How Ivan-tea became a family business. Business plan for the production of fireweed tea Production of fireweed tea as a business

In this material:

The increased consumer interest in natural products makes the fireweed tea business very profitable. The beneficial properties of this herb have been known since ancient times. Our ancestors long ago learned to harvest this plant and use it in tea drinking and treating diseases. Unlike regular tea, this drink does not contain caffeine. You can enjoy this tea indefinitely. It perfectly calms, eliminates fatigue, irritability, headaches and simply has a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. Some experts have even noted the positive dynamics of treating cancer with a decoction of this plant.

The inflorescences and leaves have an interesting aftertaste and a breathtaking aroma. Ivan tea is successfully combined with such popular medicinal herbs as chamomile, mint and oregano. The production of tea from this perennial can be a good competitor to imported producers of aromatic drinks. This herb retains the maximum amount of beneficial properties when dried and brewed. Experts have developed more than 15 different types of products based on fireweed tea.

How to distinguish fireweed from other plants? This type of perennial grass has narrow leaves, long roots and beautiful inflorescences. Fireweed grows up to 1 m in height and is propagated by seeds and root shoots. This allows you to create over 1 thousand new plants in one season. It is important to note that the flower is honey-bearing, so a business based on the production of tea from this plant can be supplemented with a related business - an apiary.

How to organize a successful business?

The success of a business depends entirely on physical capabilities. The grass grows only in the wild and can be collected by hand all day long. As a rule, in 8 hours of a working day, with skills developed over time, a person can gain about 25 kg of grass. With this approach to organizing a business, you don’t need any money at all, but the volumes will be so small that you can hardly talk about serious profits.

It is better to organize the purchase of ready-made raw materials, doing only its drying and fermentation. The problem is that there are no wholesale suppliers of fireweed tea. It will be necessary to hire people to collect grass or announce the purchase of raw materials in villages. This also has its pitfalls. In order for the herb to retain all its beneficial properties, it must be collected at a certain period. Do this in the morning, when there is no dew on the grass. It is almost impossible to ensure that the collected material is of appropriate quality.

To be sure that the herb has the proper taste and healing qualities, many entrepreneurs control the entire production cycle themselves. To do this, they acquire a certain plot of land where they independently grow, collect and process the plant. This is the only way to guarantee high-quality material, while avoiding the costs of purchasing and paying assemblers.

The process of producing tea from the inflorescences and leaves of a perennial is practically no different from the technological process of making any other tea.

From collection to sales

The technological process will be as follows:

1. Collection and preparation of leaves. It needs to be carefully sorted, debris separated, washed, and dried in the shade.
2. Withering of the leaf. The collection is laid out in a dark place where there is no sunlight and left for 24 hours. If finances allow, you can purchase special drying machines that will significantly speed up the process. After the process is completed, the sheet acquires special elasticity.
3. Twisting stage. After this treatment, the leaves produce juice, which allows the enzymes and tea polyphenols to mix together. If the production is small, this process is carried out manually. For mass production, a special meat grinder is used. It is worth noting that manual processing gives the tea a special sourness and astringency.
4. Fermentation of the collection. This stage is very important; the taste and healing properties of tea depend on it. The rolled and ground sheet is sent to a dark place to dry. It is better to lay out raw materials on wooden pallets or pre-prepared aluminum sheets. At this time, oxalic acid is destroyed in the leaf, and beneficial substances are activated. Using special equipment, you can set up the process of complete or partial fermentation. If the process is carried out manually, you need to carefully monitor it in order to stop fermentation in a timely manner.
5. Drying stage. The duration of this event ranges from 20 minutes to 3 hours. The prepared raw materials are dried in special cabinets on grid trays with a flow of hot air. Upon completion of drying, only high-quality raw materials with a characteristic aroma and color remain.
6. Fractionation stage. This event is held mainly at large enterprises with large production volumes. Small tea is packaged in bags, and large leaf tea is packaged by weight.

How to register a business?

To start tea production, you must register as an individual entrepreneur or open a limited liability company. The choice of registration form depends on the size of the business. After all the documents have been completed at the tax office and the necessary permits have been obtained from the relevant government agencies, it is necessary to agree on the recipe and technical production conditions. Only after this will you be given permits.

