Making corn sticks. The corn stick business: a story worth following. Equipment for making corn sticks
The business idea involves creating a production workshop corn sticks in plastic packaging, weighing 50 and 150 g. The products will be positioned in the middle price category and sold in the region where the production is located, within one region. The main target market segment is families with “average” and “below average” income levels with one or more children. The main places for selling products are our own outbound trade (through a non-stationary network), as well as non-chain retail in the home region.
Assessing the potential and prospects for business development
Corn sticks- a fairly massive food product that is very popular in Russia. According to the marketing classification, corn sticks belong to the category of breakfast cereals, the market of which in Russia is growing quite quickly - at the level of 5-10% per year. There are several factors on which the future growth of this market is based and good prospects for business development are created.
- Firstly, consumers of corn sticks in Russia are almost all age groups of the population - although the children's target segment, of course, dominates in the market structure.
- Secondly, we have already formed ten-year traditions of consuming this product, which also creates good prospects for the business of producing corn sticks.
- Third, sales of this product have virtually no seasonal component - there is demand for sticks all year round, and therefore the manufacturer can count on the stability of the financial flows of its business.
Fourthly, A significant role in stimulating demand for corn sticks belongs to the producers themselves. Actively experimenting with brands, flavors, packaging design (you still need to remember that the main target group consumers - children - are very susceptible to these parameters), the manufacturer can fuel the demand for its sticks.
Sales channels
As for product sales channels, they depend on such parameters as the scale of production, as well as the price category in which the product is presented. Naturally, from the point of view of proximity to the consumer, an excellent option for establishing sales is to supply food chains. However, there are some nuances here:
- Presenters retail chains will agree to take only a branded product - known to consumers trademark, actively supported by marketing (advertising, consumer-promotion events in the hall).
- In addition, the networks have quite high fees "for entry".
- It is also extremely important for chains to ensure timely deliveries, and in all chain stores.
Therefore, promoting corn sticks through food chains only makes sense if the business is large enough and the product covers at least several regional markets. It should be remembered that on the shelves of chain stores you will have to compete fiercely with imported premium sticks that are well known to customers - in this regard, investments in marketing may turn out to be too high and not meet the expectations of business owners.
At the same time, medium-sized, and especially small businesses of a regional scale (serving one market - city, region), offering an affordable middle and economy class product, should build sales differently. In particular, for micro-businesses it seems effective to have their own trading network(for example, the same outdoor trade in the central markets of the city). In order to ensure the sale of products on a somewhat larger scale, it is advisable to cover the city’s food stores (as well as kiosks, tents, stalls, etc.), delivering finished products to these points with our own transport.
Technology
Technological process production of corn sticks involves thermal And mechanical processing of corn grits, adding water and other ingredients during the cooking process (according to the recipe).
To make corn sticks, you will need raw materials (corn grits, salt, powdered sugar, sunflower oil), as well as drinking water. The consumption rate per 1 ton of sticks for raw materials is:
- cereal - 720 kg;
- salt - 7 kg;
- powder - 130 kg;
- butter - 130 kg.
Equipment for the production of sticks in Russia is offered by various manufacturers, in particular the Prodselmash plant. The complete Prodselmash line includes a mixer for preparing cereals, a mill for powdered sugar, an extruder, a belt conveyor, an installation for preparing and supplying an oil suspension, a coating drum, a powdered sugar dispenser, a trestle and a vibrating tray-sifter.
At the same time, the productivity of the line, and therefore the price, depends on the extruder options. In particular, the same Prodselmash offers three options:
- low-capacity extruder (up to 30 kg of sticks per hour) for mini-production sites (option cost - 443.5 thousand rubles);
- single screw extruder average productivity(up to 100 kg of sticks per hour) for small businesses (option cost - 2831.0 thousand rubles);
- twin-screw extruder E2SH-150 with increased productivity (250 kg of sticks per hour) for medium-sized businesses (option cost - 4316.5 thousand rubles).
For a small business producing corn sticks will be enough production premises 100 m2, of which about 60 m2 will be allocated directly for the line, another 25 m2 for a warehouse for raw materials and finished products, 15 m2 for utility rooms for workers.
No additional equipment is required for storing raw materials, as well as finished corn sticks.
