Wood chips are a popular ingredient for home barbecuing. They're available in grocery stores right next to the charcoal. Add a few drops of essential oil and herbs to the chips and turn ordinary wood into extraordinary flavor. Package the chips and sell them at craft and food shows.

Things You Will Need

  • Required licenses

  • Wood chips

  • Dried herbs

  • Essential oil

  • Labels

  • Card

  • Stapler

Get the business basics out of the way. Obtain any necessary licenses such as retail sales, city or state business licenses. Set up the legal entity of the business. If you're working out of your home and live in a community with a homeowner's association, check with the rules. Some associations prohibit the operation of a business from the home.

Dry woody herbs such as rosemary, thyme or sage. Package the herbs with the wood chips.

Add a few drops of the herb's essential oil to the wood chips. This perfumes the package, making it more that likely customers will buy it after they've picked it up.

Package the chips and herbs in brown paper bags. Each bag should contain enough wood chips for one grilling usage. The entire bag is used by placing it to the side of the coals. The paper bag will flame up but the chips inside should just smoke.

Hand letter the bags with the name of the variety of wood and the herbs. Attach a card that includes directions for use in the grill and what dishes the wood and herbs would compliment. For example, sage and apple wood would give a sweet and savory taste to chicken. Thyme and hickory work well with fish. Mesquite and rosemary compliments steak or beef.

Market the gourmet grilling chips at craft shows, farmer's markets and gourmet food shops.

Set up a website to sell the chips directly to customers. Remember to include adequate shipping costs to cover not only the mailing costs, but packing materials and your time in putting the shipment together.

Tip

Keep your personal home expenses separate from the business's revenues and expenses. Set up a separate business bank account. Consider opening a merchant account so you can accept credit cards from customers for direct sales or those through your website.

Warning

Don't forget that you will have to pay income tax on any net profits.