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Hunza apricot oil and hunza shilajit branding idea-

Idea threads

abidrozdar

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hey Guys!

I am thinking about running a side business of selling products from the place I live- in hunza we have good quality of apricot trees and almond trees, from the apricot trees we get apricot kernel oil which is said to increase longevity of life and cure cancers mostly breast cancers, I have no proven source of this, but like wise there is this shilajit which is said to have good effect for man having erection problem and for old folks who have pain in their jonts- it cures them, this shilajit is found in the mountains on top of rocks.
do you think it is viable ?

I will be posting more on how am I doing! thank you
 
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RazorCut

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I just watched a video where someone swears that eating breadfruit will cure impotency and infertility.

Peddling snake oil is probably not the most intelligent business model though some make it work for a while. Why don't you look at legitimate uses of the product rather than relying on selling on the hopes and fears of the sick?

Almonds and Apricots are premium products, I'm sure you could come up with something worthy.
 

abidrozdar

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Yeah
I just watched a video where someone swears that eating breadfruit will cure impotency and infertility.

Peddling snake oil is probably not the most intelligent business model though some make it work for a while. Why don't you look at legitimate uses of the product rather than relying on selling on the hopes and fears of the sick?

Almonds and Apricots are premium products, I'm sure you could come up with something worthy.
Yeah you are right!! I am thinking about packaging it in good bottles and make it look like a premium product- can I order empty bottles from alibaba? actually I want to sell it in 125 ml or 250- I have done some research and it is a very good product for skin care and hair care so I am thinking about marketting it in cosmetic category! thank you!
 

RazorCut

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Yeah you are right!! I am thinking about packaging it in good bottles and make it look like a premium product- can I order empty bottles from alibaba? actually I want to sell it in 125 ml or 250- I have done some research and it is a very good product for skin care and hair care so I am thinking about marketting it in cosmetic category! thank you!

Reading that you just reminded me that I used to sell Neem Oil which I imported in bulk from India. We would repackage it into 50ml bottles and it sold well to organic growers who had problems with spider mites and to parents for use as a shampoo for children who had picked up head lice at school. It is also sold as a moisturiser.

I found a company locally who specialised in supplying containers. Literally from 5ml up to something you would see towed by a tractor. I'm sure there must be similar suppliers in your country.

A simple product to 'manufacture' the hardest part was creating the label design.
 
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abidrozdar

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Looks like the market already exists

Not huge but perhaps profitable , you dont oen the orchard right?
Actually I do- my mother is a professional in this business but they are making very few amount of money all because of the middle man, so to give you a perspective, they would earn around 200$ for 40 kg of dried high quality apricot, it is a lot of hard work and the payoff is so small, and the nuts from this 40 kg dried apricot makes around 10 liter oil, depends on the size of the nuts and they sell that for 10$ per liter-- so I want to help the producer as well as myself- now on amazon I saw a person selling huge amount of this oil in 125 ml for 28$- so there is some room for entry I think- Plus i want to start from a small product and get my feet wet as an entrepreneur- what do you think-- BTW the place I am living is HUNZA Valley for further research :) Thank you
 

abidrozdar

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Reading that you just reminded me that I used to sell Neem Oil which I imported in bulk from India. We would repackage it into 50ml bottles and it sold well to organic growers who had problems with spider mites and to parents for use as a shampoo for children who had picked up head lice at school. It is also sold as a moisturiser.

I found a company locally who specialised in supplying containers. Literally from 5ml up to something you would see towed by a tractor. I'm sure there must be similar suppliers in your country.

A simple product to 'manufacture' the hardest part was creating the label design.
Wow that is Inspirational and will help me go further, thank you!! You are Right the label Design- that is were it is interesting- I am a graphic designer, so I can make the graphics that are needed for the logo and stuff, but I am worried about the bottle design, price and packaging- I am thinking about targetting elite families in Lahore and Islamabad and will use the pay on demand process- I am thinking about using facebook ads for this- reading posts from this forum I have learned to first find a market for the product, so I am thinking about making a prototype and start advertising- what do you suggest? thank you and where is your neem Oil business now? Thank you!!
 
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MHP368

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what do you think

more questions, whats the process like to make the apricot oil? is that something you already so in a sort of "cottage industry" setup perhaps in some barn or must it be done elsewhere?