Feasibility study of the project
Start-up investments in starting a business include:
- Purchase of a line for the production of corn sticks with a capacity of 30 kg per hour - 443.5 thousand rubles.
- Delivery and installation of equipment - 100 thousand rubles.
- Repair of the premises according to SES requirements- 200 thousand rubles.
- Creation of inventory - 200 thousand rubles.
- Other expenses - 50 thousand rubles.
Total starting investments the project to organize a business in the production of corn sticks will be 993 000 rubles
Revenue calculation:
The standard productivity of the line is 30 kg of product per hour, which, when operating in an 8-hour mode, will be 0.24 tons per shift. Provided 100% load and an operating mode of 250 days, the annual production volume of corn sticks will reach 60 tons.
Wholesale price corn sticks is about 5 rubles per package of 50 grams, which is equivalent to 100 thousand rubles per 1 ton.
Thus, the annual revenue will be 6,000,000 rubles.
- The workshop reaches self-sufficiency: 3 months after the start.
- Reach 100% productivity: 6 months after launch
- Planned profitability: 25%
- Return on investment: 18 months
Research raw material prices and competition in your region. Demand for corn sticks is stable. But you will have to fight for markets. The cost largely depends on the price of raw materials. It is important to find reliable suppliers before starting production and draw up a business plan based on their proposals.
Main risks
The demand for corn sticks does not depend on the season and other factors. The instability of raw material prices poses a certain danger. They largely depend on weather conditions and corn yields. If you plan to supply supplies outside of one region, it makes sense to create a business in the climate zones most suitable for growing this crop.
Significant risks are associated with logistics. Competition in this area is quite high, therefore, the search for new markets must be very active. You can win the hearts of customers only with impeccable quality and serious investments in advertising campaign.
Location
Ideally, you should look for free space on the territory of food factories. These premises are best suited to the requirements of the production of corn sticks. If there are none in your region, abandoned factories and warehouse complexes will do. In many cases, entrepreneurs rent a plot of land and build prefabricated buildings and sandwich panels. Experts recommend choosing this option if the estimated costs of repairing and bringing the building into compliance with SES standards exceed 250,000 rubles.
To organize a workshop with a capacity of 30 kg of corn sticks per hour, a room of 60 m² is sufficient - this area is indicated in technical documentation production lines of similar capacity. A warehouse of raw materials requires a room of about 25 m², a similar area will be required for a warehouse of finished products. According to sanitary standards, utility rooms for employees should be equipped, the minimum area is 20 m².
If we talk about location, then convenient transportation and equal distance from suppliers of raw materials and buyers are important. As a rule, it is profitable to open production in the suburbs of megacities and regional centers.
Equipment
The production line for making corn sticks consists of the following machines:
Mixer for preparing cereals;
extruder;
mill and dispenser for powdered sugar;
overpass;
apparatus for preparing and supplying oil;
vibrating tray for sifting;
coating drum;
filling machine;
band conveyer.
The cost of the line largely depends on the performance of the extruder. If you plan to start with a volume of 30 kg of sticks per hour, the price of the equipment will be about 450,000 rubles. Installation and setup costs 100,000 rubles.
You will need a truck, since the manufacturer takes care of delivery of the products. In general, full production equipment will cost approximately 600,000-700,000 rubles.
Technology
Corn grits are cleaned of impurities on a vibrating tray. Then add salt at the rate of 1% of the total amount of the mixture. If the moisture content of the cereal is less than 12-13%, water is added before loading the salt. Then the mixture goes into an extruder to make corn sticks. The finished products are fed into the installation for applying additives - powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanillin, vegetable oil. Then the finished corn sticks go into the packaging machine. There they are packaged.
Raw material consumption for the production of 1 ton of corn sticks:
Cereals – 720 kg;
butter – 130 kg;
powdered sugar and additives – 130 kg;
salt – 7 kg.
Personnel
The most important person in production is the technologist. This person monitors the quality of raw materials and adherence to technology. Also, his responsibilities include developing new recipes. Despite the fact that the basic manufacturing technology is standard and largely depends on the quality and serviceability of the equipment, you can experiment with flavoring additives.
To service the production line in one shift, 4 people are enough:
2 operators;
1 service technician;
1 loader.
Also, you should hire storekeepers - for the warehouse of raw materials and finished products. Even in a small production of corn sticks, one accountant will not be able to cope with the full amount of work; it is necessary to hire at least 2 qualified specialists.
