I think it is pretty safe to say that people enjoy their food with a little spice. While some prefer it be slightly mild, there are some people that truly enjoy their food full of spice and heat.
Bob de Gouveia is one of those individuals. He loved to spice up his foods, especially curry. When he would make some of his various curries it was always a hit among family and friends. One day, at their urging, Bob decided to sit down and measure out the spices he used in his curries so they could be packaged for anyone to use. His strategy worked. Bob is now the owner of EZ Spices and has officially started offering his business strategy as an opportunity for others with an interest in spicy food and a little fun.
Tell us a little about EZ Spices.
Ez Spices is a unique product not seen in stores and is my way of combining Indian Curry with Western style cooking. I have over the years developed my own Spice mixes and recipes to be more aromatic, flavorful and in my (and the families) opinion just enough Spiciness to compliment majority of peoples palates. This was shown to be the case as our Kids and grand kids who never eaten Curry before in the USA enjoyed them.
What inspired it?
I have cooked Curries for over 20 years now starting in South Africa. We decided to move to the US in 1993 to join the family who were already living in the US. Saturday nights became “Curry night” for the family, I prepared a Lamb or Shrimp curry for them. As time went on they started asking me for my recipe which I gave them but they said mine tasted better.
Eventually after all the nagging I sat down and broke down my Spices (I don’t use store bought Curry) and the recipe started developing. After many many trial recipes I got it to the point that it was easy for anyone to make a great Curry with step by step instructions.
When was it launched?
About a year ago I made a pot of curry using my newly created recipes and the kids took some to their places of work so their colleagues could taste. They all loved it so I started packaging the Spices and the recipe. I sent out Spice Paks to people all over the Country for comment and feedback on taste. I got a lot of positive feed back on how they enjoyed it and only had to make a few adjustments (in the recipe instructions) so that they were clearer and more precise.
What was the first spice mix you created?
My first Spice Pak was Lamb / Beef (actually any red meat) followed very closely by Curried Spaghetti.
How many do you currently have and what are they?
Right now I have 7 tried and tested recipes:
- Lamb/Beef
- Spaghetti
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Fish
- Mixed Vegetable
- Coconut Milk Shrimp
- Chicken Biriyani
Soon to release:
- Pickled Curry Fish.
- Sweet Curry Sauce (Ready for release I just have to make arrangements for bottling. I have been bottling myself for the Markets and they sold very well at the Markets as it can be used as a BBQ sauce, Dip, Spaghetti Sauce, Burgers, Snacks and Sandwiches)
Why did you decide to try selling them?
So many people enjoyed them and wanted to buy them and convinced me that they would sell. I then started figuring out the best way to test the Market and then got the idea to try a Farmers market. I bought the Canopy, tables, obtained the necessary Dept of Agriculture mobile vending permit and literally went to market. On the first day I sold 55 Spice Paks. Believe me it was interesting convincing people to sample Chicken or Spaghetti Curry at 9:00 in the morning. We cooked 2 Curries to sample Chicken and Spaghetti.
The second Week we sold 84 Spice Paks and people who had bought the previous week were buying 4 and 5 Paks. This to me was more important than the increase in sales. We found that even on slow weekends (Easter) we did well with once again repeat business.
Tell us a little about your business opportunity?
Our business opportunity is a simple one that is easy to setup and start making money in the most basic of business environments the Farmers Market. We compliment the Farmers market as people who buy the Spice Pak buy the vegetables they need at the Market. The “hands on” approach is important. The product is a definite seller but works best when someone is selling it with a taste sample.
What are your requirements?
We have a startup package that costs $199.00 and consists of:
- 50 Spice Paks for resale.
- 2 Spice Paks to make the sample Curries (Spaghetti and Chicken)
- 1 5′ vertical Banner which describes the Spice Paks with actual picture of the meals.
- Free eCommerce Website with no hosting fees
- eBooks and marketing materials
How long would you say it would take for someone to get everything they need together before they can start selling the product?
Depending on local licensing requirements it can be as short as 1 week but no longer than 10 days. In Florida I had to get:
1) Mobile Vending permit
2) Liability insurance
3) Purchase the Canopy tables and accessories for the tables (Baskets, Pot Plant)
I accomplished this within a week, then went to the Market that Sunday
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from your business?
There is absolutely no question about the product and that it sells. It is a “Hands on” product and because it is unique people buy and once they cook it they come back for more. Our “Taste to buy” results are over 90%. People love to hear about the Curry and taste it. The Spice Paks get comments like “You mean I buy the ingredients and use all these spice to make your Curry” I answer yes then the reply in inevitable “In that case I’ll take it”. I have yet to get a negative report on the product. Price made no difference whether it was $5.00 or $4.00 the sales remained steady.
Any advice you’d like to offer fellow entrepreneurs that are just getting started?
Yes: Do it it is EASY and it works. Once you have the easy to learn product knowledge which I provide with documentation and conference calls and follow the simple rules of presentation, follow a good dress code keep a full table meaning make the table look good and interesting with baskets potted plants. Cleanliness is key when offering sample food for tasting. as with any food if it looks clean and good people will try it. We always do a Curried Spaghetti for sampling as it is amazing how people say “Curried Spaghetti never had that before.”
