Business in your own kitchen. Handmade gingerbread: myths and reality is the business of Kozuli profitable

Gingerbread became not just edible amber sarcophagi of Russian roots, they also became the opposite, antonym of the extremely widespread sadomasochistic pleasures of the pedagogical system of Tsarist Russia and modern Russia. Carrot and stick, offense and praise, pain and sweetness in the mouth. Probably, cooking gingerbread is to cook Russian happiness, compassion and hope for tomorrow. To find out for sure, we spoke to the maker of the 'dream gingerbread Pryansk "- Nikita Putmakov.

Why do you say in the title that your gingerbread is with a dream?

Once, a few years ago, my wife and I, and then two more daughters, set off for a month and a half to travel to different Indian cities. And when we came back to our February Novosibirsk, we suddenly realized that we had several new "understandings".

We realized that we definitely do not want to live in a metropolis.

Moreover, this was not some kind of logical conclusion, under which there was some sort of well-thought-out sectarian theory. It was just an unmotivated feeling that a metropolis (and it doesn't matter whether Russian Novosibirsk or Indian Mumbai) is an environment for a normal human life with children, completely unsuitable.

We realized that we want our social circle to include not only our compatriots, but also people from other countries.

It was a revelation for us to discover that you may have more in common with some people on the other side of the border than with some on this side.

We realized that we were sorely lacking normal, simple fire-cooked food and fresh produce.

And in general, that we want to know better our cuisine, history and culture. After all, you must agree, this is an abnormal situation that we live in Russia, a country that claims one of the key roles in the world, but at the same time we have no idea what food from a Russian oven is. As my friend told me: “Russian cuisine? Does she even exist? " We need to do something about it!

We began to think how we could combine all this and decided that a guest house or, in an international way, a guesthouse would be the ideal solution to all these problems. And they decided to start realizing this dream of a guesthouse with rye gingerbread - one product with which we would not be ashamed to meet guests from other parts of the world right now. That's why.

Why did you decide to bake gingerbread and not another product in order to build a guesthouse?

Until the guesthouse was built, they needed a product that could be served outside of the home. The gingerbread went well. But there was another story that made us pay attention to gingerbread. Once two travelers from Germany stayed with us. As a gift, they brought us the world-famous Nuremberg gingerbread, the most popular of which is "Elisen-lebkuchen", which are made from almond flour and candied fruits.

It was delicious!

And I thought, really in Russian cuisine there are no normal gingerbread, but there is only this something that is sold in supermarkets and which I personally never liked?

We picked up the preserved recipes, tried to cook. And it turned out that our kitchen also has delicious gingerbread.

Still, for you, gingerbread is a means or a hobby where you can realize not only your culinary, but also your creative potential?

Probably all at once. Since while I am combining this whole "gingerbread project" with my main job as an interior designer, from this point of view it can be called a hobby. On the other hand, since we want to grow a new large project with a guesthouse from this small seed, then this is a tool. In general, looking at people who give the impression of successful and harmonious, I came to the conclusion that most of them do not have a division between work, hobby, business and leisure - they gradually make their life more and more holistic, combining all their talents, interests and needs in a single process of their self-realization. We strive for the same.

What is the peculiarity of making "Pryansk"?

The peculiarity is that, firstly, the gingerbread cookies are made exclusively from rye flour, which should be the case in real Russian cuisine.

Secondly, a lot of taiga honey is added to them, which we take from our friend from an apiary in the taiga in the north. Tomsk region, thirdly, I add my author's composition of 10 freshly ground spices to the gingerbread.

And who comes up with slogans when designing a product?

This is, apparently, about the stickers that we glue on the boxes of gingerbread for the holidays. It all started on February 14, when we realized that we were bored of making gingerbread in the mainstream of the usual "cute" "Valentine" gifts. We decided to offer an alternative view of the issue.
And they made gingerbread for those who at the moment have no one to give valentines, as well as for those who are “forced to celebrate,” but secretly hate this holiday. I did a little googling looking for different sayings that would fit my idea of ​​what is missing from the usual assortment of Valentine's gifts. This is how gingerbread cookies appeared with stickers "let's hate everyone together!" People liked it. Then they made similar alternative episodes by February 23 and March 8. In general, somehow slogans appear - first an idea, then "okay, Google" - and forward.

What can your gingerbread cookies tell foreigners who first encountered Russian culture?

If gingerbread could talk, they would probably tell their rich story about how the first ritual cakes from honey and rye flour began to be made in Russia about a thousand years ago. How, from about the 13th century, merchants began to bring spices from India and Central Asia, which they also began to add to these cakes, which they began to call gingerbread. About the fact that by the beginning of the 20th century, many different gingerbreads were produced in the Russian Empire, which were very popular with us, and were also exported to Europe.