Active marketing policy and searching for new clients - most important factor success of your enterprise. An experienced manager who will be responsible for this area of work should be invited from the very beginning.
If you have your own transport, drivers and loaders are needed to deliver finished products.
Documents and licenses
Features of organizing the production of corn sticks allow you to register a business in the form of an individual entrepreneur or legal entity. OKVED codes – 52.27.39; 52.1.
The premises and equipment are assessed by sanitary services and fire supervision. It is important to ensure effective ventilation, proper drainage and reliable electrical wiring necessary for the operation of the equipment.
The production of corn sticks does not require mandatory licensing. But to obtain certificates it is necessary to draw up documentation on technical specifications and processes, go through the registration procedure. To carry out this work, you should hire specialists who are familiar with the topic and have extensive experience in passing all stages of certification.
Marketing
Get as a client large network All manufacturers strive for grocery stores. But this is not easy to achieve:
There is no point in refusing to cooperate with large wholesale buyers. Simply expect a long road to getting your first contract. First, it’s worth establishing sales to local shops, bread stalls, and establishments fast food. An excellent move is to create your own distribution network for corn sticks in local markets. Outbound trade made it possible to popularize the product and provided sales to many beginning and small producers of corn sticks. This is a proven implementation method.
Massive media advertising is expensive. But at the start, while you are setting up production and do not have full confidence in your ability to provide consistently large volumes of products, it is not needed. Print out colorful brochures and distribute them to small wholesale customers. Promotions and prize draws work great.
The most important point is quality and innovation. If you develop original and tasty supplements, including vitamin ones, your products will be searched for purposefully. It is worth expanding the range through the production of corn pillows, flakes and other popular products.
Profitability
The initial investment in organizing the activities of the enterprise, including the creation of inventory and an advertising campaign, is about 1,000,000 rubles. A reserve of funds should be provided to cover current and unforeseen expenses for 3 months of work.
A production line with a capacity of 30 kg of corn sticks per hour produces 240 kg per shift. At 100% load, monthly output is 60 tons.
Cost of production of 1 ton of corn sticks, taking into account raw materials, packaging materials, wages and energy costs, on average, are 30,000 rubles. The wholesale price of 1 ton of corn sticks is 100,000 rubles. Your monthly revenue will be 6,000,000 rubles. After deduction of taxes, transport and other current expenses net profit will be 4,500,000-5,000,000 rubles.
Summary
The production of corn sticks is highly profitable. With 100% utilization and established sales channels, payback is achieved within 18 months.
Experienced businessmen who have gone through fire, water and copper pipes, they say that three-quarters of success depends on the right choice, and only a quarter - from diligence. On the one hand, it is logical to be guided by the proverb “cut down the tree that you carry away,” on the other hand, “keep your eyes open.” Igor Zakharchenko, a 27-year-old Nizhny Novgorod resident, at the beginning of 2015, decided to organize his own business and began to analyze the situation. “I was painfully thinking about what to do so that, firstly, I could master what I started, and, secondly, have guaranteed demand,” the already established entrepreneur told the site’s correspondent.
According to the businessman, it seemed that fate itself suggested the idea. Once, on another family trip to Auchan, his three-year-old daughter Alenka picked up several packs of corn sticks. Actually, nothing special happened, but after the girl, an older boy repeated the same thing, and then completely - adults came up to the shelf and also took a pack of a sweet and at the same time affordable product. And then Igor intuitively thought, why not think about his production of corn sticks. After all, there is demand if the price is reasonable.
“The sticks were surprisingly light, even my little daughter carried them without difficulty,” Igor shared his memories. “The thought immediately came to mind that they consist largely of air, therefore, with a high degree of probability, the business should be highly profitable.”
That evening, Zakharchenko began surfing the Internet to get an idea about this business. It turned out that intuition and logic did not let him down. Turns out, in sticks, air actually occupies up to 70% of the volume, and the corn mixture - 30%. As for potential demand, in Russia there is an average of 7 kg of edible corn products per person, and in the USA - 29 kg. As they say, until America grows and grows. But the most important thing is that the technical process has been worked out to the smallest detail and clearly does not promise any pitfalls. In other words, there were surprisingly many informative articles on this topic, and often they literally pushed the equipment.
