KENYA · GUIDE 0008 · EDITION 4.2
Lettuce growing - Risks and launch plan
Set the conditions for a safe commercial test
- contaminated water
- delicate transport
A restaurant may reject attractive oversized heads when its portions leave excessive remnants, so head appearance alone does not establish the commercial product specification.
A risk list is useful only when it changes a decision. For each risk, write the observable warning, who checks it and the response before the next commitment. Do not treat a reserve of money as permission to continue unsafe or unauthorized work.
Use a small, measurable pilot
Ask two chefs to accept or reject sample heads before expanding planting.
The pilot scope is: Choose a lettuce format that fits one restaurant's dishes, distinguishing whole heads for portioning from loose leaves intended for assembled salads during busy service.
| Gate | Evidence before continuing |
|---|---|
| Scope agreed | Choose a lettuce format that fits one restaurant's dishes, distinguishing whole heads for portioning from loose leaves intended for assembled salads during busy service. |
| Output acceptable | Ask the chef to separate a sample into usable leaves and trim, then assess how the remaining leaves behave in the restaurant's usual plated dish. |
| Costs recorded | Cost outer-leaf removal, head damage during transport and the space occupied by protective crates, rather than treating every harvested head as a full-price sale. |
| Buyer response recorded | Record head weights, usable leaf yield, plating feedback and the number of heads the chef actually uses during a service before scheduling successive plantings. |
Stage the launch around prerequisites
First confirm the buyer specification and activity requirements. Then compare suppliers, establish suitable facilities and prepare the operating record. Run the bounded trial when those prerequisites are in place. Review actual costs, quality failures and cash collected before increasing the commitment.
This sequence is not a promise that the complete business cycle fits into 30 days. Growing periods, qualifications, approvals, seasonal access and customer buying cycles can require longer. Revise the schedule when a prerequisite changes rather than skipping it to meet a launch date.
Choose continue, revise, pause or stop
Continue only when the scoped result is accepted and direct costs and payment timing are workable. Revise one part of the offer if the problem is identifiable and affordable to test again. Pause when required information, permission, skills or resources are missing. Stop the affected work when safety, consent or lawful authority is uncertain.
Keep a maximum test loss and unpaid-balance limit suited to your actual funds. A successful single delivery is useful evidence, but it does not establish year-round demand or justify committing every available resource.