The fact that the merchants kept the recipes for gingerbread in secret and did not write them down, therefore, after the revolution, most of the recipes have sunk into oblivion.

When you build the guesthouse, will you continue to make gingerbread?

Why not. We generally love to cook. In the city, it is almost impossible to cook on live fire, except perhaps on gas, if there is one. In summer, at the dacha, we usually cook in a cauldron. It would be cool to build a Russian wood-burning stove in the guesthouse. As we see it so far: half of the menu would be left with dishes of real non-pop Russian cuisine, and the other half - various other dishes according to recipes brought from travels.

Finally, give a gingerbread recipe that everyone can make at home.

First, make the caramel syrup: melt 120 grams of sugar over high heat, pour 50 grams of boiling water into it and cook a little so that the caramel dissolves in the syrup.

Melt 300 grams of honey separately and add 5 grams of the spice mixture to the spices to give their aroma to the hot honey. Spice mix options vary. The most basic gingerbread spices are cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

Pour hot spiced honey into the caramel syrup. Brew 250 grams of rye flour with this mixture. Add 90 grams of oil, stir and leave to cool for 30 minutes to room temperature.

Then put 1 egg and 2 yolks there (leave the whites - they will come in handy), a pinch of soda and another 200 grams of flour. Knead the resulting dough well. It is desirable that the gingerbread dough stand for at least a couple of hours - it will be more elastic.

We form the gingerbread cookies and bake - 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees, depending on the size. We make a glaze from 1 protein and 140 grams of powdered sugar and grease the gingerbread that has not yet completely cooled down. We are waiting for everything to cool down.

Better yet, we are waiting for the next day and ... we are trying real Russian cuisine!

A new tradition - gift gingerbread painted gingerbread - is gaining popularity in Russia. Elena Nikishova, a Tula entrepreneur, decided to build her own business on the production and sale of beautiful and sweet delicacies.

Elena's story is similar to thousands of others. After the birth of her second child, she went on maternity leave, and when it was time to go to work, it turned out that, in fact, there was nowhere to go - her company was closed. After sitting without work for a couple of months, Elena came to the conclusion that she needed to start her own business. But which one? And then the case turned up: when she came to her friends' birthday, as a gift she received a beautifully wrapped colorful gingerbread in the shape of a flower. When asked where they get such, they explained to her what they ordered from the master and that this pleasure is not cheap. Elena decided to learn how to bake such gingerbread.

“I found out where they teach the skill of baking gingerbread, - says Elena. - I went to Moscow for 10 classes. My husband had to fork out. They are voluminous figures like gingerbread houses. In principle, for any woman who knows how to cook and handle the oven, there is nothing super complicated. "

The first orders, as always happens, were distributed among relatives and friends. For two months, Elena “got her hands on” and earned an image with potential clients. She did not have to buy any special equipment. She already had a quality oven. The only thing that had to be redone was one of the kitchen cabinets - for a gingerbread dryer. And, of course, buy various forms for baking, as well as a syringe for applying glaze. Real orders soon began to arrive. That is fifty "strawberries" for children's party, then "cars" with a logo for a corporate party.

“I really started selling my gingerbread in the spring of 2015,” Elena recalls. “It was just the eve of Easter. I was asked to make gingerbread in the form easter eggs, Easter cakes, Easter bunnies and chickens. She baked during the day and painted gingerbread at night. I was tired. But in the end, it turned out that I earned about 40 thousand rubles. And after that, having weighed all the pros and cons, I decided to register an individual entrepreneur. "

Why IP? Elena thought that it would be much more profitable: there are fewer reports, and taxes are fixed, and she didn't have to collect a lot of documents for opening, and it all cost 800 rubles. Mom - an accountant - helps with reporting. So, since July 2015, her micro-enterprise has been operating at full capacity. Incomes have become fairly stable. Elena did not give any additional advertising: she relied on word of mouth, plus social networks in which her friends acted as advertising agents.

All production is located in the kitchen - so no rent or additional costs.

The smallest Elena gingerbread costs 30 rubles, the largest and most painted one can cost 1000 or more. Gingerbread houses are already sold for 1500-2000 rubles. Elena sets the prices herself, but with an eye on competitors, which, for example, in Tula, for example, have appeared quite a lot this year.