Under the protection of common sense and Russian law
Igor has known for a long time that it is the rational choice of equipment that is the measure of a successful start in business. Among his acquaintances were guys who “burned out in entrepreneurship” because of frivolity, succumbing to the persuasion of sellers. Meanwhile, a review of the forums revealed a number of patterns that cannot be ignored.
Firstly, it is advisable to abandon Chinese technology. It's not even that it may be of low quality. Be that as it may, the PRC has achieved high results, and many corporations in the Middle Kingdom value their brand. At the same time, in our market there are unscrupulous fly-by-night dealers who “pushing iron from unknown basement cooperatives” under the guise of branded Chinese equipment. “Even if the probability of this event is estimated at a fraction of a percent, where is the guarantee that this “lucky” person will not be me,” Zakharchenko decided. - This is exactly the case when you need to play it safe. God forbid it doesn’t work - you won’t find the ends. In addition, no one canceled the service. This means there must be guaranteed contact with those who produce and serve in their native Russian language. They won’t explain themselves in Chinese.”
Secondly, it is wise not to consider Western equipment from the very beginning. Its price includes costs denominated in euros, including salaries of producers. And this automatically removes European technology from the category of paying for itself. Russian market equipment. Alas, these are the consequences of the past devaluation of the ruble. This is the same fact as snow in winter, or heat in summer.
That is why Igor firmly decided to buy Russian equipment. “Judge for yourself,” explains the businessman, “if the equipment is broken or does not meet the stated characteristics, the entrepreneur has a good chance of suing for his costs. And legal protection in our case is the most powerful argument, or, as people say, “only I carry my head proudly in my forest.”
Reputation as an argument
Everyone has phobias. Even more so for novice businessmen. “My head was spinning from my thoughts,” recalls Igor. - I had some money, my parents also promised to “throw in” a couple of hundred thousand, and what was missing could be taken from the bank. So the finances seemed to be clear, but I wanted to immediately come to a working production facility. What if the technical process doesn’t work, and then - what? Catastrophe? So I suffered from insomnia at night.”
It is clear that in the time of “His Majesty the Internet” it will not be difficult to find a website for a reputable manufacturer of Russian food equipment. Therefore, the period of doubt for Igor ended quite quickly, as soon as the aspiring businessman discovered the Russian Meal company. It turns out that this company produces not only food equipment, but also the most complex packaging machines developed by their engineers.
Igor made inquiries, talked with knowledgeable people and came to the conclusion: “this is what we need.” The impeccable reputation of the Russian Trapeza company spoke for itself. But it is equally important that RT specialists promised to provide maximum assistance in the process of establishing a business.
Full construction
Of course, any business has its own nuances, and the production of corn sticks is no exception. That is why RT specialists know how important it is not to leave a businessman alone with equipment that is still unknown to him. After all, even in order to drive a car, you need to graduate from a driving school. “I explained my concerns to the managers of Russian Trapeza,” says Zakharchenko, “then I heard that equipment is not just supplied to specified period, but also installed turnkey. That is, he turned it on and started producing.”
Here it is useful to remind you what the technical process of making corn sticks consists of and what equipment is needed for this. The main raw material, as you know, is corn grits, which is fed into the loading capacity of the screw - and then into the storage hopper of the extruder. There, the raw materials are dosed, as required by the regulations, and then sent directly to the extruder, where, in fact, corn sticks are produced. To bring her to commercial product, in the coating complex, the sticks are processed with wet components (vegetable oil) and dry components (salt, powdered sugar, vanillin).
Let us remind you that all the process is automated, thereby ensuring the required uniformity and attractive taste. It is also important that the extruder is equipped with a turbo unit, which equalizes the pressure in the extrusion zone, thereby improving the uniformity of the product and doubling the service life of the screw and housing. In general, equipment made of stainless steel is designed for round-the-clock operation, naturally, with proper after-sales service and timely replacement of consumables.
As for productivity, the extrusion line for the production of corn sticks is capable of producing up to a ton of finished products per shift (up to 120 kg per hour). That is we're talking about about serious production, while the total power consumption does not exceed 30 kW hour.
