efficient.

• Knowledge of your niche foods
• Route planning and organizing orders
• Basic online ordering and social media

• Food rules: repackaging or storing food at home may need a permit from your local public health unit, so check before you start
• Home-based business licence and zoning rules vary by municipality, so check with yours
• Commercial general liability and vehicle business-use insurance
• Charge GST/HST where required, and note that many basic groceries are zero-rated, so check with the CRA how it applies to your fees
• Spoilage and unsold stock can eat into margins, so start with pre-orders
• If you operate in Quebec, check French-language requirements for your website and labels

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $500 to $4,000, depending on your niche, how much stock you buy and how you deliver. Starting with pre-orders can help limit unsold stock and spoilage while you learn what customers want.

Check before you start. Repackaging or storing food at home may need a permit from your local public health unit, and home-based business licence and zoning rules vary by municipality. Also check GST/HST with the CRA, and French-language rules if you operate in Quebec.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on your niche, number of customers and delivery days. That is revenue, not profit, and spoilage and unsold stock can reduce what you keep. Plan on at least about 10 hours a week.