“A separate topic,” says Elena, “is the production of glaze.“ At first I tried standard recipes from powdered sugar and proteins, plus dyes. But there were many problems with it. Therefore, I switched to the use of ready-made sugar-protein drawing mass - icing made in Italy. For it I have to go to Moscow, but it is much more effective and reliable. There I also buy spices in bulk, because in real gingerbread, besides ginger, cloves are used , cinnamon, anise, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, pepper, dill, orange peel (bitter orange), pounded bitter almonds, lemon, mint, vanilla, cumin, salt and honey. I also buy wholesale transparent packaging, satin ribbons, boxes for packing sets and constantly bribing new interesting cuttings for figures. "

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Olga Kuzhnenkova, 31 years old, founder, owner and director of an online store of painted souvenir gingerbread "GlazeMania"... She was born in Moscow. Graduated from MGUT "MAMI" (department "Cars and tractors", specialty "Service and technical operation of motor transport systems"). Before launch own business worked as a senior manager of the personnel department management company"GC Independence". She is married and has a son.

How "GlazeMania" began

Olga Kuzhnenkova considers her education "not typical of a girl" - probably, the choice of a mechanical engineering university was influenced by frequent visits to her father's car service: " He can still go over the engine to some racer until three in the morning, because it is a passion, how interesting. Actually, dad is a manager in a car service, but he can't help but work with his hands - it's a family thing with us. "

In Olga's case, “working with her hands” was preceded by a typical search for herself: studying at a university, independent study of labor legislation, professional development, seven years in the personnel department, the position of a senior manager, maternity leave.

“Suddenly I have free time, a lot of time. - Olga recalls. - I remembered about my creative interests, which I somehow gave up - everything was not enough time. Exhibitions, drawing, embroidery, sewing, a sea of ​​recipes ... At some point I realized that I probably won't be back in the office. "

Business at that time was not even in my head. There were gingerbread. The first who thought that gingerbread could be used to make money were the friends of the young mother. “Listen,” they said over and over again, “how can you eat this? It should be sold as souvenirs! "

Friends, of course, flirted - in the sense that they ate Olga's gingerbread with pleasure. However, they sowed an interesting thought in the head of the hostess. Fortunately, at the same moment Olga's nephew urgently needed gifts for the teachers for March 8th. The deadlines were running out, there were no ideas, and then the schoolboy's mother grabbed the idea of ​​giving the teachers sets of beautiful gingerbread. The name of the future shop Kuzhnenkova - "GlazurManiya" - she also came up with. And she also made beautiful labels.

So, thanks to her friends, daughter-in-law, nephew, Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg, Olga felt herself in an unusual role - the role of an entrepreneur: “I did not plan to earn a conditional million. And I still don't plan. I just love doing two things more than anything else - cooking delicious food and painting. Painted gingerbread successfully combined both. The movement from a hobby to a business began with the fact that, figuratively speaking, I felt cramped in my kitchen - I wanted to go beyond it. "

“When it comes to cooking, I can honestly admit I get obsessed. For example, once deciding to make gingerbread cookies, I was faced with a choice problem: dozens of recipes were offered. I chose for a long time, painfully, and finally left four. As a result: four different doughs, five hours at the stove - and a mountain of cookies to the delight of friends and family. "

Kozuli: friends, relatives

Olga decided to specialize in painted Arkhangelsk roe deer. Due to its composition, this Pomeranian delicacy can be stored for a whole year without loss of quality. B Thanks to the bouquet of spices, the roe deer have a pronounced taste, and in general - “their own, dear ones”. Their cost is low, but painting takes time, diligence and skill.

According to Olga, the market for painted gingerbread in Moscow is quite saturated so that the buyer is not left without a product, but there is also room for new masters. The main thing, as in any handicraft, is to find your own style.

“I know other masters - I find the gingerbread fairies community very friendly, although anything can happen.” Olga learned the skill of painting from one of these fairies - even before the memorable first sale. Of all the recipes for gingerbread cookies she tried, Olga liked the recipe of the craftswoman Victoria Bredis the most - she also posted a description of the painting technology on the Internet. Olga lit up: "I want to learn the same way!" To the general joy, it turned out that Victoria was conducting full-time master classes, so the desire of the young mother soon came true.

Where do the gingerbread cookies come from?

The cost of the gingerbread starts at 30 rubles. It depends on the size of the product (the gingerbread can be 8 or 30 cm in length, it is limited only by the size of the oven), on the amount of glaze. A few days before baking, the master makes the dough - it takes one hour. From 50 gingerbreads are baked at a time - another two hours. The painting depends on the complexity of the drawing, it is usually done in two stages and takes from 10 to 40 minutes for a gingerbread. The cost of one gingerbread is from 100 to 1500 rubles, depending on the size and complexity of the drawing.