Next is resolving issues with hiring staff, purchasing specialized equipment, and renting utility rooms. The number of people involved in manual collection of grass is also determined by the scale of production. If you initially organize the technological process correctly and find a wholesale buyer, then there will be no problems with the business.

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Our grandparents drank Ivan tea instead of the traditional and familiar Indian or Chinese tea today.

Fireweed (angustifolia fireweed) is a herb up to half a meter high that reproduces by seeds or rhizomes. It is a perennial plant; its characteristics are a narrow leaf, a thick rhizome, and an inflorescence raceme of 30-40 cm.

When brewed, the herb gives a rich honey color and strong aroma. It goes well with chamomile, mint, oregano and has medicinal properties, in particular:

• normalizes metabolic processes in the body, heart rate, blood pressure and the functioning of the central nervous system;
• reduces cholesterol levels;
• improves peristalsis;
• reduces the risk of developing cancer;
• strengthens the immune system.

This drink does not contain caffeine, it contains vitamins and microelements.

If you want to make money making this tasty and healthy product, first try making several varieties for yourself and your friends. This way you will gain first experience and become familiar with the products, which will later help you sell your product and talk about it knowledgeably.

Collection and production technology of Ivan tea

Fireweed grows freely throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. The plant is often found in clearings, forest clearings, near reservoirs, roads, and wastelands. It is collected during the period of active flowering: in the southern regions it is June-July, in the north of the country it is the end of July - the beginning of September.

The collection technology requires harvesting fireweed leaves in the morning; there should be no dew on the flowers and leaves - this affects the taste and aroma of Ivan tea. Fireweed is collected in bags.

The plant is collected by hand. On average, one person can prepare up to 20-30 kg per working day.

Since self-collection will not allow you to produce the finished product in large quantities, you will need the help of other people who want to earn extra money in the summer. These could be students, schoolchildren, residents of villages and villages.

Advertisements for the purchase of raw materials can be placed in villages by posting information leaflets or advertised in newspapers or on the Internet, on social networks.

A large volume of raw materials will allow you to deal exclusively with drying and fermentation.

If you plan to launch a full production cycle, then you need land, planting and harvesting. In this case, you can track each stage of production and product quality.

To do this, a plot of land can be rented from a municipality or rural settlement. The rental cost in this case will be minimal.

The technology for making Ivan tea does not allow it to be stored in bags for a long time, otherwise the raw material will begin to deteriorate and lose all its beneficial properties.

You can produce different varieties of the drink, adding other herbs to the traditional bouquet - oregano, cherry flowers, mint, etc.

Production stages

1. Preparing the leaves.

After collection, the leaves are sorted out by hand to remove debris, washed and placed to dry in a dark place for a day. Drying units are used on a large scale - they reduce time.

1. Rolling sheets. Can be done manually or using a regular meat grinder, which allows you to produce granulated tea.
2. Fermentation. At this stage, the rolled or ground sheet is scattered on wooden (aluminum) pallets and placed in a dark and cool place. In an automated process, this work is performed by a machine. The taste and medicinal properties of the drink depend on this stage.
3. Drying. Fermented fireweed leaves are dried in ovens or drying cabinets on wire trays for 20 to 120 minutes, which gives the tea its aroma and color.
4. Tracking.
5. Fractionation, grinding and packaging.

Assortment of tea products as a way to increase income

Have you noticed that all brands that produce one or another product always expand their product line, increasing their presence in the market. If we look at existing entrepreneurs selling tea products, we will notice that they offer clients at least 10-15 different varieties of Ivan tea. You should do the same. Therefore, your task, with the help of a technologist, is to develop various options for the drink. In particular, it could be Ivan tea with the following additives:

• mint;
• chamomile;
• Linden;
• currant leaves;
• lemongrass;
• oregano
• dried berries (cherries, currants, raspberries).

You can also expand your product line by offering customers:

1. fermented (traditional black teas);
2. weakly fermented teas (green, yellow, white drinks);
3. semi-fermented (blue, purple, red).

Packaging development

This is the second most important stage. If you intend to sell at retail, then the finished tea variety must be packaged in a beautiful, bright box or bag that will attract customers on store shelves.

