Online cured ham and charcuterie shop
Sell cured hams, salamis and gift boxes online from a suitable registered home or small unit kitchen, delivered chilled.
- £2k-10k
- Side hustle
- Online
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in the UK, not guarantees.
Official data
5,286 UK companies in this field, 29% registered in the last 2 years
SIC 47220 “Retail sale of meat and meat products in specialised stores”. Source: Companies House, November 2026.
What it is
A website shop selling whole hams, pre-sliced packs and charcuterie boxes, packed and sent out by chilled courier.
Your first three steps
- Choose a small range, taste samples and agree prices with a few producers or importers
- Register your food business with your local council before you start trading, and take a food hygiene course (not a legal requirement, but strongly recommended)
- Set up a simple online shop, test chilled packaging and courier options, and send trial orders to friends
Who pays
Food lovers across the UK, people buying gifts, and customers wanting hard-to-find regional or imported hams.
How it makes money
Mark-up on products sold by weight or in boxes, plus delivery charges. Gift boxes, subscriptions and seasonal peaks such as Christmas can lift sales.
Skills that help
- Knowledge of cured meats
- Safe food handling and packing
- Basic website, photography and social media
- Organising orders and deliveries
Watch out for
- Food business registration with your local council is needed before trading (it is a registration, not a licence, and is usually free); check that your home or rented unit is suitable for packing and slicing, and that you have a written food safety system
- If you plan to sell to other businesses (shops, restaurants) rather than direct to consumers, check with your council whether you need approval instead of simple registration
- Online sales have distance-selling rules, including cancellation rights (perishable goods are treated differently), so check them
- Chilled shipping risks: delays can spoil food, so check couriers, insulated packaging and delivery days
- Allergen and labelling rules apply to pre-packed food, so check what is required
- Rules on bringing in meat products from abroad are strict; check current GOV.UK import rules, or buy through UK-based importers and wholesalers, and get product liability insurance
Deep research report · UK
Everything you need to start: online cured ham and charcuterie shop
Researched with live web search for United Kingdom: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start an online charcuterie shop?
Startup costs are typically around £2,000 to £10,000, depending on your kitchen setup, stock, packaging and website. Treat this as an estimate and price up chilled packaging and insurance too.
How much can an online ham shop make?
Monthly revenue is typically around £500 to £5,000, depending on your range, how many orders you ship and your prices. This is revenue, not profit, and the estimate assumes at least around 10 hours a week.
Do I need to register to sell cured meats online?
Check food business registration with your local council before trading; it is a registration, not a licence, and is usually free. If selling to other businesses, check whether you need approval instead. Also check labelling, allergen, distance-selling and import rules.
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Photo: jackmac34 on Pixabay