loulas77
What kind of costs for the stand and fudge would a startup kit be? I would think of stand, fudge, display, cutters and I assume you sell the fudge already made? Is this fudge that I would cut and hand out or fudge that is in containers already? Would it have a brand name on it or would it appear homemade by me? Is the fudge of good quality or is it the cheapish fudge that I see in convenience stores as little square cubes of sugar basically? How much do the vendors you supply actually sell at an event? Is the fudge going to get hard or go bad quickly or does it last?
Loulas77, I just realized that you are actually moving to within 45 minutes of me! I know the Erie area pretty well and I do think that you can make a good business there!
Being a local person I think that we would allow you to rent to own a stand (they are very cheap). The only thing that you would really need is to purchase the fudge and make signage. We would supply the fudge cutting utensils. Yes, we sell the fudge already made. It comes in either 5lb loaves or prepackaged gift boxes. The gift boxes are either 1lb or 1/2lb boxes and you would sell them as is with no cutting. We private label the boxes to different companies but we also have our own brands and you could choose which to sell. It is all the same fudge just under different brand names. The 5lb loaves come in generic containers and you are more than welcome to claim that you make the product.
You asked about quality. We make the fudge so of course I will say it is great :)
The truth of the matter is that we make an extremely high end fudge. We sell in some very good venues. As a matter of fact if you have ever purchased
Forbidden Fudge from a Hallmark store here in the states I(including several in Erie) in the gold boxes then you have tasted our fudge. It is always very soft, smooth and creamy - its never hard, gritty or sugary like the kind you have probably tasted at the convenience stores.
Pricing is simple. The 5lb loaves cost $20 each. They are usually sold by 1/4lb slices and you can get anywhere from 10$ to $15 per pound selling it depending on your venue.
The 1/2 lb boxes cost $4 and retail for between $6 to $8. The 1lb boxes cost $6 and retail for between $10 and $13 each. You can order as much as you want. You could start out with 1 box if you wish. We don't make you buy any certain amount to start.
The shelf life of the loaves (how long it lasts) is generally a few weeks. We use all natural products and no preservatives. The shelf life of the gift boxes is at least 6 months.
I could not answer specifically how much a vendor will sell at a given event. It depends on the event, the weather, the other vendors and any number of other things. All that I can tell you is that our vendors do quite well selling the fudge and it is very profitable for them. If you would like I can PM you our contact info for when you arrive again in the states. I can give you some samples and meet with you. If not that is fine, I don't want to seem pushy and I hope that this information has helped regardless of what you pursue once you start your business.