I feel like a major snag might be 1.)import red tape (a customs broker should be able to answer any questions on that end) and 2.)whatever requirements you'd need to sell in the US (or wherever the market is) ,

having to prove its origin and quality might be a huge cost hurdle
 

abidrozdar

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more questions, whats the process like to make the apricot oil? is that something you already so in a sort of "cottage industry" setup perhaps in some barn or must it be done elsewhere?

I feel like a major snag might be 1.)import red tape (a customs broker should be able to answer any questions on that end) and 2.)whatever requirements you'd need to sell in the US (or wherever the market is) ,

having to prove its origin and quality might be a huge cost hurdle
You are right!! about the export and regulations, it is a difficult road and will be needing a lot of experience, that is why my primary focus is to sell it locally in two major cities of the country and if it turned out well then we can always go to the next level :)

Yeah we have small cottage industry machines, that produces around 10 liter oil per day and for cracking the nut and collecting the seeds the females do it themselves, so what I can do is buy oil or ready made seeds from them and than package it and sell it for a reasonable price, giving them the price and take my profit from it- it will require one full time employee who will be responsible for collecting and packaging the oil, I will take care of the marketting side and for the delivery there are courier services which are doing pay on delivery services, they will be charging their fees, which is going to be added on top of all the costs- so now I am thinking about finding all the expenses and than decide if it is worth the profit- also I will be running random ads on fb to see the demand- what do you think ? thank you!
 

Walter Hay

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I suggest you don't offer apricot kernel oil for sale for any medical purpose. Apricot kernel contains a toxic chemical known as amygdalin. In the body this chemical is converted to cyanide, which is poisonous.

Trials of amygdalin to treat cancer showed that it did not work. Making any health claim in the USA or other Western countries could get you into big trouble.

It is often used in the same way as other vegetable oils as massage oil, and moisturizer, as well as for other skin and hair applications.

The oil is available online in many countries including the USA, at prices as low as $8 per KG. If you want to sell it you need to label and package it to look exceptionally attractive. Most users will be female, so you should appeal to their desire to look young and beautiful.

People living in the Hunza region are known for longevity, and this is generally attributed to a diet high in apricots! Maybe you could weave that into your sales pitch.

You will need approval from the US FDA to export it to the USA.

Walter
 
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MHP368

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Sounds like a solid plan. Another one for your list of eventuals

How yo get "organic" designation for the western market

The brand builds itself right? "Weve had the apricot grove gor xyz years , here in the vallrys of hunza..."

You add the right qualifiers like natural and organic and the hippy woowoos eat it up
 

Jsoh

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Hey there... I've done research in Hunza and I read that one of the prized possessions from your area are the Apricot trees. It's surely viable, but you have to work out how a plan of attack before hopping in (at least I would)

do you think it is viable ?

I think there's a market for it within the health community.

I live- in hunza

Side note: In my readings I read that the people in your area live very long and experience great health all the while... Can you confirm?

Nice to hear from somebody in Hunza.

Cheers
 

abidrozdar

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I suggest you don't offer apricot kernel oil for sale for any medical purpose. Apricot kernel contains a toxic chemical known as amygdalin. In the body this chemical is converted to cyanide, which is poisonous.

Trials of amygdalin to treat cancer showed that it did not work. Making any health claim in the USA or other Western countries could get you into big trouble.

It is often used in the same way as other vegetable oils as massage oil, and moisturizer, as well as for other skin and hair applications.

The oil is available online in many countries including the USA, at prices as low as $8 per KG. If you want to sell it you need to label and package it to look exceptionally attractive. Most users will be female, so you should appeal to their desire to look young and beautiful.

People living in the Hunza region are known for longevity, and this is generally attributed to a diet high in apricots! Maybe you could weave that into your sales pitch.

You will need approval from the US FDA to export it to the USA.

Walter
Walter Thank you!! Yeah You are right, Claiming health benefits is very difficult to prove and as you said it produces cyanide inside our body than it is even more dangerous, so yeah I am dropping that Idea and planning to market it as a Beauty Product here in the two big cites of the country, starting small and understanding the process- that is the plan- What do you think?

