Topic: Melbourne - Cruelty Free/Vegan/Environmentally Friendly Shop & Cafe

Hey jojo my name's rocket i have a shop on bridge rd richmond and i think if you're interested we might be able to work something out together. I run an ethical merch company where people come in and order custom merch. i also have badge machines set up for DIY making and a small range of no sweatshop clothes. I really want to add more fairtrade products and other stuff like you mentioned but i really don't have time to source the stuff and keep it stocked.

Maybe you could check out the space because it's quite large and i could possible rent you some space to have your shop in mine as a way to start off. Or maybe a partnership of sorts. Anyway the shop idea is good. There are a few around but not a lot and most of the places are sort of like oxfam shops, more giftcentric. anyway check out my website to see a few pics of the shop and get an idea of what i'm doing.

-rocket
http://www.stayhuman.com.au
http://www.ethical-entrepreneur.net

Hi Rocket, thanks for your reply. I think your idea is potentially very interesting. How long has your shop been open now? My idea really is very much in the thought stage right now and I'd really like to see it though but I'm not sure what direction will work best quite yet. I realised how hard it was to find cruelty free products in shops here and that started the idea and it's been growing in my mind since! I read your blogs with interest. The one where you mention 90% of businesses failing in the first year especially. I don't really have any retail experience and although I have some capital and the idea this may not be enough and opening a store could be a big failure. You mentioned starting at markets and online which is a good idea, and one that I have thought of too and maybe need to investigate more. Sharing your premises somehow though may be a good compromise me as it wouldn't require such a big outlay. It's certainly food for thought though. Jo

jo, the business has been going for six years but the shop is just a month old, thus i'm still looking for things to fill out the retail side. With the fairtrade products starting a webstore is a must. You can have a hosted webstore with domain for less than $100 if you DIY. With the shop i have been renting parts of my space to some people. Depending on how much space you needed it would only be between $20-50 a week. I'm doing it just so people stock cool stuff in the shop and it brings people in, who will hopefully remember me if they need merch ever.

As for 90% of businesses failing, just remember to keep your day job and you'll be fine. Something can't collapse under you if you never put any weight on it. Also consider doing Neis. it could be another good way to ease into it. Feel free to drop by the shop and have a geezer if you like. bye.

Stay Human Shop
Upstair, 77 bridge rd, richmond 3121
tue-sun 10-5

Hey Jo,
I'm planning on opening a store very similar to the one you're thinking of, although due to my lack of hospitality experience the cafe part wont be up and running for at least a year (although I'm trying to track down vegan cupcakes to stock for Noah if anyone reading this can help me). I'm in the process of applying for the NEIS program Rocket mentioned, if successful, my store will be opening in August. I'm planning to open the store in Brunswick close to the Vegan Lentil as Anything (pending the results of my surveys) although I think there is equal demand (and possibly more money) in the St Kilda area. If you're still only thinking and not ready to jump right in, I would love to share ideas and opinions with you to help get my store up and running and then when you're ready we could work together (with much more Melbourne vegan business experience) to start your vegan business.
If you want to know more about my idea let me know and if anyone else reading wants to throw me some requests I'm all ears.

Anikee
The Radical Grocery Store

The Radical Grocery Store - good name!

Hi Anikee
At the moment yes I am just in the thought process but I’m now at the point where I need to start doing some planning and research. I imagine its going to take up to a year to get things up and running. I’m also weighing up whether its worth starting an online shop first and maybe trying to sell at markets, and possibly utilising Rocket’s offer. I need to attend some business courses and have also been thinking about trying to find work in a similar shop to build some retail and more in depth product knowledge.
I’d certainly be interested in sharing thoughts, ideas etc with you. St Kilda is funnily enough in the front of my mind for a location at the moment.
You and Rocket both mention neis. I’ve had a quick look but from what I understand this is only available if you are unemployed?
So yes, I’d love to hear more about your idea!
Jo

i'm totally loving that this forum is starting to get a few people trading cool idea. man a vegan business community who would have ever thought there would be enough of us! To apply for Neis you do need to be unemployed but in my case i actually quit my job and applied for it the next day. everyone loves neis because you basically get the dole for a year while running you business. It's a ten grand pension spread across your first year of trading.

anikee, good luck with the shop it sounds like your going to do a good job of it and keep us in the loop, i'm always happy to help with ideas. I always though a vegan cafe that had some cooking classes would be good, when i first went vegan i had no idea how to cook.

There are already a few online vegan stores but I don’t like shopping online and have been wanting a physical store to exist for quite a while so that’s why I'm jumping in head first. Also I'm young, full of passion and enthusiasm and not yet ready to grow up and put my savings towards a home loan deposit.

If you want to develop your business ideas further I'd definitely recommend doing part one of the cert IV in Business (small business management). I did it through Kangan Batman TAFE two nights a week but other providers may be just as good, and you will complete the entire certificate if you do NEIS.

As for getting onto NEIS I'm much the same as rocket. I quit uni (technically I was banned) then applied for new start the next day.

Basically The Radical Grocery Store aims to be 100% ethical (apparently this makes it a radical business) and so will not exploit anyone or anything in anyway. This includes the customer, the farmers, non-human animals and the environment. The store will stock the largest range of vegan specialty products, the largest range of fairtrade and no sweat products and no un fairtrade products (I am still debating whether to also stock local organic when fairtrade is available), certified organic local fresh produce and grocery items and a range of recycled and reusable products (I’m also interested in other qualities such as packaging, ethics of parent companies etc). The store will eventually be a one-stop-shop for vegans and other ethically minded consumers and include a small café and activist space. I also hope that the store can act as a kind of vegan show room to introduce more people to veganism.

