How Much Does It Cost To Start A Food Startup? (In 2024)

"The business was initially (and still currently is) funded and subsidized with personal funds and labor."

Andrea Slinde is the founder of Golden Root, a Turmeric Latte Mix business based in Denver, CO, that focuses on providing anti-inflammatory benefits through organic and non-GMO ingredients.

"All of us had very few savings so we had to go for external funding… We mainly get support from our relatives and friends, but also from Barcelona startup hubs such as Barcelona Activa and from some other FoodTechs such as SmartFooding. This is how we aimed 5.000 € to secure the production of the very first 400 units!"

Enric Miquel is the founder of KÜiK Meal, a meal replacement business that aims to provide a complete and balanced food solution for those with a fast-paced lifestyle.

"At this point, I had invested a few $1000 of saving and credit cards on graphic design, website creation, incorporation of the business, and lastly, partnering with a local film student to make my Kickstarter video."

Andrew Buehler is the founder of Urban Smokehouse, a digitally native BBQ brand that started in 2022 and has been profitable since day one.

"In the first year and a half, we spent around $30,000 to get the business up and running. This money was spent on things like city and town permit fees, the dough sheeter, kitchen supplies, and packaging materials."

Casey White is the co-founder of Jaju Pierogi, a pierogi manufacturing business started in 2016 that makes between $80,000-$100,000 per month.

"Initially, we bootstrapped. When the design was complete we took out a loan to print the book."

Sadaf is the co-founder of Karachi Kitchen Foods, a business specializing in small-batch traditional Pakistani chutneys and spice blends, featuring handcrafted products made from locally sourced ingredients.

"The MVP took just 2 weeks to build and cost only $400. I registered the domain and it cost $12.99. It really didn't cost much."

Tique Chandler is the founder of Chandler Honey, an infused honey brand that has grown to be featured in 150+ stores in Canada in under 2 years.

"For example in our business: a commercial kitchen is a huge expense, even when you’re refitting an existing kitchen. And I was completely broke but determined to start this business. So we didn’t build one out at first. For a couple of years, I operated out of my apartment; after that, we rented kitchen space by the shift from an existing catering company that was often in the space when we were there."

Uri Attia is the founder of Portable Chef, a custom meal delivery service that caters to clients with specific dietary requirements and preferences.

"I turned my home into a test kitchen and started crafting our perfect snack-- using ingredients straight from our pantry. When our insanely picky 6-year-old would not stop asking for more, we knew we had something!"

Dustin Finkel is the founder of Ka-Pop! Snacks, an ancient grain snack company that focuses on sustainable and healthy snacks made from ancient grains.

"I took a big chance and invested my life savings."

Suzie Yorke is the founder of Love Good Fats, a healthy snack business that started in 2017 and has quickly grown to over $120 million in cumulative sales.

"In 2017 our innovative business model, the strong inclination for digital solutions and the ability in exporting the products of our network have convinced two Chinese exporters to invest more than $200,000 on EatTiamo and in 2017 we managed to collect almost $280,000 more with a crowdfunding campaign and invest them in communication."

Nicholas Figoli is the co-founder of EatTiamo, a subscription Food Boxes service that delivers Authentic Italian products to American families.