Numbers as food for thought
If you go to online grocery stores, the average price of corn sticks by weight starts from 135 rubles per kg, and packaged ones - from 350 rubles, that is, from 135 thousand and 350 thousand rubles per ton, respectively. “There is a good reason to purchase a packaging machine there at the Russian Meal. - Explains entrepreneur Zakharchenko. “This not only increases the shelf life of the product, but also its attractiveness to supermarkets and ordinary customers.”
To make the picture more complete, we will give approximate production costs. So, for one ton of corn sticks you will need corn grits - 720 kg, salt - 7 kg, powdered sugar - 130 kg and sunflower oil - 130 liters. Taking this into account, as well as all costs, including wages to workers and taxes, Igor has a cost price in the range of 70-90 thousand rubles per ton of finished products. Therefore, the daily income of a corn cob extrusion line can reach 50 thousand rubles per shift. Impressive, even taking into account underemployment, Zakharchenko sums up.
This margin of safety allows you to go through the most difficult initial period, when there are no commercial agreements yet, and the path to the shelves of supermarkets and stores has yet to be overcome with minimal risks.
At the same time, the cost of the extrusion line produced by the Russian Trapeza company, including the cost of turnkey installation, is 1,500,000 thousand rubles. As a result, the break-even point for the Nizhny Novgorod guy was passed in less than six months. And now businessman Zakharchenok, despite all the difficulties of the crisis, feels like a person standing firmly on his feet. Thus, the story told is worthy of emulation. And those who follow Igor’s path will again be helped by the Russian Trapeza company.
Alexander Sitnikov, especially for the site
RUSSIAN TREAT LLC
199178, St. Petersburg, Maly Prospekt V.O., building 57 bldg. 3
Having decided to occupy a niche in the field of production food products, it is important to choose a product that is in high demand among consumers. In addition, having limited financial capabilities, it is advisable to choose a direction in which investments will be reduced as much as possible. Products such as corn sticks fully meet all these criteria. If you buy equipment for the production of corn sticks, arrange supplies of high-quality raw materials and think through ways to sell the finished product, you can achieve high incomes.
Our business assessment:
Starting investments – from 700,000 rubles.
Market saturation is low.
The difficulty of starting a business is 6/10.
Corn sticks are a product belonging to the category of breakfast cereals. Recently in Russia there has been a tendency towards a significant increase in its consumption.
The popularity of corn sticks among the population, as well as the simplicity of the technology, make this business attractive for a novice entrepreneur. And the organization of the mini-workshop itself implies the production of high-quality products, packaged in bags of 50 and 150 grams. Manufacturers today have a great opportunity to launch their own food enterprise, which will quickly recoup all investments. By experimenting with flavors and packaging design, you can sell finished products both wholesale and retail.
But how are corn sticks made? And what needs to be taken into account when launching a workshop?
Process of releasing corn sticks
An important advantage of the planned business is the simple technology for the production of corn sticks. All stages of production here are carried out using special equipment, and therefore, the share manual labor reduced to a minimum.
The technology for making corn sticks involves mixing raw materials in certain proportions and further thermal and mechanical processing. But despite the simplicity of the steps, it is the product recipe that plays a big role here. The taste and quality characteristics of the sticks will ultimately depend on the ratio of the components. And since every operating enterprise keeps secret the ratio of all substances used, a qualified technologist should be hired for production, who will experiment with the recipe, and in the future will control the process of producing sticks, monitoring the input raw materials and technological regimes.
In general, the corn sticks production line processes the following raw materials:
- corn grits,
- powdered sugar,
- sunflower oil,
- salt,
- water.
To reduce the cost of producing corn sticks, it is worth agreeing with suppliers on wholesale supplies of raw materials. And it’s great if the bases are located as close to the workshop as possible.
Workshop technical equipment
Extruder for the production of corn sticks
To start uninterrupted production of corn sticks, it is important to purchase quality equipment, meeting all norms and requirements of the food industry. There should be no problems with this, since proposals for technical equipment there are plenty on the market. And the main selection criteria here come down to an analysis of the planned sales volumes and the amount of starting capital.
The standard equipment of the line includes the following names of machines and devices:
- mixers for bulk and liquid components,
- dispensers,
- sugar mill,
- sifter
In addition to the production line, you will need to purchase a packaging machine. However, more expensive lines are also equipped with it.