Packaging development can be outsourced to agencies or freelance designers (the latter will be cheaper). The cost of this work for a professional is about 10,000 - 30,000 rubles. On freelance exchanges (fl.ru, freelance.ru, kwork.ru, etc.) designers offer their services for product branding, and there you can also view the portfolio of specialists.

Official business registration and paperwork

Having drawn up a business plan for the production of Ivan tea and decided on the sales market, you can begin to prepare documents for the enterprise.

To officially work in Russia, you need to register an LLC or individual entrepreneur and rent production premises.

To sell food products, each type of product requires technical specifications (TS) and a declaration of conformity “On the safety of food products”, which allow the sale of the drink in the territory of the Russian Federation and states that are members of the Customs Union (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan).

You can obtain technical specifications and DS for Ivan-tea from certification centers that are certified and authorized to provide such services. It will cost about 15,000 rubles for one type of product.

To develop technical specifications, you will need to provide the certification center with:

• tea samples;
• recipe;
• packaging samples.

Specialists prepare test reports, after which they prepare documents.

After this you can get DS. To register a declaration of CU requirements, you need to submit an application, statutory documents, technical specifications, lease agreement/certificate of ownership of the production premises. The price for issuing a declaration of conformity for tea products starts from 7,000 rubles.

Working staff

Depending on the type of enterprise, payroll costs will vary. Self-employment in small production excludes the participation of other workers. However, if you are planning to build a large production facility, then you will need to hire staff.

Employees to work in the production of Ivan-tea:

Pickers. In this case, people can work under a GPC contract; their work can be paid based on personal performance (for example, 700 rubles/6 bags of fireweed leaves).

Operators, repairmen. Automated lines require qualified specialists who have experience working with similar machines. The operator controls the operation of the production line, sets the drying mode, sorting leaves, etc.

Tea production technologist. This worker organizes the production process. He must develop new recipes, update regulatory and technical documentation for new varieties, control the quality of raw materials for the production of tea products, and have practical knowledge in the field of current GOSTs and specifications.

Equipment purchase

Your business plan should contain a separate chapter that will define the type of equipment and its cost. The automated lines include the following main production units:

• blending drum;
• tea rollers;
• drying oven;
• product packaging.

An entire production line will cost on average from 1 to 3 million rubles, depending on technical characteristics - power, additional options. This machine performs the following functions:

• cutting leaves,
• withering,
• breaking up lumps of tea,
• fermentation,
• drying
• packaging.

But you can buy separate functional devices (including used ones) designed to perform individual production processes.

Production costs and income plan

Self-employment in this area does not involve significant expenses. However, if you plan to enter a large market, then you will need an initial investment.

Equipment purchase will require about 1 million rubles. This is a roller for rolling tea leaves 120,000 rubles + drying cabinet 300,000 rubles + packaging machine 500,000 rubles.

Certification of Ivan-tea. Obtaining specifications and a declaration of conformity will cost about 15,000 rubles for one type of product.

LLC registration– about 15,000 rubles (you can do it yourself).

Packaging development and production – 15,000 rubles + about 30 rubles for printing a unit, depending on the volume.

The cost of a pack of Ivan tea weighing 100 grams is about 120 rubles. The cost is about 70 rubles, so the profitability of the business is about 50%. With normal monthly sales, the business will pay off within a year.

Promotion and sales of products

If you are just entering the market, start selling small. Your potential clients are shops, private stores, hotels, sanatoriums, themed cafes, fitness centers. Having received the first result, start working with pharmacies, try going to large retail chains. The latter, as a rule, make purchases in accordance with their internal rules or through tenders.

Online store. Selling goods online is one of the most promising sales channels. If you are creating a website to sell goods online, you need to understand that creating a resource and promoting it will take time and money. So, creating a website costs 10,000 - 30,000 rubles, period 1 - 4 weeks. SEO website promotion will require 15,000 rubles/month and the results can be seen in about six months; to get quick visitors to the site you need to invest in contextual advertising (this is about 15,000 rubles per month).

Another good opportunity is social networks, especially since they provide such a tool as “Products”. But developing a group or public page also requires time, strategy and significant effort. Existing groups on social networks selling Ivan tea overwhelmingly choose a similar promotion strategy, advertising their product to people interested in healthy eating, sports and self-knowledge.

You should also not forget about posting on bulletin boards like “Avito” (especially if you have a favorable wholesale price).

