The Platonov family left the noisy metropolis for a quiet family estate - to live in harmony with nature and produce an environmentally friendly drink
IT tools used by the Platonov family
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Docs
- Wordpress
Alexander Platonov studied at the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University. In the early 90s, when I had to feed my family, I learned the profession of a plumber. After moving to the estate, I began to look for an alternative income opportunity, and preparing fireweed tea became one of the options. Daria Platonova graduated from the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University. After studying, she opened her own business related to the early development of children (after moving to the Tula region, she closed the business). Now she works as an early development teacher in a children's club in Moscow, coming to the capital for 2-3 days a week and giving private lessons. He spends the rest of his time in his family settlement. In the warm season, Alexander, Daria and their three sons are engaged in collecting and producing fireweed.
How the idea of a family business came about
The Platonov family began developing land in the Tula region in 2003, and in 2006 they moved to the family estate for permanent residence. We decided to eat as healthy and nutritious as possible. Having learned about the healing properties of Ivan tea, Daria and Alexander tried it. “At first he didn’t impress us at all: grass is grass. But, as it turned out, the question was how to cook it. Once, when we were visiting, we were treated to fireweed tea. And we were struck to the core by how tasty and unusual it was,” recalls Daria Platonova.
Daria and Alexander became interested in Ivan tea. It turned out that this drink has many useful properties, for example, strengthening the immune system and hair, eliminating pain from migraines, lowering body temperature and others. This was one of the reasons why the couple began collecting and preparing fireweed for their family.
It took several years to collect information about this drink, search for ancient recipes and discover the taste of herbal tea. Daria studied specialized literature, found information on the Internet, and wrote down recipes for teas that pilgrims she knew brought from their trips to monasteries. “We collected the necessary information bit by bit,” she recalls.
“If there had not been such a strong positive reaction to our tea from relatives and friends, we would not have started doing this “for sale”
The Platonovs collected tea for themselves and also treated their friends and relatives to it. The results pleased everyone, including connoisseurs of this drink. Even those who also collected tea “for themselves” admired their product and recommended “expanding”. “If there had not been such a strong positive reaction to our tea from relatives and friends, we would not have started doing this “for sale,” says Daria.
Daria and Alexander began selling fireweed tea in 2012. The first clients were friends and their acquaintances who asked to sell them this or that collection of plants.
At the same time, the Platonovs began to study Ivan tea drinks from competitors in order to understand whether their own products corresponded to similar products on the market. The conclusions drawn after purchasing from various manufacturers turned out to be ambiguous. “Some manufacturers make a good quality product; they revive old recipes. But at the same time, many suppliers have appeared on the market, the quality of their tea does not stand up to criticism. Their “work” can be called discrediting the product and devaluing the very idea of healthy eating,” says Daria. She and her family rely on healthy and high-quality tea, collected and processed by hand.
How is fireweed produced?
Making fireweed tea is a rather complex technological process. Tea prepared by the Platonov family goes through six to eight stages of processing.
The first stage is the actual collection. The Platonovs collect wild plants near their ancestral settlement, on the border of the Tula and Moscow regions near the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve. This is an ecologically clean place in which fireweed grows in natural conditions, and is not specially planted by humans. There it is adjacent to other plants, which is very important for the taste of the finished product. Harvesting occurs within strictly defined periods - during flowering (June-July). This is a fairly short period, about a month. There is a lot of work at this time, and you have to work 16-18 hours a day. If the weather permits, the Platonovs go out for collection early in the morning, as soon as the dew disappears - at 3-4 o’clock.
The collected leaves are then dried to remove excess moisture. Then comes the sorting, as a result of which the future tea is manually freed from foreign plants and insects, which also love fireweed. “The process of careful manual sorting is very labor-intensive and long, but without it there is no way to get a high-quality drink,” says Daria Platonova.
