Meal prep companies are all the rage these days. It seems like every time you turn on your TV; there is a show about some person who quit their job to start this business and has now made millions of dollars. But how do you launch a meal prep company? Well, I’m glad you asked! In this blog post, we will discuss everything about how to start a meal prep company, including what kind of equipment do I need? Where should my kitchen be located? How much money does it cost to start?
– What kind of equipment do I need? Good question! You will want to invest in a couple of different items. The first is some sort of food scale or digital kitchen scale, which can be found for around $20 on Amazon. You’ll also want either an ice chest and freezer (depending on what type of meals you’re planning) so that your ingredients are fresh when it comes time to make them up into meals. Lastly, if you plan on making any sauces from scratch, then investing in a quality blender would probably be the best idea as well–plus, they run between about $50-$200 depending upon the size and features offered by each model.
– Where should my kitchen be located? This really depends on what kind of company you want to start and how much money you have available. There are two main options: in your home or at a commercial kitchen facility. If you’re planning on starting out smaller, then it might be best to start with installing the kitchen into your own house so that everything is under one roof (i.e., less driving!). However, if there’s more room in your budget, then investing in space will let you produce larger quantities, leading to higher profits!
– How much money does it cost to start? This also varies depending upon what size business enterprise plan you decide upon–from small for $150 all the way up through large enterprises for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The type of equipment needed and the size of your kitchen will also affect how much you’ll need to invest.
– What type of food do I need? It’s best if you have some sort of specialty–may be an ethnic cuisine that isn’t too common or just really well known in your area. This will help set yourself apart from all the other competitors! Just make sure it doesn’t require any crazy ingredients so as not to hike up prices for people who want to purchase pre-made meals. Another option is vegetarian options because they are more easily available and you’ll be able to offer a wider range of dishes.
– Who will be my primary customer base? This is an important question because it makes the difference between starting out small or large. If your clients are mainly people in your area, then that means there’s not going to be as much demand for more frozen meals, so you should start out smaller with just enough equipment to produce what you need–maybe even borrowing some from friends! But if most clients are coming from somewhere else (i.e., another city), this might mean that business could boom faster since people can’t buy all the time locally but still want fresh ingredients without having them shipped long distances, which costs more money. In this case, find commercial kitchen space and start out large.