The final price of equipment for corn sticks varies widely, depending on the type of extruder and power. For example, a line with a capacity of up to 30 kg/h, which includes a single-screw extruder for corn sticks, costs ≈500,000 rubles. More powerful lines (up to 250 kg/h), with a twin-screw extruder, will cost much more - up to 2,500,000 rubles.
It is advisable to equip a mini-workshop with low-power equipment, since at first it will be difficult to sell large batches of finished products.
A small-sized machine for the production of corn sticks will not require large areas. An area of 60 m2 is sufficient to accommodate the line. But in the workshop it is additionally necessary to provide premises for warehouses and staff rooms.
How much profit will the business bring?
Some time before opening your own production of corn sticks in Russia, it is important to plan distribution channels for finished products. And since the entrepreneur’s profit will directly depend on sales, we rely specifically on wholesale customers.
But this comes with many problems:
- Large hypermarket chains, as a rule, sell only branded products.
- Hypermarkets sometimes set fees that are unaffordable for small businesses “for the opportunity to be represented on the shelves.”
Therefore, when planning a small enterprise, it is better to try to conclude agreements with wholesale grocery stores or small regional stores.
The business plan for the production of corn sticks must also include calculations of the profitability of the enterprise. And how quickly the workshop will recoup all costs and reach “0” will largely depend on the investments made.
To register a workshop, buy an extruder for the production of corn sticks, prepare the premises for work and purchase raw materials, you will need at least 1,000,000 rubles. If you think about buying a supported production line, then 700,000 rubles will be enough. As for profit, everything will depend on the volume of output and pricing policy specific region. On average, a small package of sticks costs wholesale market 8-12 rub. The cost of the product is at least 40-60% lower.
Corn sticks are a product obtained by processing fine corn grits in a special extruder-type machine. They are a ready-to-eat product and do not require additional cooking.
Corn sticks are produced with various additives, which increases their taste and nutritional value. Sticks are also made without additives and used instead of bread or croutons.
Corn sticks are produced according to the technological scheme presented in Fig. 78.
1 - separator; 2 - bunker; 3 - screw conditioner; 4 - tempering bunker; 5 - machine for producing corn sticks MKP-70; 6 - conveyor; 7 and 7a - bunkers; 8 - continuously operating installation for applying additives; 9 - bunker; 10 - packaging machine; 11 - pump; 12 - tank; 13 - pump; 14, 14a and 146 - measuring containers for vegetable oil; 15 - table; 16 - table scales; 17 - mixing machine; 18 - disc dispenser; 19 - temperature machine; 20 - volumetric dispenser; 21 - panning boiler; 22 - conveyor; 23 - salt solvent; 24 - mixer; 25 - pump.
Corn grits are cleaned of foreign impurities and ferroimpurities on a vibrating sieve and stored in bin 2. As necessary, the grits are conditioned by humidity in auger conditioner 3, where finely crushed salt or saline solution is simultaneously supplied. Humidity-conditioned cereal is kept in a tempering hopper 4, from where it enters a machine for making corn sticks 5. The finished corn sticks are sent by a conveyor 6 to hoppers 7 and 7a, from where they, through volumetric dispensers 20, enter a continuously operating installation for applying additives 8 or a coating machine boiler 21.
The finished corn sticks enter the hopper 9 and from there to the packaging machine 10.
In a continuously operating installation for applying additives, corn sticks are enriched with powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanillin and garlic powder, which are prepared using a table 15, a scale 16 and a mixing machine 17. The prepared mixture for additives is sent to the machine through a disc dispenser 18.
The peanut additive is prepared in a temperature machine 19, into which powdered sugar, peanut mass and vegetable oil are added through a measuring container 146.
The finished peanut additive is sent to the pan 21, where, in addition to corn sticks, vegetable oil from the measuring container 14a is also added.
Vegetable oil from the tank truck is poured into tank 12, from where, as needed, it is supplied by pump 13 to measuring collectors 14, 14a and 146. If necessary, by pump 11, vegetable oil can be supplied to these collectors, bypassing tank 12, directly from the tank truck.
The saline solution is prepared in a special salt solvent 23, from where it is sent through a mixer 24 by a pump 25 to a screw conditioner 3.
The main processes in the production of corn sticks are the processes of preparing the cereal, processing it in a machine for the production of corn sticks and applying additives.