“Experts say that our tea has amazing energy. Of course, this is the result of the handiwork and love with which we make tea. A machine will never give such a result. It will also be delicious, but it’s completely different.”
Next, the plants are crushed (also by hand) and placed for fermentation. After which the sheet is cut, dried and sifted into different fractions. The finished tea is blended (flowers or other plants are added) and left for ripening. One batch of tea goes through all these stages in about a week. Ivan tea is packaged immediately before sale.
The Platonovs do all their work by hand; they do not use any industrial equipment. Although it exists and can facilitate the production process. Due to its cost, the equipment is not yet available to families whose business is only in its infancy and is seasonal. For example, a machine for rolling tea leaves costs from 200 thousand rubles.
“Experts say that our tea has amazing energy. Of course, this is the result of the handiwork and love with which we make tea. A machine will never give such a result. It will also be tasty, but this is completely different. Handmade is handmade. Many will understand what I'm talking about."
The family plans to purchase a leaf-rolling machine to increase production, but will definitely continue to stock handmade teas.
Economics of the project
When the Platonovs began producing tea for sale, they spent about 100 thousand rubles to open their own business, some of which were borrowed. Product certification alone cost approximately 30 thousand rubles. But now all tea from the Platonovs has a certificate of conformity. The rest of the money was spent on the production of a drying cabinet, pallets for drying sheets, branded packaging and labels.
The drawing for the label was given to the Platonovs by an artist friend. I came to visit them and, after trying the drink, drew a sketch. Now this drawing is on all natural paper bags in which tea is packaged. “When you buy from us, you can open, look, smell – in a word, feel the product with all your senses to understand what you are buying. For stores, our packaging may not be the best option. But we are ready to change in this regard, to look for something new,” explains Daria.
The weight of one package is 60 or 100 grams. Since Platonov’s tea is hand-rolled, it takes up a lot of space when dried. Therefore, more than 100 grams cannot be placed in one package. If tea is compacted into a bag, the product may lose some of its properties: the leaves will crumble or become wrinkled. The cost of packaging is 400-500 rubles, depending on the variety.
In total, the Platonovs have eight different tea options. This year, at the request of customers, new items have appeared. These are mixtures of fireweed with other plants: meadowsweet, which gives an almond aroma, currant leaf, cherry or mint. There are both subtle and more tart fruit flavors. “Variety of assortment is an incredibly important point. We are constantly open to new recipes, ideas and experiments. But on the other hand, if people like a particular taste, they often ask for it next time. Therefore, it is very important to “age” certain varieties, i.e. produce them with the same taste from batch to batch,” notes Daria.
The Platonovs supply their products to two Moscow restaurants, as well as to the first Russian restaurant working exclusively on local products - “Mark and Lev” in the Tula region. “We love this restaurant very much. Well done guys! Great idea and great execution."
The Platonovs actively participate in fairs and festivals, which are now the main promotion channel. There, in addition to selling, they organize tastings of their teas. The Platonovs also collaborate with organizers of ethno-festivals and events dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.
Plans and prospects
The family does not have a permanent store, because... there are no large sales volumes. “Unfortunately, it is simply impossible to increase the volume to “store volume” without losing the quality of the product, we have already understood this. Maybe this is maximalism, but I don’t know of any other ways to make a product tasty and of high quality. We are capable of producing, at best, several hundred kilograms of tea per season. This is not a volume for Moscow,” says Daria.
“Now our task is to cooperate with several more restaurants in Moscow or the region. I think that a restaurant with really high-quality food should definitely have traditional Russian Ivan tea in its tea menu. In addition, our tea can be brewed several times - this is also a plus for restaurant customers. Our production volumes allow us to work to order for several restaurants: when there is a pre-order from a restaurant in terms of volume and assortment, it is much easier to plan production. Next year we plan to hire people for the collection, but we will prepare the tea ourselves,” the Platonovs share their plans for the future.