Fairs, exhibitions and festivals- an excellent place for retail sales of Ivan tea, fortunately, today such events are held very often. Ivan tea is a product that allows you to participate in farm fairs, exhibitions dedicated to “healthy”, environmentally friendly products, festivals for lovers of yoga, ancient Russian traditions, etc.

Many enterprising businessmen have already turned their attention to the field of manufacturing natural products. And for good reason - today it is in high demand among the population, due to the dominance of low-quality artificial products. And when looking for an idea of ​​just such an orientation, it is worth thinking about buying equipment for the production of Ivan tea and starting its mass production. Ivan tea has long been called “Russian tea”. This plant was previously exported abroad in large quantities. From the dried stems, leaves and flowers of fireweed, you can get a delicious drink, which is also famous for its beneficial properties - the prevention of many diseases, a sedative.

Our business assessment:

Starting investments – from 0 rub.

Market saturation is low.

The difficulty of starting a business is 4/10.

The production of Ivan tea as a business will be beneficial to the entrepreneur from the point of view that it will not require large investments. Let's say more - you can get the finished product right at home, without spending money on purchasing special equipment. Making fireweed tea at home is not at all difficult, and by following the technology, the output can be a product that is no different in quality from what is produced in a full-fledged factory.

Will activity registration be required?

Whether it is worth registering your activities depends on the circumstances. If an entrepreneur sells only surpluses from his own subsidiary plot, and the sale of Ivan tea is carried out only to friends and close neighbors, then it is hardly worth spending money on completing a package of documents. But with non-certified products, it is definitely not possible to enter larger sales markets and conclude profitable supply contracts! Do you want to deliver a high-quality product, with labels and packaged in original containers, to store shelves? Then, observing all the rules prescribed by law, you will have to start registering your activities. In order to produce granulated Ivan tea, since we are talking about the food industry, you will need to obtain permission from Rospotrebnadzor to conduct activities and certify the products planned for release. Also, an entrepreneur may think about obtaining a special certificate for the production of a line of healthy teas as dietary supplements.

It does not matter what organizational and legal form the entrepreneur chooses to conduct business. To avoid paperwork, you can first register an individual entrepreneur.

A mini plant for the production of Ivan tea will supply original products to store shelves if you register your own brand. Here you have to develop your own logo and label design.

What range of products can be produced?

While the technology is just being mastered, the entrepreneur can only produce regular tea. But as practice shows, the product is also in demand on the market in a mixture with other components - dried berries and leaves of currants, raspberries, and lemongrass. There are a lot of variations, and to diversify the assortment, you can expand the product line.

There is one more classification. Depending on the fermentation conditions of Ivan tea, the following types can be distinguished:

• Weakly fermented - white, yellow, green.
• Semi-fermented - red, purple, blue.
• Fermented - black.
• Over-fermented - pu-erh.

And even fermenting Ivan tea at home will allow you to obtain different types of product.

Where to get raw materials?

The raw material for the production of natural tea is the fireweed plant. Surely everyone has seen it at their own dacha or in the field - very often it grows like a weed. It turns out that there is plenty of raw material for further production. Of course, it is useless to look for dried leaves from suppliers - the collection and preparation of Ivan tea is, as a rule, carried out on one’s own.

Depending on the specific region, plants are collected between June and August. Moreover, it is better to pick plants early in the morning - when the dew has just evaporated.

If you believe experts in this field, it is quite possible to collect up to 5 kg of fresh raw materials in an hour. But the preparation of fireweed leaves must be done in a timely manner, because if you leave it in bags for a long time, the leaves will begin to darken and lose their beneficial properties.

To obtain tea at home, you can collect plants yourself. But if we talk about the industrial scale of production, then in order not to miss the time of harvesting Ivan tea and in a short time to provide the enterprise with large reserves of raw materials, it is necessary to do without additional labor. Hired workers can be paid by the volume of collected raw materials or by the hour.

Tea production technology

The production technology of Ivan tea is very simple. And in industrial conditions the process is almost completely automated.

What stages can be distinguished here?

