Local milk round by electric van

Households that like doorstep delivery, including families, older people and people wanting less plastic packaging.

You earn the margin between wholesale and delivered prices on each order. Customers usually pay weekly or monthly, so a dense round with many drops close together earns the most.

• Early starts and reliability
• Driving and route planning
• Friendly customer service
• Basic bookkeeping

• Food businesses usually need to register with the local council, so check before you start trading
• Chilled storage and food hygiene: check what training and temperature records you need
• Public liability and vehicle insurance covering goods carried for hire and reward
• The van is the biggest cost: a used electric van or a lease keeps start-up costs down, while a new refrigerated van costs much more
• Early morning noise: be considerate in residential streets
• Customers may cancel, so check your cash flow against the cost of stock

Startup costs are typically around £12,000 to £50,000, depending mainly on the van. A used electric van or a lease keeps costs down, while a new refrigerated van costs much more. Treat these as estimates.

Check whether you need to register as a food business with your local council, and what food hygiene training and temperature records are expected. Also check public liability and vehicle insurance covering goods carried for hire and reward.

Monthly revenue is typically around £1,500 to £6,000, depending on subscriber numbers and what you sell. The estimate assumes at least around 20 hours a week. Check your cash flow against stock costs, as customers may cancel.