The Platonov family also sees its task as creating an online store through which it will be possible to order fireweed. “But the problem is that we are far from Internet technologies, and for us this is a rather difficult goal,” admits Daria. Her children, more confident computer users, are now working on creating their own website and pages on social networks.
The business dream of the Platonov family is to put their product on the tables of all lovers of healthy and tasty food. “Our tea, compared to store-bought tea, is like strawberries from the garden versus strawberries from retail chains. Our whole family and our friends have already switched to our own Ivan tea and don’t drink anything else,” says Daria.
Ivan tea is a unique plant that has a whole storehouse of vitamins. The narrow-leaved plant also contains a considerable amount of various microelements. The most important thing is that it is completely natural and will not entail any side effects.
On our information portal you will find out in more detail what kind of plant this is? And also - where and how much does Ivan-tea cost?
What medicinal properties does Ivan tea have on the body?
Fireweed will help fight diseases such as:
- biliary dyskinesia. Produces outflow of bile;
- helps fight anemia;
- cholecystitis;
- acute intestinal diseases. Has an active effect on ulcers and gastritis;
- hepatitis;
- pancreatitis;
- impotence. Significantly increases “male strength”;
- . Eliminates pain when urinating, and also prevents the progression of the disease.
Ivan tea has the fastest possible effect. You won't have to wait long for the effect.
The cost of a natural drink
You can grow the plant yourself. It’s enough to remember to do it in the summer. This way you can get a 100% natural harvest.
There are also many options for where to purchase tea. You can buy it at a pharmacy or order it from an online store. How much does Ivan-tea cost in a pharmacy? Everything will depend on the country in which you live. If you buy in a Russian pharmacy, then the purchase will cost somewhere 250-300 rubles. This is not at all a high cost for such a natural drink.
Oddly enough, for residents of Ukraine the cost of tea is halved. How much does Ivan tea (100 g) cost in Ukraine? 35 UAH - 100g. This is subject to purchase at a pharmacy.
If you purchase a product using the services of an online store, the cost will generally surprise you. It will drop by another 10-15%, the parcel can be ordered for home delivery. This is what will help save time and money.
How much does fermented Ivan tea cost? First, let's find out what it is. This is a procedure that is performed before drying the tea so that the plant can be stored a little longer and dried properly. This tea will delight you not only with its healing properties, but also with subtle notes of sweetness.
Fermented tea costs: 120 rubles for 50 grams. How much does Ivan tea cost (1 kg)? For 1 kg fireweed drink will have to be given away 1500-1600 rubles when ordering online. But at the same time, you can order an environmentally friendly narrow-leaved plant collected from the shores of Lake Baikal.
You can also buy a natural drink with the addition of other herbs. In addition to Fireweed, you can add other herbs in order to enhance the properties, as well as to diversify the taste. You can purchase it with the addition of jasmine, lemon balm, mint, dried berries, with pieces of fruit (orange, lemon, mango and even banana). If you are not sure about the naturalness of the additives, then we recommend doing everything yourself: buy the most ordinary Ivan tea and add any herb or berry to the teapot while brewing.
How much does Ivan tea with additives cost? If you are a fan of exotic fruit additives, you will have to pay 350-400 rubles per 100 grams drink If you prefer a traditional drink with a small addition of other herbs, then the cost will range from 200-350 rubles per 100 grams.
If you prefer only completely natural tea leaves, we recommend buying just fresh herbs. How much do Ivan tea leaves cost? It’s unlikely that you can buy fresh ones at a pharmacy or online store. To do this, we recommend going to where the grass grows and purchasing a narrow-leaved plant from the locals. Cost may be approx. 500 rubles per 1 kg plants. After such a purchase, you will need the leaves, and then enjoy a pleasant healing infusion.
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 the production of Ivan tea will vary in a wide range (RUB 800,000-2,000,000), 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.
Modern people have become more concerned about their health. Therefore, they prefer to use only natural products. This also applies to tea.