• Withering. Removing moisture from leaves to create optimal conditions for further processing of raw materials.
• Preparation of raw materials. Leaves, stems and flowers are cleared of debris and, if necessary, sorted.
• Curling of leaves. The goal is to destroy the cell walls and give the leaves the desired shape.
• Aerobic fermentation. Keeping leaves under certain temperature and humidity conditions.
• Drying. The goal is to complete the fermentation process.
• Roasting. Processing a product under certain conditions to impart its final properties.
• Package. The product can be packaged in containers of any size.

And at home it’s not difficult to get the finished product. To do this, freshly picked and slightly dried plants need to be crushed in your hands so that the leaves release juice. It is also possible to ferment Ivan tea through a meat grinder. And this option is even better, since all biochemical processes will proceed much faster in the future. Wet leaves are “packed” in gauze and placed under pressure in a dark place (up to 2 days). Next, the leaves of Ivan tea are dried. This can be done outdoors in partial shade or in the oven.

What equipment is used to produce fireweed?

If we talk about home business, then in the process of obtaining the finished product you can use available “equipment” - knives, meat grinder, oven, baking sheets, containers. But the industrial method will definitely require special machines, since considerable volumes of raw materials will be processed here. The price of equipment for making Ivan tea will vary in a wide range (800,000-2,000,000 rubles), depending on the power, degree of automation and configuration.

The complete line includes the following names of machines and devices:

• leaf cutting machine,
• curing machine,
• rollerballs,
• tea lump breaking machine,
• fermentation machine,
• automatic dryer,
• bake,
• packaging and filling machine.

To receive tea packaged in disposable bags, you will need to purchase a special machine separately.

Industrial production of fireweed tea in Russia is still poorly developed, but some domestic companies are already offering for sale machines for producing a high-quality product. A specific line should be selected based on the planned volumes of tea sales and available investments.

The issue of product sales and enterprise profitability

The product is in demand on the market, so there should be no problems with its sale. True, at first, most likely, you will have to cooperate only with private shops and stores, and not with large retail chains.

The payback period will depend on the investments made in the business. If you have a meat grinder for Ivan tea and an oven, then starting a home business may not require any investment at all. Industrial production of the product can be established by spending at least 1,500,000 rubles.

Fermentation methods for producing tea are different, and therefore the price of the finished product also varies. On average, fireweed tea sells for 800-1300 rubles/kg. Its cost is 40-60% lower. These are excellent indicators of the profitability of the planned business.

Fireweed or Koporye tea in Rus' has always been drink No. 1. And in our days of struggle for a healthy lifestyle and naturalness, when plant products have returned to fashion, the production of fireweed tea as a business has become a profitable business.

The perennial plant is a one and a half meter bush with a thick root, narrow leaves and an inflorescence up to forty centimeters high. Ivan tea grows in one place for eight years. Reproduction is carried out by seeds or roots. Flowers are honey plants, so home-based business on Ivan tea can also be used to make honey.

Why should you choose fireweed for your own business?

The plant in question has beneficial properties for health and excellent taste when brewing an aromatic drink. Our great-grandfathers knew about the beneficial properties of Koporye tea. In addition, it “gets along” with medicinal herbs such as peppermint, oregano or chamomile and is a confident competitor to imported similar products. You can experiment with fireweed tea without losing its healing qualities. To date, more than 15 variants of finished products based on the plant are known.

Scientific studies have shown that fireweed contains trace elements and vitamins that have a positive effect on the body, and does not contain caffeine, like black tea. With its help, people get rid of insomnia, headaches and nervous tension. Regular use helps remove kidney stones, normalizes blood pressure and cures women's diseases.

The listed factors speak in favor of the fact that with its help you can organize a successful sales business.

Production of fireweed tea as a business

Setting up production capacity depends on the wishes of the entrepreneur and available financial resources. Fireweed is often found in natural conditions (in meadows, fields or wastelands), which makes it possible to collect it yourself and prepare it using improvised means. During one daylight hours, a person collects up to thirty kilograms of the plant, but such volumes will not allow the development of a large-scale enterprise.

As an option, you can consider purchasing the material and processing it alone - drying and fermenting. The complexity of the method is that you will not find wholesale suppliers, so there is a need to hire assemblers or submit an advertisement in nearby settlements to purchase fresh material. But in this case, you risk receiving raw materials that were not collected according to technology.

Collection is carried out only during flowering in the morning, when there is no dew on the plant. The quality of the tea and the vitamin content of the future drink depend on this.

