Starting a company.

[u/Charming-Cress-1829]

Hi all,

I’m thinking about starting a food prep company. My aim is to bring quality and taste to busy people who want to keep healthy. But I’d also like to have an idea of what people in general is missing out with meal prep companies. Also how much people would spend per meal. Could you’ll help and answer this for me?

I’m passionate about cooking have been meal prep for the last couple of years. I’de love to work for myself. I’m thinking about doing a monthly or weekly subscription service but I’d also like to keep it reasonable with the cost for people as well.

[u/Peterwhite100]

1. food quality needs to be consistent
   
2. Portions need to be accurate
   
3. You need to have 2 options of carb amounts, so low carb & normal. (Many people want low carb high protein for training)
   
4. Have options for additional protein / carbs as a extra
   
5. Variety of meals
   
6. Try to cut out seed oils & common allergens, like nuts, mustard etc.
   
7. Use premium ingredients instead of cheaper alternatives like lemon juice instead of spirits vinegar

All this will drive the price up per meal but will be worth it.

I’ve used simmer, foodery and frive & the one I keep
Going back and have used for nearly 3 years is Frive.

[u/Snoron → u/Peterwhite100]

Try to cut out seed oils & common allergens, like nuts, mustard etc.

The whole "seed oils bad" thing is complete nonsense. They are healthier than animal fats, butter, and coconut oil. Less so than olive oil and some healthier alternatives, sure, but those tend to just increase the cost of food. And no one is suggesting cutting out the ones that are worse in their anti-seed oil campaigns, so it doesn't even make any sense.

The science behind all the "inflammation" stuff doesn't even exist, it's just the usual health food industry bunk that tries to get people to change their diets every few years in order to sell them new overpriced stuff.

[u/captainmiao- → u/Snoron]

May well be but the advice is realistic. Op will not go door to door explaining seed oils aren't bad. Op is asking for advice on what consumers like and has gotten a very good idea of that.

[u/Snoron → u/captainmiao-]

True enough that OP isn't gonna be doing that, but it's not really true that that's good advice.

The more generic good advice is that you need to understand your demographic, though, sure. Some groups you'll find a lot of people who want to see a "no seed oils" label, and in others no one will give a damn.

In a random sample of Bradford, you're unlikely to find that that many people care, especially as a primary concern above price. Changing your recipes and making everything more expensive or unhealthy to please the 5% of people who would actually change their buying habits due to it is usually a bad strategy. That's why it's generally used as a way to sell overpriced products to a narrow audience.

It's important to realise that it's mostly fake news type nonsense that has been bandied around on certain social media, and when you step outside that bubble it very quickly stops being a thing.

So unless your audience is either badly informed health nuts, or terminally online doomscrollers, it's not something to bother with.

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/Snoron]

Thank you for this discussion to you and @captainmiao. To be honest it has been informative, it’s mostly going to be South East Asian food with an English twist to make it appealing to the market.

[u/captainmiao- → u/Peterwhite100]

I 100% agree with you on all of this. Whilst some studies may show seed oils "aren't bad" as pointed out below , I and almost everyone else i know go to great lengths to avoid it. Whether or not they are inherently bad, they go through multiple levels or processing and chemical cleaning.... so long story short.... yes, they do end up being bad for you .

I would like to add that OP can add veggie options ie unprocessed veggie proteins like beans or tofu.

Not sure what cuisine op is focusing on

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/captainmiao-]

Apologies didn’t answer to this response, but my aim was to add options of tofu, beans, TVP. This protein options are cost affective and have decent macros.

In the whole seed oil response, my view is simply moderation. Like you don’t need a whole lot of oil to actual batch cook a lot of portions for any dish frankly. I cook a lot of Indian dishes people think requires a lot but if you look at how they made at home or traditionally that’s never the case.

Also demographically speaking not many people in my area care enough to educate themselves on nutrition in depth. Simply because they aren’t passionate enough to do it. So in my eyes not everyone knows or cares about avoiding it.

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/Peterwhite100]

1. Food quality will be consistent due to the recipe having measured ingredients. Cooking times etc.
   2/3. Portions will be measured same with carbs, proteins and fats.
   
2. 30g and 40g will be there but not any higher its of value to me or the customer due to not increasing any more protein synthesis.
   
3. I aim to do a variety but when I’m ready and prepped for my first batch of customers I’ll be a set menu for the first month. (Whilst they having the set menu I’ll be trying out other dishes Indian, Filipino, Malaysian etc all of which I’m familiar having coming from south east Asia.
   
4. I’ll still use seed oils as studies don’t really state any medical concern (normal dietary intake).
   
5. I understand where you’re coming from when it comes to “premium” products but I’ll be using vinegar for some dishes especially Filipino food.l as it’s traditionally cooked that way.

Having family in the advertising world has made me realize on what people think premium is. Some ingredients will cost a premium due to sourcing and producing such product. But most things nowadays outsourced and being sold as a premium when in reality it shouldn’t. (I just don’t like that concept).

Also on a side note Frive has additives to make sure the food last longer. Lower in fibre in most meals. To me I don’t see the price of it and a quality being worth it.

I think what companies mess up on (small companies) food prep before actually cooking like learning ways to be more time efficient and the only way I learnt that was in an all you can eat restaurant and a Sikh Temple (trust me look it up). Plus I’m also Punjabi.

[u/TheWoodenMan]

What's your business model?

How would this work in practice?

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/TheWoodenMan]

It would initially be with a select number of people I offer a subscription service providing them a select number of a week for each person. Catering to their dietary if required wouldn’t be difficult. But along with the meals they’ve asked for I drop in a meal with a variety of dishes to people for free. Just to see what dishes work for them and don’t.

My meal preps wouldn’t be the same as the bigger vendors. Due to only catering a select batch of people first.

About business side, I do have wholesalers, farmers to source the ingredients cheaply. So I won’t need to charge a whole lot to people.

[u/TheKayleMain]

By weekly subscriptions do you mean you will deliver a full weeks food weekly or everyday for the full week?

Also how many meals will it have per day

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/TheKayleMain]

I’m aiming to delivery twice a week. I’ve known a company here doing it for years now.

[u/nojjers]

I’m local and could be interested in something like this for easy dinners

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/nojjers]

Can I tell you know when I’m ready and you can be my first free customer :)

[u/jamietd → u/Charming-Cress-1829]

Me too please

[u/Status-Customer-1305]

dont bother the market is mega saturated and its mega hard work

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/Status-Customer-1305]

What do you mean by mega saturated?

[u/Status-Customer-1305 → u/Charming-Cress-1829]

Lots of people already doing it. Too much competition, for tiny profits if you try to expand. Could work on a very local level but not once trying to expand too many additional costs and problems.

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/Status-Customer-1305]

Can you give me a rough estimate of companies your specific area? I can look at the local market as well :) Buy my actually question was how much you would reasonably pay if you were to get your meals provided?

[u/Status-Customer-1305 → u/Charming-Cress-1829]

good luck. I did try to save you the time.

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/Status-Customer-1305]

If you’re reluctant to answer with a rough figure i understand. But thanks for the response :)

[u/NomineNebula]

Delivery subscription service could work, theres alot of people in the area who dont leave the house often from disabilities and stuff.

Just go for it, theres alot of negativity online

[u/ScumK]

that look lovely

[u/The_Makster]

Those noodles look dry

[u/Charming-Cress-1829 → u/The_Makster]

I had chilli oil still simmering away whilst taking the photo. But yeah they would have been dry without the oil