How Are the Herbalist and Natural Food Figures Calculated?
This page explains the path behind every figure in the herbalist and natural food set. The bands you see in our profit margin, capital, running cost and earnings articles are not guesses; they come from reading three separate sources side by side. Before trusting a number, you have the right to know where it comes from. 📐
Short answer: we build every band from anonymised field records, open supplier prices and independent sector studies, and publish the range where the three overlap.
Which three sources do the figures come from?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 1. Anonymised field records
- 2. Open supplier prices
- 3. Independent sector studies
No band rests on a single source.
1. Anonymised field records
Revenue, cost and buying records from shops we’ve worked with and interviewed. Names and identifying details are removed; only ratios and ranges remain. This source shows us what actually happens.
2. Open supplier prices
Published prices from wholesaler lists, producers, shelving, scales and roasting machines. This source shows today’s cost.
3. Independent sector studies
Official statistics, trade association reports and data from international bodies. This source shows the general trend and checks whether our field records drift.
Why do we give a range rather than one number?
Even two shops in the same branch land in different places. Rent, neighbourhood, buying method, wastage rate and sales channels push one shop below the band and another above it. Giving one number would mislead half our readers. A range gives you a ruler to place yourself on.
That’s why each article shows three profiles: the bottom, middle and top of the band. Seeing which you’re closest to sets the right expectation.
What do the four figures mean?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Profit margin
- Capital
- Running costs
- Earnings
The set’s four article types answer four different questions.
Profit margin
The difference between selling price and purchase cost as a share of the sale; gross margin. Rent, wages and bills are not included. The figure after wastage is stated separately as “post-wastage margin”.
Capital
The one-off money needed to open the door: deposit, fit-out, shelving and equipment, first stock, permits and a starting reserve. Monthly costs are not included.
Running costs
The monthly price of keeping the shop open: rent, staff, energy, accounting, tax and insurance share, packaging, minor upkeep. Cost of goods is not included; it’s accounted for within the margin.
Earnings
The money really left in the till at month’s end: revenue minus cost of goods minus all monthly costs. If no separate wage is paid for the owner’s own work, this figure includes the owner’s income.
How is the break-even point found?
Break-even revenue is monthly costs divided by margin.
Break-even revenue = monthly costs ÷ margin
Example: a herbalist with ₺60K monthly costs and a 55% margin breaks even at about ₺109K revenue. Below that revenue the shop loses money; above it, it profits. 🧭
How is net earnings calculated?
Once break-even is passed, the margin share of every sale stays in the till.
Net earnings = (revenue − break-even revenue) × margin
That’s why each earnings article carries the line “every ₺100K of revenue above break-even leaves about ₺X net”. X is that branch’s margin: about ₺60K for pickles, about ₺18K for dry goods. The same revenue leaves very different earnings by branch.
When are the figures updated?
Inflation, rent rises and supplier prices shift the bands. We review them at least once a year, and more often during big price moves. Each article’s figures reflect conditions at the time of publication.
How should you use these figures?
The bands are a starting ruler, not a quote or a guarantee. When you place your own rent, neighbourhood and buying method, your real figure falls somewhere inside the band. Always run your own sums before deciding; the most accurate figure is your own shop’s.
All 17 branches’ bands sit side by side on the sector page.
📝 Field Notes
A reader calculated far lower earnings for his nut shop than our band. When we looked together, his rent was almost double the neighbourhood average, which pushed his break-even threshold up. The band wasn’t wrong; his shop sat at its lower end. A range is a tool for seeing where you stand. 📐
📖 Quick Glossary
Gross margin: the difference between sale and purchase cost as a share of the sale. Break-even revenue: the monthly sales that fully cover costs. Net earnings: revenue minus cost of goods minus all costs. Post-wastage margin: the margin left after discarded goods are deducted.
⚡ Quick Summary
Bands come from three sources: anonymised field records, open supplier prices, independent sector studies. 📊 We give ranges, not single numbers. Break-even revenue = costs ÷ margin; net earnings = (revenue − break-even) × margin. Running costs exclude cost of goods.
🎯 Next Step
Let’s work out your own shop’s figures together: quote form · free digital audit. 🤝
Frequently Asked Questions
Sık Sorulan Sorular
No; they are ranges that point a direction. Your own rent, neighbourhood and buying conditions place you somewhere inside the band.
Because cost of goods moves with sales and is accounted for within the margin. Mixing the two breaks the break-even calculation.
At least once a year, and more often during big price moves.
Source: OECD — Prices