How To Start A Successful Plantain Chips Business In Nigeria

It is possible to make #100,000 and above from plantain chips business.Take advantage of this time and establish a plantain chips business especially now that we are facing serious economic challenges in our country you will make huge profit out of it. Don’t procure loan to start a big business which you probably may be making psaltery amount after much stress in a long period of time. Try chips business and you will never regret doing so.

Table of Contents hide

1 WHAT IS PLANTAIN CHIPS

2 WHY YOU SHOULD DO PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

3 HOW TO START PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

4 RECIPE

5 ITEMS NEEDED FOR PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

6 HOW TO PREPARE PLANTAIN CHIPS

7 PACKAGING OF PLANTAIN CHIPS

8 MARKET STRATEGY FOR PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

9 QUANTITIES OF PLANTAIN CHIPS TO PRODUCE

10 HOW AND WHERE TO SELL PLANTAIN CHIPS

11 CHALLENGES IN PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

12 ADDITIONAL TIPS

Plantain is available all over Nigeria, especially from the south-south, south East and south-west. This business can be started from the comfort of your home if you are starting on a large-scale or you are expanding an existing one, you can rent a shop and employ capable hands. Plantain chips is eaten by all, mostly by adults and I wonder why plantain chips business is not being tapped into by many people.

WHAT IS PLANTAIN CHIPS

Plantain chips are a crispy or crunchy snacks produce from either ripe or unripe plantain. It is one of those snacks that is loved by so many, people prefer it to other snacks because it can serve as food. it becomes irresistible when produced in a very attractive and appealing way. The chips from ripe plantain are brownish black in colour while that of the unripe is yellowish in colour.

Plantain belongs to the banana family so it won’t be wrong to call it sweet banana chips. Apart from chips, plantain can also be used for pottage, boiled and eaten with stew or rice, flour etc. Plantain contains fibre, which makes very healthy for consumption.

In this post you will find

Why you should do plantains business
Amount needed to start
Quantities to supply
Challenges of plantain chips business
Market strategy
How to produce plantain chips
Profit in plantain chips business
Where to sale
Equipment/materials for plantain chips business

WHY YOU SHOULD DO PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

Plantain chips business is one of the easiest and comfortable businesses to venture into. In a time like this when major companies are folding up yet food business is still thriving, why? this is because human beings cannot do without food. The three basic needs of man are food, shelter and clothing. Can you beat that? Just as we need water to survive so also do we need food to survive.
It is a business that does not require huge capital for a start-up, with as little as #5,000 you can comfortably start the business.
Plantain chips business has given so many people financial freedom because the profit margins is high.
There are no two ways to it, you start making money immediately you start production you can never lose in this business rather you will only keep increasing profits as long as you remain in the business.
You can start the business at the comfort of your home
Anybody can start plantain chips business because it doesn’t require certificate
It is a fast-moving business

HOW TO START PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

Starting a business or any worthy venture in life requires boldness and determination. Start the plantain chips business with what you have at hand whether small or big. Locate a nearby market that is big where plantain is sold in large quantities, arrange for a means of conveying the bunches to your location, you can join hands with those who are in the same business so that logistics can be easy.

Test run the business by producing small quantities of chips, sell to neighbours, colleagues, classmates, families and friends. If you do it well people will be booking it down for supply. With #5,000, plantain chips business can kick off, but will advise you start with at least #20,000 if you want to make #100,000 and above in a month.

RECIPE

Plantain (Ripe/Unripe)
Vegetable oil
Salt
Ground pepper, garlic, ginger (optional)
Onions (optional)

ITEMS NEEDED FOR PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

Bowl-a big bowl for washing plantain
Frying pan for frying the sliced plantain
Water – for washing the plantain and other things
Sieve – to drain out water from the sliced plantain before frying
Frying spoon – to bring out the fried chips from the oil
Charcoal//gas for fire
Expanded papers :- to spray the chips after draining the oil before packaging. This helps to absorb the remaining non drained oil. Spraying it makes it to get cold faster. This is to prevent them from gumming together.
Plantain cutter – it could be knife or plantain cutters, there are some cutters made specially for plantain chips. This helps in slicing the plantain uniformly according to ones desired size and pattern.