Yeah before 2000 most of the elders here were above 95 and used to work in the fields at that age, but now the industrial products are starting to show their effects, as I remember our family had like 15 person, male and female above 80 and it was amazing living with them but now hardly 5 person go to that age- heart attacks are getting common among that age- all because of the oils and spices and stuff-

Now there are a few reasons for the long age- with no proper medical facilities most of the people crossed 80 because- 1- Glacier water containing h+ ions, and that water has been specifically named Hunza Water it was a research conducted by a nobel prize winner dr henri coanda father of fluid dynamics- secondly natural and spice free diet and a lot of work. are the reasons I think are responsible for this! so with this extra time on our hand we have created some beautiful culture and rituals, which is amazing to experience :)
 
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abidrozdar

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Sounds like a solid plan. Another one for your list of eventuals

How yo get "organic" designation for the western market

The brand builds itself right? "Weve had the apricot grove gor xyz years , here in the vallrys of hunza..."

You add the right qualifiers like natural and organic and the hippy woowoos eat it up
Yes Once it is an established brand here than I can with the income it will generate, use professionals to help tap into the US and Western Market. Right now it feels do able for me to start it here- so the First Step I took and made the logo and and banners and stuff- now I am contacting bottle makers, hopefully will have a good news there! Also I have made a fb page and I am thinking about making a website- which is not necessary I think at this stage- right now I am trying to figure out the demand of the product in the country - fb ads will help with it- what do you suggest. Thank you!
 

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abidrozdar

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Hey there... I've done research in Hunza and I read that one of the prized possessions from your area are the Apricot trees. It's surely viable, but you have to work out how a plan of attack before hopping in (at least I would)



I think there's a market for it within the health community.



Side note: In my readings I read that the people in your area live very long and experience great health all the while... Can you confirm?

Nice to hear from somebody in Hunza.

Cheers
Hey Jsoh! Thank you!! Yeah apricots are one of the best in the world due to the perfect temperature required- Yeah before 2001 most of the elders here were above 95 and used to work in the fields at that age, but now the industrial products are starting to show their effects, as I remember our family had like 15 person, male and female above 80 and it was amazing living with them but now hardly 5 person go to that age- heart attacks are getting common among that age- all because of the oils and spices and stuff-

Now there are a few reasons for the long age- with no proper medical facilities most of the people crossed 80 because- 1- Glacier water containing h+ ions, and that water has been specifically named Hunza Water it was a research conducted by a nobel prize winner dr henri coanda father of fluid dynamics- secondly natural and spice free diet and a lot of work. are the reasons I think are responsible for this!
Thank you!
 

PersianCub

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I am familiar with shilajit from Ayurvedic medicine... from my understanding it's very difficult to get quality shilajit and there's a purification process that it has to go through.

Have you actually seen this shilajit and been able to retrieve it?
Are you sure there is a large amount?

That market is packed right now, just go on amazon every other seller is popping up with "AUTHENTIC SHILAJIT" and nobody really has a standard for judging aside from the effects.

it sounds like you have a strong connection to the apricot thing so if you push that legally somehow that sounds like a much better opportunity in my mind so far.
 
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Walter Hay

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Walter Thank you!! Yeah You are right, Claiming health benefits is very difficult to prove and as you said it produces cyanide inside our body than it is even more dangerous, so yeah I am dropping that Idea and planning to market it as a Beauty Product here in the two big cites of the country, starting small and understanding the process- that is the plan- What do you think?

Starting the way you plan is a very good idea. Not only will it give you validation of the product, but it will give you valuable experience before you try the big markets.

I hope it goes well for you.

Walter
 

abidrozdar

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Hunza Pakistan
I am familiar with shilajit from Ayurvedic medicine... from my understanding it's very difficult to get quality shilajit and there's a purification process that it has to go through.

Have you actually seen this shilajit and been able to retrieve it?
Are you sure there is a large amount?

That market is packed right now, just go on amazon every other seller is popping up with "AUTHENTIC SHILAJIT" and nobody really has a standard for judging aside from the effects.

it sounds like you have a strong connection to the apricot thing so if you push that legally somehow that sounds like a much better opportunity in my mind so far.
Hey there! You are right! Yeah they are found at the top of most mountain here!! but you are right very difficult to test its effects and yeah I have seen a lot of people selling it-

Yeah Apricot is viable right now for me- hopefully it will go according to plan :)

Thank you!!
 

abidrozdar

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Starting the way you plan is a very good idea. Not only will it give you validation of the product, but it will give you valuable experience before you try the big markets.

I hope it goes well for you.

Walter
Thank you!!
Will keep posting here about the process and would love your insights- Thank you!!
 
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