8 Meal Prep Business Success Stories [2024]
A meal preparation business is a service that delivers prepared meals to its clients in the comfort of their own homes. The meal preparation business is a fast-emerging niche that offers a real opportunity to earn good money. To succeed, the starter must be efficient in the meal preparation and ensure proper communication skills. Besides, the entrepreneur must keep time when it comes to delivery to avoid customer disappointment.
A global survey shows that demand for food delivery service is on the rise. This is as people get busier with their careers and other more important tasks, leaving limited time to prepare meals and bond with friends.
Therefore, starting a meal preparation business can be a great way to earn extra monies.
In this list, you'll find real-world meal prep business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a meal prep business that makes money.
1. Jimmy Joy ($7.2M/year)
Joey van Koningsbruggen, founder of Jimmy Joy, came up with the idea for his business after getting frustrated with having to choose between healthy or fast food. He set out to create healthy fast food and partnered with a large manufacturer of baby food to create his first recipe, which was as close to health recommendations from the World Health Organisation as possible. Despite being initially validated by friends and media outlets, he faced challenges such as rebranding and manufacturing difficulties before growing his company to make $440,000 per month.
How much money it makes: $7.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 30
This case study features a 29-year-old founder who started a meal replacement company offering nutritionally complete meals targeting high-earning and sustainability-conscious individuals, generating a staggering $440k per month, with plans to expand globally and launch new products.
2. Eat Clean LLC ($3.6M/year)
Michael Martinez, the founder of Eat Clean, came up with the idea for his healthy meal delivery service out of his desire to enjoy healthy foods and help others live a healthy lifestyle. Despite not having a background in food preparation, he downsized and moved into a mobile home to afford the costs of starting the business. Now, with monthly revenue exceeding $300k per month, Eat Clean is looking to expand nationwide and become the biggest meal delivery service in the future.
How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How many people on the team: 68
A meal delivery service that started with just $3,000 in savings and three friends now boasts monthly revenues of over $300k and a loyal customer base, thanks in part to social media and events, but also to the founder's willingness to sacrifice, learn and adapt the business as it grows.
3. Nourish Foods Co. ($2.16M/year)
Mary Drennen and her partner Tiffany Davis started Nourish Foods, a high-quality, healthy meal delivery service. The idea was born out of their experience working in the culinary industry and seeing the need for convenient, nutritious meals. In their first year of launch, they did $250k in sales and relied on grassroots efforts and word of mouth to attract customers.
How much money it makes: $2.16M/year
How many people on the team: 20
Bootstrapped meal delivery startup Nourish Foods, founded by two chefs in 2014, has grown consistently and sustainably to generate $2 million in revenue per year, with no investment and a loyal following thanks to grassroots marketing, partnerships and social media advertising.
4. One Life Meals ($1.56M/year)
Andrei Calinescu, the founder and CEO of One Life Meals, came up with the idea for his healthy meal delivery service in 2014. After working in the fitness industry and noticing that his clients struggled with meal preparation and variety, he decided to start preparing meals for them himself. With his background in operations and nutrition, he saw an opportunity to provide a complete solution and launched One Life Meals, which has now grown to make 14,500 meals per month and generate $130k in monthly sales.
How much money it makes: $1.56M/year
How many people on the team: 29
One Life Meals is a Toronto-based healthy meal delivery service that made 14,500 meals per month and generated $130k in monthly sales in 2018 through their one-on-one consultation, lean protein and seasonal veggies-based meals, and their focus on the client experience.
5. Sprwt ($1.2M/year)
Sprwt's founders, Michael Rapoport and Rui Marinho, stumbled upon the idea for their business when they were tasked with creating a system for a startup looking to bring healthy meal delivery to Europe. After realizing the market wasn't ready, they returned to South Florida with a software platform and were surprised to find that several companies wanted their system. From there, they built Sprwt, a meal prep software platform that generates over $1 million in revenue per month.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $7.5K
How many people on the team: 9
Sprwt, a meal prep software platform, generated over $1 million in revenue per month by listening to customer feedback and incorporating creative solutions, such as pick-up locations and a route planning system, while also focusing on employee empowerment and training.
6. Portable Chef ($744K/year)
Uri Attia, founder of Portable Chef, came up with the idea for his business out of desperation after losing his banking job in the 2008 financial crisis. With a passion for cooking and understanding the demands of busy New Yorkers, Uri saw the opportunity to provide customizable, healthy meals for his clients. Today, Portable Chef generates an average monthly revenue of $60,000 by making 25,000 custom meals a year.
How much money it makes: $744K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 3
New York food business founder goes from broke and desperate to cooking 25,000 custom meals per year with an average monthly revenue of $60,000, focusing on pleasing existing customers and word of mouth for new clientele.
7. Healthy Chew ($720K/year)
TJ, the co-founder and CEO of Healthy Chew, joined the company as a dishwasher and helped his partner Peter scale the business. They rebranded from PNF Meals to Healthy Chew and experienced tremendous growth, selling over 10,000 bowls each month. With a focus on delicious, calorie-friendly meals, Healthy Chew has generated over $1.8 million in sales in just over 3 years.
How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 7
Healthy Chew is a profitable weekly meal preparation service that grew from 200 to 10,000 weekly bowls in just over 3 years, with an overall sales figure of $1.8 million, achieved through effective branding and personalised customer service.
8. MealPro ($600K/year)
Andy Sartori, the founder of MealPro, came up with the idea for his food delivery startup after seeing two friends on different diets order the same meal at a restaurant. Realizing that people have unique dietary needs, he launched MealPro to provide customizable, pre-cooked meals for health-conscious individuals. In just three years, MealPro has doubled in size annually, served over 5,000 customers, and achieved an annualized revenue run rate of one million dollars.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 15
MealPro, a food delivery startup that specializes in pre-cooked and pre-portioned meals, has doubled in size every year since its launch three years ago, serving about 5,000 customers across the US and hitting an annualized revenue run rate of one million dollars with plans to use new premises to support growth and ramp up its digital presence.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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