HOW TO PREPARE PLANTAIN CHIPS

Wash and peel the plantain,
slice them into a bowl of water, this is to prevent the sliced plantain from changing colour,
add salt to taste,
pack them into the sieve for water to drain
add any of the ground spices your desire you can skip this and add them after frying
Put fire into the charcoal or gas cooker,
pour the vegetable oil into the frying pan and place it on the fire allow it to be very hot,
pour the sliced plantain into it and
fry accordingly .Don’t turn it frequently two times is fine,
bring them out when they become golden-brown in colour. The chips will give a cracking sound when they are dried..
Pack them into the sieve for the oil to drain,
pour them out on the already spread extended paper and spray
allow to cool a little but don’t leave them for too long so they won’t take in too much air thereby losing their crunchy nature.
Packaged your plantain chips according to your desired sizes.

PACKAGING OF PLANTAIN CHIPS

This is where the centre of attraction is. Make your packaging uniquely different from others. Good packaging attracts great sales. That is why you have to come up with a beautiful design. Use a strong nylon so air wont penetrate it easily or transparent containers arrange the chips uniformly into it.

Place the label on top of the container or nylon if you are using a customise packaging materials just go ahead and seal it. Use a business name that is appealing on your label. The name should be short and easy to remember. One thing should stand your plantain chips out, maybe the taste..

MARKET STRATEGY FOR PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

Apart from your unique packaging, also give your customers the option of choosing which taste to go for. For instance, you can fry the ripe and unripe, salted and non salted, spiced and non spiced, you can make one onion flavour, another garlic etc.

Assuming others are supplying 12 for a dozen, make your own 13 for a dozen until you are well established in the business. Also increase the quantities you package a little more than others. Do everything possible for your plantain chips to be accepted by people. Find out what people complain about from the already existing ones and use that to improve on your own. Take note of the kind of chips that sales more and produce them more.

QUANTITIES OF PLANTAIN CHIPS TO PRODUCE

The quantities to produce is largely dependent on the capital and the market strategy adopted. You don’t have to produce in large quantities when you cannot sell all within a short time. A well fried chips, with strong packaging material, properly sealed can remain crunchy between 3 to 6 months. A freshly prepared plantain chips will likely attract more buyers.

HOW AND WHERE TO SELL PLANTAIN CHIPS

Before producing plantain chips for commercial purpose, first of all produce sample and advertise to supermarkets, schools, shops, street hawkers and open markets. This way you are sure to get reasonable number of persons to supply to.

Never you assume that there are so many plantain chips in the market the market is very wide to accommodate all. Moreover people likes exploring things they will want to know how the new chips are tasting, take advantage of that and make your plantain chips uniquely different from others especially in taste.

Hawkers that stands in traffic sells faster and on a large-scale, get to them and supply. Walk up to eateries and institutions such as Schools and introduce your products to them. Make your plantain chips readily available for people to buy whenever they need it. Don’t make it scarce so another person will not overtake you. Be consistent, don,t give any gab so you can have more customers.

CHALLENGES IN PLANTAIN CHIPS BUSINESS

Location:- this is the number one challenge of plantain chips business if only you can identify a good environment for the business then you are good to go. You have to take into account the population that patronizes the chips more.
Consistency:– this is another big challenge because you don’t have to reduce the quantity you produce on a daily basis. Instead you keep on increasing it gradually in other to meet the desired target.
Dedication:– be very dedicated to this business, put in passion so it can be your driving force
Planning:- a well established plan will keep the business running. In other to succeed you have to put adequate plans in place.
Good management although every business has risk factors, you have to manage yours well in other to avoid unnecessary loses.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

Use a good vegetable oil such as the kings etc so that you can use the remaining oil over and over again because it does not change form; it will still give you the same great taste and attractive face. If you are using any kernel oil that is not properly refined you will produce plantain chips that is not attractive, you cannot re-use the oil as it turns black, the taste will not be good besides it tends to absorb more of the oil compared to the good ones.
Don’t add too much salt to the plantain chips it will make it to be bitter. It is better not to be enough than being over salted. For ripe plantain I will advice that you don’t use salt at all because their sweet nature is already enough. I strongly advice the use a source of fire that burns faster in plantain chip business, it is economical and faster.
Use a big fryer, the type used in frying garri if you are not using electronics, you will finish frying in no distance time.
For a large commercial purpose be sure to get additional hands because you cannot do it alone if not you will be stressed out of the business.
Set up plantain plantation in other to reduce cost and make it a life time investment.

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