A cocoa farm business plan should accomplish several things. For one, it should concisely describe the market opportunity you envision running a cocoa farm; for another, it should carefully describe the operations and layout of the farm so that a reader who is not familiar with one can understand what you're doing. Finally, you should give a meaningful review of the competitive field and the industry to help contextualize your position in the market. Sound like a lot? It is! But in order to get recognized for funding, a business plan for a farming operation needs to be comprehensive, and your cocoa plan should address all of the following questions:
• What are the average price points for your cocoa?
• What are the quantities in which it will be sold?
• Who are the most common buyers?
• What has this industry done in the past 3-5 years?
• Who are you competing against?
• What are your long-term staffing needs?
To address the staffing question, provide a detailed personnel plan showing the timeline for new hires and the amount they will be paid. You should also have a full start-up summary outlining how you envision allocating the seed capital, particularly as concerns capital costs like equipment purchase or machinery rentals. The overall pro forma will need to include a revenue forecast, break-even point, profit and loss statement, balance sheet, and cash flow analysis, covering at least 3 years and preferably 5 years. A marketing summary and management section will round out the plan. MasterPlans can write this entire document for you – call 877-453-2011 to learn about what we can do for you!