Beneficial properties of tea
On store shelves you can see a wide range of different teas with various artificial flavors. But they are not in great demand. Consumers mainly buy products made from natural ingredients. Such teas have a beneficial effect on human health. For example, mint and oregano calm the nerves, while calendula and chamomile act as an anti-inflammatory agent.
People in Rus' have been drinking Ivan tea for a long time. According to popular beliefs, this plant should be collected on the night of Ivan Kupala. A drink made from young shoots of fireweed has special powers and can protect against 100 diseases. To achieve a unique taste and unique aroma, ancestors dried fireweed in a special way. The sheet was first withered, then kneaded a little and twisted. After this, it was kept for some time at a certain temperature. Only after this the sheets were dried. This tea production technology is called fermentation. Let's look at this matter in more detail.
Features of Ivan tea production
Raw materials are collected on special plantations in ordinary bags. In a day, one person can collect approximately 30 kg of this amazing plant. Since leaves in bags can heat up and darken, it is necessary to immediately put the raw materials into processing.This product is made using traditional technology, like other teas, so your business can use conventional tea production equipment.
The processing process is as follows:
- First, the leaves are kneaded. You can also do this manually. The plant must be ground until it produces juice. If you decide to start producing Ivan tea at home, you can pass the leaves through a meat grinder. In this case, you will get excellent granulated tea. Some people freeze raw materials, but after defrosting they may lose their beneficial qualities;
- Withering. The tea leaves are placed in the shade and dried for 10–24 hours. If you use special dryers, the process can be reduced to 5–8 hours. During this time, approximately 55% of the moisture leaves the tea leaf. After dehydration, the raw material becomes less brittle and more elastic;
- During the rolling process, the juice is squeezed out of the tea leaves. This allows tea enzymes to mix with tea polyphenyls. This is the main condition for high-quality fermentation. Twisting is done manually and using special equipment;
- Fermentation. This process is carried out in dark, cool rooms. Wooden pallets or aluminum sheets can be used as a support for raw materials. The fermentation process is stopped by drying;
- After drying, you will receive raw materials with a moisture content of 2–5%. The process lasts only 15–20 minutes. Large ovens with hot air are used to dry tea.
Scheme: production of different types of tea
As mentioned above, the technology for producing black tea is practically no different from the process of producing natural Ivan tea. If you organize the production process correctly, you can produce high-quality products of different varieties and make excellent profits from it.
Paperwork
To start producing tea in Russia, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur or open an LLC. The choice depends on the size of the enterprise.Once you have registered with the tax office, you should obtain the necessary permits for tea production. Rospotrebnadzor approves the recipe and production specifications. After this, you will be given permits.
Staff
Before drawing up a business plan for the production of Ivan tea, you need to decide on the type of enterprise. If you plan to purchase special equipment, you will need to hire several workers to maintain it. The number of employees for manual production depends on the volume of products produced.
In addition, you need to hire workers to collect raw materials. The norm per person is 6 bags per day. Payment for this work is approximately 800 rubles.
You also need to hire a person who will control the production process.
Equipment
Equipment for the production of Ivan tea can be purchased from specialized companies.
You will need the following equipment:
- Blending drum;
- Tea rollers;
- Drying oven;
- Equipment for packing.
For many years, Ivan tea was produced using exclusively manual labor. To set up this amazing drink, you will have to use a lot of personnel, so at certain stages it is more advisable to use technology. If you are planning to open a large-scale enterprise, you can purchase a fully automated production line. This will allow you to set up parallel production of black tea, which will significantly increase the profitability of your business.
In our country it is quite difficult to find specialized equipment for such a business. The fact is that tea production in Russia is developed at a low level, so basically finished products are imported from abroad, and at domestic enterprises they are only packaged and packaged. Therefore, it is better to order production equipment from foreign suppliers.