Therefore, it is necessary to draw up a business plan for the production of fireweed tea, which includes all stages:

• Acquisition or preparation of land.
• Sowing and growing fireweed.
• Its collection and processing.

This way you will be sure of receiving high quality raw materials and will avoid unnecessary costs and wasting time searching for a supplier and purchasing.

Direct production technology

In July-August (the period depends on the climatic conditions of the area in which the enterprise is opened) the collection of leaves begins. They must be recycled immediately because the leaves pressed in bags will turn black and spoil. The manufacturing technology is no different from the preparation of any tea. You can produce pure products or add different herbs for flavor, carry out various fermentations and other manipulations.

Product manufacturing stages

There are several main stages:

• Making fireweed tea as a business begins with preparing the material. The leaves are carefully sorted, washed in running water and dried in a place hidden from direct sunlight for 24 hours. If your plans include opening a large-scale profitable production, then think about purchasing special drying machines to reduce time. With a slight loss of moisture, the leaf does not lose elasticity and is ready for further curling so that the plant releases juice. This allows the enzymes to mix with the tea polyphenyls. In small production this process is done manually, in large production it is passed through a meat grinder (by the way, this is how granulated tea is obtained). In small home production, the process is carried out manually. However, manual processing gives the drink an unusual sourness.
• Fermentation of fireweed tea. The most important stage on which not only the taste and richness of the drink depends, but also its strength. The prepared leaves lie for some time in a dark and cool place without drafts. During this period, chemical reactions occur that destroy oxalic acid and activate beneficial substances. Professional equipment allows for partial or complete fermentation.
• Drying, depending on the method, takes from half an hour to two hours. To do this, the leaves are laid out on baking sheets and left in the oven. The result is a finished product to be packaged.

With large production volumes, fractionation occurs - large leaves are packaged, and small particles are used to make packaged versions.

Preparation of documentation

At first, when you are just setting up production on the basis of your personal subsidiary plot, you don’t have to register it. If you enter wholesale sales of fireweed, it is necessary to carry out mandatory registration of activities in order to obtain certification. Without quality certificates, no retail outlet will supply products for sale. At least because to sell the product you will need its certification.

To do this, you need to obtain permission from Rospotrebnadzor. There they also receive a package of documents that approve the technical features of manufacturing and the recipe. Having all the conclusions, the products can be registered as dietary supplements and sold to pharmacies and dispensaries.

To facilitate the registration procedure, it is better to register as an individual entrepreneur, but for large-scale production it is necessary to open an LLC. This will allow you to create and approve a brand to increase consumer loyalty by developing and implementing an original logo for application on packaging and labels.

Hiring workers

For a small business where everything is done by the family, hiring additional labor is not necessary. If you plan to use equipment for preparing goods, then you cannot do without personnel in the form of machine operators and material assemblers. In addition, you will need to hire a mechanic and an electrician. But the most important thing will be to hire a technologist who constantly monitors compliance with production technologies and the type of tea being developed.

Sales of finished products

To begin with, it is recommended to organize the sale of fireweed tea to small shops and stores. Having won the favor of consumers, you can move to large retail chains. After completing the accompanying documentation, you can consider not only pharmacies and retail stores, but also restaurants or sanatoriums as distribution channels.

Recently, the promotion and sale of goods via the Internet has become very popular. You can post ads on shopping portals or create your own online store if you offer a wide range. Also, don't miss themed fairs or sales exhibitions.

Main expense items

Business as a subsidiary farm does not imply the presence of capital. For large-scale production, you need to allocate at least eighty thousand rubles for the purchase of equipment. In addition, another hundred thousand rubles will be required to complete the certification procedure and register the enterprise, develop a logo and purchase packaging material.

The normal production payback plan is a year. On average, the income is 50–100%, because tea is sold at retail at 60 rubles more than cost.

But keep in mind that this is a seasonal business. In order to establish year-round production, it will be necessary to find and prepare storage facilities in advance for storing large quantities of harvested material under appropriate conditions. Only in this way will you present high quality products to the market.

You have learned about all the nuances of starting a business making drinks from fireweed. Whether this will be beneficial for you - decide for yourself, carefully weigh the pros and cons. And remember - the one who walks will master the road!