Jo - if you have any hospitality experience or want to get some, I also have a vague vision of a vegan, organic, fairtrade cafe with vegan cheese cake, cup cakes and every kind of tea, throw in Rocket’s vegan cooking classes and rent some kitchen space/time to other vegan entrepreneurs (the pastry chefs in my TAFE course thought a business which just rents kitchen space would be an awesome idea and much needed). I was thinking of eventually opening something like this as part of the long term vision of my store but I'd much prefer if someone else started it or something similar sooner, either in my store or close by because I don’t know Jack about hospitality.

Rico - Glad you like the name, a lot of debate went into it over the last few months. When the world is ready for it, it may one day change to 'The Radical Vegan Grocery'.

Sorry that was such a long post. I’d love some more feed back on my plans and if you have time, below is a link to one of my surveys. Cheers

Click Here to take survey

Hopefully this link will work
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=sMIbe_2bMgVII9WBIVdInVzQ_3d_3d

(I can only collect a limited number of responses per survey so please only complete this one if you live/work/study in Melbourne)

Hi Anikee Thanks for your advice, very useful. I am looking into the Cert IV business as my local tafe run one starting in a few weeks. I have also got some small business workshops coming up. I won't be eligible for neis because of my visa status, I'd have to wait over a year before it changes and I'm allowed to apply, and I'm just too impatient to wait that long! My idea was also to incorporate a vegan cafe instore. I was thinking along the lines of simple, easy to prepare food, such as muffins, croissants, pots of muesli, for example in the mornings and a range of salads, soups, sandwiches etc at lunch together with some yummy cakes, biscuits etc. Again, I don't really have hospitality experience (this is what's making it so hard for me to know where to start as this is all a big change in direction for me). As its going to take a long time before I'm ready to get my own store up and running this could certainly be a good starting point and work well for the both of us. Have you already found a premises with kitchen and cafe space? Jo

Hey Jo,
The reason I'm not starting the cafe myself in the short term is because you are much more likely to fail in business if you don't have experience in the industry. The amount of cafes and restaurants on Sydney road and near by on Lygon street means it will be very difficult to compete with out experience and an exceptional menu to get the omnivores in and returning too. I was thinking of leaving the meals to the vegan lentil as anything near by and opening a small cafe with just drinks and baked goods once I can afford to hire staff with greater hospitality experience.
What industry are you working in now? I would definately recommend getting a job in a health food store or an organic grocery and a cafe, even if only for a year to give your business the best chance possible.
One of the best things about NEIS is that at the end of the training your business plan is assessed by a pannel before you can recieve the funding and start your business so you know before you invest your soul and all your money, if your business is likely to succeed.
I'd keep your job and build up your experience and your business plan and not jump right in full time until you qualify for NEIS.
Let me know if you need any help researching and soon I'll be able to tell you what works and what doesn't work.

Hi Anikee
I’m working in property at the moment, so not a lot of use to me really! However, I am already looking for vacancies in retail or in a café as this will obviously give me some experience whilst I get a business plan etc etc together. I’m also starting the Business IV course in July.
The ideas I mentioned were just what I envision for when I hopefully get started, to offer some simple healthy options, nothing fancy just simple lunch and breakfast ideas. From what I’ve seen in existing health/organic cafes this type of food seems very popular. From your point of view, starting with baked goods sounds like a good and simple way to test the market.
I’m certainly not planning to rush into anything, I’m enthusiastic and excited about the whole idea but I imagine that its going to take at least a year to 18 months before I’m ready to start anything. However, in the meantime I’m keeping an open mind when it comes to other options such as online shop, market stall etc..or anything that I could start and build upon or possibly a partnership with someone else interested in a similar idea.
I may well take you up on your offer of help researching when I’m ready though, thanks!
Jo

I was going to start with baked goods simply because I could order them in from someone else and not have to deal with the preparation and the licences involved with it. I think you will be suprised how quickly you can develop your idea with the cert IV course in July and brain storming with others. If you're really enthusiastic and have the money theres no reason to wait over a year particularly if you qualify for NEIS then (only 25% of NEIS business fail which is a big drop from 90%). I guess if you start online or at markets, by the time you have a store you'll be ready to include everything you want in it. After doing my planning I decided to start the way I am and slowly work up to my full vision of the business. If you want to start online check out the cruelty free shop at crueltyfreeshop.com.au This was just voted Australian Vegan Business of the year by Aduki. If you wanted to start at markets I found a website once for a vegan grocery stall at the CERES market in Brunswick but I can't find the site now and I haven't been to the market to check it out yet. But if your up this end of town on a Wednesday or Saturday (9am-2pm) check it out.

If you are looking for a vegan chef at any time in the future please contact me. I have 10 years vegan experience and i'm working in a veggie restaurent but could do with a challenge! Thanks

The meat eaters didn't like the name so I held off the site until I was sure I wanted to commit to "the radical grocery store". The website is now under construction and will be online by the end of this month. Everythings on track for an August opening and we even have vegan organic fairtrade baked treats lined up.

Hi there Anikee and Rocket!

Nice meeting you both tonight (at the vegan business meet up thingy Emily from Aduki organised).

I'm Meg from Vegan Revolution.

This is quite an exciting thing having a vegan business forum. I'm hoping we can exchange ideas and strengthen the vegan/ethical business community across Australia through it!

Meg
Vegan Revolution
www.veganrevolution.com.au

Hey Meg,

How long will it be until your new pricelist is up on your site? If you could send me just a list of your products I'll try not to double up where I can avoid it.

Thanks again to Stay Human, Aduki & Dilga organics. Great to feel the community spirit.
__
Anikee
radicalgrocery.com