Expenses
To open a home business producing fireweed tea, you will need 100 thousand rubles. A third of them will have to be spent on product certification. The rest of the money will be used to purchase the necessary tools and equipment, as well as packaging and labels. To purchase powerful production equipment, you need to raise start-up capital of 0.5–2 million rubles.
One package contains no more than 100 g of tea. This product should not be compacted to avoid crumbling or crushing the leaves. This package costs 400–500 rubles. Based on this, it is easy to calculate the profitability of the project.
Promotion of products on the market
Natural teas can be supplied to restaurants that work exclusively on local products.
In addition, you should constantly take part in various festivals and fairs. Here you can find the main distribution channels. You can also organize product tasting events. Constantly collaborate with organizers of events that promote a healthy lifestyle.
Let's sum it up
The production of fireweed tea is a very real and quite promising business. The products can be sold to vitamin shops, sanatoriums or. Its implementation can also be established via the Internet. The production of Ivan tea as a business can be opened at home. The company needs to purchase a production line. Additional funds will be needed to expand production. In this case, the initial investment will pay off in about a year. After this, your business will generate a stable net income.
Don't forget that the tea business is seasonal. If you plan to work all year round, you need to take care of stocks of raw materials. To do this, you will need spacious warehouses in which you can also store finished products.
For people looking for ways to make money at home, this is perfect. You will find many interesting ideas for earning money on our website. Good luck.
Angustifolia fireweed, popularly called fireweed, is a unique plant, the beneficial properties of which are taken care of by nature itself. It is rich in B vitamins, ascorbic acid, iron, calcium, potassium, bioflavonoids and tannins.
A drink made from the leaves of this plant has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, normalizes sleep and tones the body. In addition, fireweed does not contain caffeine, therefore it is considered an excellent alternative to Indian tea, to which it is in no way inferior in taste. Considering the growing consumer demand for natural products, the production of fireweed tea can be considered as a relevant business. In this article we will talk about how to organize it.
How to make money producing fireweed
Fireweed grows freely in the wild. Its most common habitat is the coniferous forests of the European part and Siberia. The plant can be found on dry sandstones, in clearings and forest edges, near crops and near water. Its interesting feature is that it is the first to populate forest and field areas after fires.
Considering the wide distribution of fireweed in nature, you can collect it by hand yourself, prepare it using improvised means and sell it in small batches. Having a certain skill, a picker can extract about 20-25 kg of tea leaves in one day. However, these are too small volumes to talk about serious profits.
Another option is to purchase raw materials from residents of villages and hamlets by prior agreement, then process and sell them yourself. But there are also disadvantages here: lack of control over the collection of leaves can lead to a violation of technology, as a result of which the raw material will lose its beneficial properties and taste.
The best option is to grow fireweed tea (own or rented) with subsequent processing and sale. Only by organizing a full-cycle enterprise can you obtain high-quality products in sufficiently large volumes that will provide a high income.
The World of Business website team recommends that all readers take the Lazy Investor Course, where you will learn how to put things in order in your personal finances and learn how to earn passive income. No enticements, only high-quality information from a practicing investor (from real estate to cryptocurrency). The first week of training is free! Registration for a free week of training
Production technology
Fireweed reproduces both by seeds and vegetatively. Seeds are collected in September. Each stem is capable of bearing from 20,000 to 40,000 seeds. The seeds are planted in grooves no more than 1.5 cm deep, sprinkled with soil and watered from a watering can. The optimal distance between rows is from 60 to 90 cm. After germination, the plants are thinned out, leaving 1-2 stems every 30 cm.
Seedlings are planted in the ground in early autumn or spring. With proper care and timely watering, they quickly increase the vegetative mass. Ivan tea is an extremely unpretentious herb. It is recommended to water seedlings and seedlings abundantly only for the first 1-1.5 months. During this period, it is advisable to do this through a watering can or fine sieve so as not to damage the stems. When the plants reach 10-12 cm in height, they can be watered less frequently - only once a week.