“I use natural ingredients,” says Olga. - For the gingerbread themselves, these are flour, sugar, butter, honey and spices. No amplifiers, substitutes or stabilizers. Glaze - professional confectionery. Dyes are professional, synthesized, of very high quality, imported from the USA. This is fundamental for me - I myself devote a lot of time to finding quality products for my family. "

If Olga worked 8 hours a day, she could make 50 gingerbread cookies per shift. But such a workload does not happen in reality. The little son is nearby 24 hours a day, so work time the craftswoman is not standardized.

“I didn’t count the percentage of defective products in baking, but I think not more than five. I have a big family: husband, son, parents, brother with family, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, aunts, uncles - a total of 15 people. We all often meet and communicate at family lunches and dinners, so there is no problem of "recycling marriage"

Holidays and weekdays: how to build a promotion

“I can make a gingerbread for any event, be it New Year, February 23, wedding, christening, professional holidays, but in the end - it's all the same gingerbread. - explains the entrepreneur. - The complexity is determined by the drawing. The simpler it is, and the more identical gingerbreads are required, the more profitable the party. A group order is, as a rule, corporate gifts for public and professional holidays. I also see that they order gingerbread with company logos. True, I haven’t had any of them yet. ”

Olga draws ideas for painting from everywhere. There are classics, which are made by many masters, and there are author's sketches for various reasons. It can be a picture (in favor of art deco and art nouveau), knitting on a sweater, monograms on the fence, fresh flowers. So, one of the Easter episodes was inspired by Slavic Easter eggs, there are plans for Indian stories. Ethno is a fashionable topic, with such products you can go to specialized exhibitions and fairs.

Olga does not have her own website, since it is not the most effective sales tool in the field of souvenir culinary. "GlazurManiya" uses a platform promoted among needlewomen - "Fair of masters » ... Another active advertising channel is profile groups in social networks. In the new season, Olga plans to test advertising on Avito and Facebook. The entrepreneur herself is engaged in filling pages, promoting, producing and selling. In fact, she is the only employee in the entire store team.

“I buy ingredients for gingerbread from hypermarkets and specialty stores for pastry chefs. The packaging is in the same place. I bake gingerbread, paint and pack myself. Of course, I keep track of the prices for raw materials, for finished products from other craftsmen. I make calculations so as not to be at a loss, but I don't have professional analytics. "

Bursts of orders for painted gingerbread are clearly associated with the holidays: demand is growing on the eve of the New Year, Christmas, Easter. In the summer, the store feeds weddings. The painting has its own fashion, trends (for example, when the cartoon "Frozen" came out, there were a lot of gingerbread with its characters; or the tiffany color is also a trend), but in general this sphere is quite stable.

Who Thinks of Vegetarians?

Uniqueness, individuality, piece work - this is the specificity of the "gingerbread" business. Especially when not a finished product is sold, made according to the author's idea, but an order is being executed according to the sketches and wishes of the client. It is difficult to put things on stream: other hands will do everything differently.

“My client is a person who loves when it is tasty and beautiful. Appreciates not only quality, but also an individual approach "

One of Olga's market advantages is that she offers not only traditional gingerbreads, but also vegetarian ones - without the use of eggs in the dough and glaze. Officially, these are all souvenirs: food products must be certified, and for this, a full-fledged enterprise with its own production line must be opened.

“My dream is to open a confectionery where people with no dietary restrictions, vegetarians and allergy sufferers could eat deliciously,” the entrepreneur admits. - I know the problems with finding delicious food for such people firsthand. Husband and son have food allergies. There is no meat or poultry in my diet. "

Olga considers the idea of ​​expanding the business, cooperating, reaching a larger volume premature. It's not even about the client base - we are solving this issue. The craftswoman is not sure that the "conveyor" will bring her the same pleasure as working alone.

“I am very inspired by examples family businesses with long history. I am reminded of an Italian whose family has been making olive oil for over a hundred years. He told how his great-grandfather squeezed out oil with this very machine, which the descendants kept, they did not specifically change it to a new one. He spoke with such love, with such trepidation. This is what is called spirit, continuity "

Rules for yourself - advice for others

During the year of GlazurMania's existence, Olga Kuzhnenkova made several business conclusions, which she formulated for herself as rules. Perhaps they will be useful to all aspiring entrepreneurs:

Not to be afraid to start new - everyone has done it once.

Not giving up what you love when faced with an unpleasant experience - it will pass.

Be sure that your work is needed and useful to someone.

Allocate time for rest, and not sacrifice it in favor of work.

