Aquaponics Business Plan

[Deorge]

Hi,

I'm continually researchign and visiting aquaponics sites and farms to hopefully open up a small scale 1500 sq/foot city land.

Was wondering if anyone doesn't mind sharing their business plans with me so I can model one. I'd be located in the Pennsylvania area of the US.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance.

Deorge

[Dufflight]

Whats your history with AP. Have you used these systems in the past. And what are the markets your looking to get into.

[Outbackozzie]

For a commercial growbed style of setup, your looking at around AUS$10,000 per 10,000 litres of fish tank water. That covers everything except the labour to build.

DWC may or may not be cheaper, I have not costed that style of system out.

[Deorge]

My history with AP is basically in research and observation. I've visted Growing Power in WI (www.growingpower.org), and they taught me a lot and gave great breakdown of costs to build a system. What I'm now looking for is a business plan to look at more or less as a template of how I'd modify for my area.

I'm thinking of growing on a 1500 sq/foot lot in a very urban and dense area of the city. Then sell to the neighborhood retail and then maybe some resteraunts and grocery stores. I'm really just trying to research economic/business plan feasability at this point.

Do you have any business plans you can share for me to look at? So I can see all the areas you've had to cover from real growing/business experience?

Tx,
Deorge

[Outbackozzie]

Give me the dimensions of the area (preferably in meters) and I'll see what I can come up with...whats the sort of budget your looking at?

[Deorge]

about 12 meters by 6 meters. Budget $15,000 USD

[Murray]

Hi Deorge,
The first step in preparing a business plan for an urban aquaponics system is to do your market research.
This is the area where most good ideas will succeed or fail.

Where are you really going to sell your product ?
Will people actually buy from you?

A small proportion of people in any community will always be interested in better produce but will there be enough of them in your community for your project to be viable?
Do NOT rely on the word of one or two mates/friends who say they will buy, but will they when it comes to the crunch?

At least 75% of your Commercial Aquaponics planning should go into the marketing plan. If not, then failure is very likely.

If you build a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to your door.

A well known saying. The difficulty with the better mouse trap is to get the mice to go into in.
Obtaining good advice on system design, equipment availability, operational plans, system management, staffing, transport and so on, is only a small part of the overall equation.

Here you have the outline of your business plan. Only you can fill in all the blanks. How well and thoroughly you do it will determine your success or even if you finally go ahead or not.
You may discover that a better mouse trap in your area is just not needed.

[organicusrex]

Thanks Murray.

I've been assisting a lady with her plans to do an organic vegetable and herb business from her 10 acre plot. She's also going to incorporate a tree nursery as part of a diversified back up.

She's found that there's a fair sized market around the area for Japanese Maples and a few other ornamentals for landscaping. As for the organic foods, it's an old farming community that still believes the big Agrichemical cartels are their only hope for success and survival. Newer residents are moving into the area with diversified viewpoints and some fairly progressive or insightful businesses are popping up, but they are still in the minority.

One very popular restaurant in town has a more innovative approach to their menu selections and would be the prime candidate for organic veggies and fish. They are not too upscale yet have some top notch chefs in their kitchen. To be the first place in America to serve Jade Perch would be a fine feather in their cap among the food critics in nearby Chicago. Many Chicagoans come through our little farm town hunting for antiques yet they would like to dine on fare similar to their home surroundings. Something unique or exotic and many search for a place serving organic foods.

We have further research to conduct but we're starting out at a level we can handle in the beginning so as to grow with the business. This is all new to us and neither one of us are spring chooks, to coin a colloquialism. There is also a lot fear into today's market for business or jobs, but some of the really big successes have come out of hard times just like we're experiencing today.

Dean

[bunya boy]

Dean,
Perhaps you could provide them with antique fish and vegies? Because AP grows stuff relatively quickly, you could perhaps apply 'dog years' to the produce and something that normally takes 12 weeks in the ground that make take 6 weeks in the AP, could be 'old stuff'?
Sorry, mate, had a nice bottle of Coonawarra red!

But, then again, those that are interested in our older styles of furniture, living styles and the like; may just be those whom are interested in their own futures and that of their families?

Hope you like the beard. It raised about $700A!
Cheers IanK

[organicusrex]

IanK,

I've given your idea some thought and couldn't find any Coonawarra red here in the States. But I follow your drift none the less. Presenting the wares in a unique fashion to catch the attention of the public is a tried and true method.

You just have to make sure you don't insult their intelligence. I have seen the "dog years" concept used in advertising before and it was appealing because it involved dogs. W.C. Fields, the comedian, didn't like to work with children and animals of any kind because they upstaged him every time, so they must be effective marketing tools.

Myself, I like a good Pinot Grigio or a well aged Port (12 year of more) and a good recliner. The antique hunters like a good wine with their meals so we will have to stress how well Jade Perch serves up with a good white wine. Cheers.

Dean