Make $50 an hour, harvesting wild berries.
I thought that title might bring a few people in. It is highly unusual to be able to earn anywhere close to $50 an hour, harvesting most wild berries. Here in coastal British Columbia, we have an exception to that. Himalaya berries grow in abundance. They form huge thickets.
I have done some tests harvesting on this species. The container full of berries in the picture, was harvested in 9 minutes. I did this with one hand while holding the container. If I had used a belt to hold the container, this would have made it go faster. After selling some, I have determined that the market will bear $8 to $10, for a 750g former yogurt container filled with them.
These berries are abundant in many places along North America's West Coast and in many other places in the world. I don't package them and ship them anywhere. I have sold them to the same people who walk by them every day, and could pick their own, if they chose to.
What type of berry grows near you, that is abundant and very quick to harvest? If there is one, chances are many of them are not harvested by anyone. A very simple business to start, that has no start-up cost. Either it will work, or it won't. For most of us, finding a market is the problem. I eat berries and I have access to a freezer. Problem solved. I will be my own best customer, this year.
If I were ever to become completely unemployed during July, August and September, the harvest of these berries could easily keep me in money. I'm accustomed to making a decent living. The
city is filled with semi employed young people who work for minimum wage. If they've ever walked on a trail, they couldn't avoid walking past huge clumps of this abundant resource.
On several occasions, I have placed ads on used Victoria, asking people to call me if they aren't going to harvest their apples, plums and pears. I get lots of calls. Considering the price of unsprayed fruit, it
should be possible to harvest more than $50 per hour worth of these larger fruit.