Do not do business on what you personally do not enjoy.

Plan your time correctly.

Gingerbread is a flour confectionery that many people love. A sweet product is made from specially prepared dough.

Also, the production of gingerbread with a filling - honey, nut or others is carried out. There are a huge number of lovers of sweet delicacies. That is why a business idea that involves the production of gingerbread is very successful.

Classification

Gingerbread products, which are currently produced in Russia, have more than a dozen types. The most popular in this case are the following gingerbread:

Glazed;
- Tula;
- decorated;
- stuffed;
- classic.

Business idea

Profitable and very profitable is its own confectionery shop, the main specialization of which is the production of gingerbread. To implement such a business idea, you will need an initial start-up capital, which can range in size from medium to large. At the first stage, it is important to choose a gingerbread recipe.

After all, the ability to produce a product that is unique and has a recognizable unsurpassed taste is a guarantee of a leading position in this market. However, it is not always profitable to spend time looking for an individual recipe. Sometimes it is enough to apply proven methods of preparing delicacies by organizing the production of the most popular types of gingerbread.

The recipe for a popular product can be easily found in a cookbook or read on various resources. Common ingredients are wheat flour, sugar-containing raw materials (sugar, molasses, honey), fats, baking powder, various spices, and filling (jam, preserves).

Before the mass introduction of a new recipe, trial batches should be made. Only when they have passed a successful "test" among acquaintances, friends and relatives, delicious sweets should be introduced into the business.

Organization of your own business

A business involving the production of gingerbread, and then their sale, requires the lease of premises for the production workshop. In addition, investments in the necessary equipment will be required.

When you open your own production in someone else's premises, there is a certain risk. The landlord can terminate the contract at any time. In this case, a safety net is required. The lease agreement should specify the exact terms of its validity, so that, if necessary, you have additional time to transport equipment to the new workshop.

Sales

The demand for gingerbread products does not tend to decrease over time. On the contrary, there are more and more lovers of the sweet product, which is a traditional delicacy in Russia. That is why there is no need to worry about how to sell the finished product.

The main channels for the sale not only of gingerbread, but also of any confectionery products are outlets specialized in sales food products... Sweets can be sold at small bakery stalls, grocery stores and supermarkets, grocery stores and market stalls. Wholesale buyers will also be interested in the product.

For successful business any variant of the distribution channel will be good, because gingerbread is an extremely popular product. In this case, the reputation of the company will be an important factor of success. The tastier the gingerbread will be, the more success you will achieve in your business.

Equipment

Gingerbread production technology, regardless of the recipe used, consists of several stages. Initially, the dough is kneaded. After that, the filling is made. The next steps are the formation of the gingerbread, baking the product, its cooling and packaging.

Equipment for the production of gingerbread is:
- dough mixer;
- utensils for the preparation of filling and syrup;
- cooking pot;
- jigging machine;
- bake;
- dragee drum;
- glazing machine;
- packing line.

In addition to the above, there is also additional equipment. It can be purchased or rented. Additional equipment is a ventilation system, transport and a variety of small inventory. In addition, overalls for staff will be required.

Before buying the raw materials from which the sweet product will be made, as well as the necessary equipment, you will need to correlate your financial capabilities with the assortment list, distribution channels, as well as the size of the rented premises. You also need the advice of an experienced specialist who can give advice and guidance on business planning. You need to approach business professionally, not hoping for luck or luck.

Business costs

To open a gingerbread production, investments will be required, the amount of which will amount to approximately three million rubles. The amount is large enough, however, invested wisely, it will bring decent dividends. The initial capital will be required for:

Purchase of equipment;
- renovation of the premises;
- purchase of raw materials;
- purchase of additional equipment;
- recruitment;
- office equipment;
- payment for consultations and services of lawyers and technologists;
- registration of the organization.

With such an investment, the productivity of the technological line in one shift will be five hundred kilograms. finished products... With the uninterrupted sale of confectionery, financial investments will pay off in one and a half to two years.

Passion for foreign culinary has long led to the fact that our festive table is decorated with intricate cakes, exquisite pastries and cookies, fruit jellies and soufflés. You don't often see gingerbread cookies, and they often lose out in taste and "style" to sophisticated foreign baked goods. But in New Year Holidays in my family traditionally comes the finest hour of the gingerbread.

Like my mother once, now I bake gingerbread and gingerbread houses for my children, relatives and guests. Everyone will receive their personal New Year's gingerbread sweetly luring health, prosperity and good luck of the coming year.
Making holiday gingerbread at home
Initial investment: 15 tr.
Monthly profit: 30 tr.
Payback period: 1 month.

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