A meal prep business has changed the outlook of the food takeout industry. It has the essence of takeout food along with the hygiene of cooking. As a result, the industry has shown a considerable rise of over 300% in the last couple of years. It is expected to be an $11.6 billion industry by 2022.
Pandemic impact on meal prep industry
In a world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the mindset of a customer has completely changed. People are confined to their houses as a means to curtail virus transmission. On the other side, the restaurant business is affected adversely. The meal prep industry has emerged as a silver lining in a very dark cloud in this scenario. Most of the people are working from home, following the shelter-in-place guidelines. The meal-kit delivery came in handy to break the monotonous routine and curb their craving for restaurant-like food. Thus, a meal prep business proved to be a lifeguard for the drowning food industry.
Business Model for a Meal Prep Business
The launch of a meal prep business can be targeted in 3 ways:
Meal-kit delivery model
In this model, the consumers are provided with a kit filled with all the ingredients and the recipe and steps required to prepare the desired meal. The ingredients are well-proportioned as per the meal servings, minimizing any wastage.
Pre-cooked meal delivery model
In this model, the consumer is provided with the prepared meal, just like a restaurant takeout-out delivery. The customer can select the meal from the catalog and make payments accordingly.
Hybrid Model
This model is the combination of the above two types. The consumer can order both a meal kit and a pre-prepared meal from the website.
Top Business Giants in this Niche
Blue Apron and HelloFresh are the leading names in the meal prep business. Their methods and unique selling propositions have revolutionized the supply chain. Today, many other companies are following their methods to make a strong foothold in the market.
How to set up a meal-kit delivery business in multi-language
Setting up a meal-kit delivery with multi-language support can give a global presence to your business. It can widen the horizon for customers to order food from different parts of the world. It provides a sense of familiarity to various people searching for food ordering apps in their native language. Through this unique selling proposition, people who are naive about meal kit delivery will be enthusiastic about the subject and may end up placing an order online. The multi-lingual concept lifts the language barrier and helps in delivering a personalized experience to the customers. Though multi-lingual, the content on the website remains the same irrespective of the language.
Best software to start meal prep business
Planning to set up a meal prep business website from the core can be very time-consuming and exhausting. On the other hand, launching a meal prep business using a market-ready white label solution can add value. A few features which can make your meal prep software stand out are – a well-organized meal catalog, secure payments methods, social media sharing, and notifications allowing admin to be apprised.
The idea of getting the ingredients delivered at your doorstep and letting the chef inside of you take a role play is enticing as it brings freshness to the contemporary food industry.