The flowering period of fireweed is from late June to mid-August. It is at this time that leaves need to be collected. This should be done in the morning, when there is no dew on the plants. The leaves are collected in bags and immediately sent for processing.
Interesting! Fireweed is considered an excellent honey plant (from 1 hectare of thickets of this grass you can get 400-500 kg of honey), so the production of tea from this plant can complement.
Further processing of the collected raw materials takes place in several stages:
- preparation - at this stage it needs to be sorted out, separated from debris, washed and dried;
- withering leaves in dark rooms or in special dryers;
- fragmentation - the leaves undergo special mechanical processing and release juice, as a result of which important chemical processes occur;
- fermentation - the resulting mass is laid out on metal or wooden surfaces and left for some time;
- drying in ovens or drying cabinets;
- thermal aging - the product is allowed to rest to obtain a characteristic aroma and a typical tea shade;
- packing and packing.
The grade of tea will depend mainly on the length of fermentation of the tea leaves. The most popular varieties are fermented (classic black) and lightly fermented (green). In addition to the fireweed itself, you can also include other aromatic plants in the tea, for example, mint, oregano, and lemongrass.
If you consider fireweed tea as a small one on the territory of a personal subsidiary plot, and the volume of your production is low, then you can carry out all the main operations for processing raw materials manually. If your plans are to organize a full-fledged enterprise, then you will have to spend money on special equipment.
Equipment and workers
The set of special equipment will consist of the following main components:
- tea leaf cutting machine;
- withering drum;
- roller for curling;
- fermenter;
- drying unit;
- machine for filling and packaging.
It is better to purchase everything you need from one manufacturer. A good option is to purchase a ready-made production line. The issue price will be from 800,000 rubles. up to 2,000,000 rub. depending on the configuration and performance of the equipment.
To work on the plantation during the tea leaf harvesting period, you will need several pickers. The production itself requires the presence of several workers on the line, as well as a qualified technologist who will develop varieties of tea and control the process of its production. It is advisable to have your own equipment maintenance specialist, delivery driver, and sales manager on staff.
Registration of activities and declaration of products
The production and sale of herbal tea in small quantities from raw materials grown on one’s own plot does not require official registration of business activity. The law allows the sale of surplus products from personal subsidiary plots without paying taxes.
In all other cases, you should contact the tax service to obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur (IP) or legal entity. The code for the type of economic activity according to OKVED, which this business falls under, is 10.83 - “Production of tea and coffee.” Don't forget to indicate it when filling out or IP.
Based on the results of consideration of the application, service employees make a decision and issue a certificate of state registration no later than five working days from the date of application.
The next mandatory step is obtaining a declaration for the products being manufactured. Its quality and compliance with the standard (Technical Regulations of the Customs Union “On Food Safety”) can be confirmed with the help of an accredited certification center. Without a declaration, your product will not be accepted into any store, so you should not ignore this requirement. If you wish, you can also issue a voluntary certificate, which will serve as additional confirmation of the high quality of the tea products you produce.
Sales organization
It is difficult for a new manufacturer to immediately enter into large contracts, so the introduction of goods into the market should begin gradually from small retail outlets and private shops. Keep an eye on fairs and natural food exhibitions in your city and be sure to take part in them. Herbal tea can also be offered for sale in pharmacies and sanatoriums. Over time, when the product gains trust, it is recommended to switch to large retail chains or open your own branded store.
A great way to attract consumer attention to your product and stimulate sales is to create an online store and advertise on the Internet. Do not miss the opportunities that online trading offers, since for most entrepreneurs producing similar products, online sales serve as the main source of income.
Profit forecast
The retail cost of Ivan tea is on average 250 rubles. per 100 g, wholesale price varies from 150 to 200 rubles. At the same time, the cost of a 100-gram package does not exceed 100 rubles. This amount includes the costs of growing and processing raw materials, wages, taxes, packaging costs, depreciation of equipment, etc.