Fresh Fruit Business Plan
Writing a fresh fruit business plan? Fruit can be had at any given grocery store, sure -- but if you
want truly fresh fruit or produce, especially in larger cities, you probably need to drive to a
roadside kiosk or seek out a local farm. As consumers become more and more conscious of what
they're putting in their bodies, it is no longer just gourmands and cooks who desire fresh fruit.
Increasingly, grocers are being asked to carry pesticide-free, organic fruit and produce, and
suddenly small farming operations and fruit stands are hot market opportunities. Do you have a
fresh fruit business that you need to promote, or get funding to expand? Then you need a
business plan that can accomplish the following:
A careful analysis of the local market opportunity
An overview of the competitive threats in your immediate region
A look at the industry generally
An investigation in the best marketing strategies for your business
A complete pro forma
The pro forma financial model should give the reader an indication of your likely costs and show
exactly how you plan to spread around any seed or expansion capital you get. A start-up
summary or "use of funds" table should outline the categories that will get the most money and
the balance between loan and investment. Your plan should also do the simple stuffdescribe
the fruits you'll grow, the prices they'll likely command, and the type of customers you expect to
attract the most of. From there, the plan's model should use some reasonable assumptions to
prove that you can repay the loans you get and that the business has a chance to thrive. Need help
here? Call MasterPlans today at 877-453-2011.
rederick Wilhelm Albrecht, a native of Massillon, Ohio, started in the grocery business when he gained
control of his brothers local store. In 1891, he opened his own store in Akron, called Albrecht's Grocery.
After visiting an Acme store in Philadelphia (currently a supermarket chain owned by Albertsons),
Albrecht soon renamed his small corner grocery store "Acme". He also changed his business to conduct
cash-only sales. More "Acme Cash Stores" soon opened around the Akron area, reaching 40 locations by
1918. After ceasing home-delivery operations, Albrecht renamed his stores once again to Acme Cash
Basket Stores.[2] Acme grew to over 100 stores, both large and small, by the 1930s.
The Great Depression and World War II brought a decline in consumer behavior, and caused Acme to
halt its expansion. Following the war, Acme began to experiment in the Supermarket business, opening
their first such location in 1952. In 1966, the 75th anniversary of the business, the last of the small
corner stores was closed.
In 1965, Acme opened a subsidiary retail chain called Click. The Click stores were department stores with
a full sized Acme grocery store under one roof. The first Acme-Click store was in Stow (currently Fresh
Market #17). In the 1970s, Acme joined with Youngfellow Pharmacy to open Y-Mart stores, a chain of
pharmacy/convenience stores similar to Walgreens. After new competition entered the area, the Click
stores were renamed Acme Super Centers in the early 1990s. The Y-Mart stores were renamed Acme
Express in 1996. At the end of the 1990s, the Super Centers and Express stores were closed. Some of the
Super Centers were converted into Acme Fresh Markets, while others were sold. The Acme Express
stores were sold to CVS/pharmacy.[3] This was part of the company's effort to downsize and rebrand
the remaining stores as Acme Fresh Market.
After the loss of their local Acme store in 1997, residents in West Akron rallied for a new supermarket to
move in. Henry Johnson, a longtime Acme employee, worked with Acme and the city to open a new
grocery store. Henry's Acme, the company's first and only franchise location, opened in 2000. Following
a decline in business, as well as new competition in the area, the store closed its doors in 2014.[4]
There are currently sixteen Acme Fresh Market stores, an additional pharmacy, as well as two RSVP
Food and Party Outlet locations.
