Invest Wisely
Health Bar
In keeping with the theme of this issue , we explore an investment idea that feeds heavily and directly from the agriculture value chain .
A health bar is a café outlet that serves healthy meals and drinks whose ingredients are whole ( cereals ), organic farm fresh or dried and processed for storage . In a health bar you won ’ t find sodas , beers , whisky or other such hard stuff . You won ’ t purchase cigarettes or tooth decay causing candy . At minimum , a health bar menu has 90 % healthy foods and drinks while the other 10 % is for easing patrons from unhealthy to healthy eating habits .
As one venturing into this field , find out what your target market needs are and seek to fulfill them without losing focus of the fact that your mission is to serve wholesome , healthy meals , snacks and drinks .
Why would it make sense to invest in a health bar ? Most countries are experiencing an upsurge in lifestyle diseases among the middle and high income citizenry . Cancer , diabetes , hepatitis , blood pressure etc . are lifestyle diseases which can be avoided , treated or managed through healthy living . However , healthy eating is just a portion of a healthy lifestyle . In a previous edition of Esteemed™ Magazine , we have explored investment in a gym which would be a great complement to a health bar .
As we explore this entrepreneurial idea , it is worth considering its impact and expansion model as a franchise business . Research , build a business plan and get investing on it if you have a passion for great cooking and running a café .**
What you need An ideal location : whose population is majorly middle / high income households
A target market : Demograph your market to people above the age of 30 years . Although the products you will be offering can be consumed by all age groups , you will soon realize that those responding best are more mature clientele . In terms of gender , it is easier to penetrate the female folk while male folk require extra creativity and initiative to become loyal to your health bar .
Suppliers : You need to establish reliable suppliers / supply points for your ingredients – fruits , cereals , milks , seeds , vegetables , eggs , confectionaries , packaging materials etc . A health bar requires a steady supply of these items to meet an all year round demand by customers . You can ’ t offer caramel & honey glazed pancakes made of skimmed milk today and when the customer returns two days later you tell them you are out !
Facilities management : A health bar requires a lot of cleanliness / hygiene because of handling fresh food . You will need to maintain the legal health authority standards of hygiene .
Your Menu : You need to cover all the main meals of the day and snacks . The menu should also show a very healthy variation of meals with creative names to suggest what they do to the body .
It will also be unique to have a chef ’ s daily special on each meal . The chef ’ s special can be themed e . g . The theme for Friday can be something like “ working up the weekend ”. From the breakfast to the last meal of the day ( drinks included ), the chef ’ s special can suggest the suitable edibles and drinks .
So as not to appear bland , your menu will require a lot of work in presentation , serving and marketing / promotion .
Extras To keep patrons loyal , you may want to consider some extra activities e . g .
• Tipping customers with a sample recipe that they can make at home
• Have a lounge area where people can sit and chat or read books
• Consider having a healthy cooking class where you invite people to try out their skills with different recipes explaining the benefits of the ingredients and the end product
• Run monthly competitions for the best creation and the winning recipe is served as a house special
• Be active on social media platforms
** The Esteemed Royalé Consultancy Division is available to help with this process .
Join us on our blog Marketplace Influencer for more tips for the Esteemed Professional @ wangarimaina
For more insights on investing wisely we recommend the book
“ The Lean Startup : How Today ’ s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create
Radically Successful Businesses ” by Eric Ries
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Esteemed Magazine