Weekly boxes of cooked meals. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives,
and the part most guides leave out.
Startup capital
€8,000–€35,000
Hours / week
30–55
First income
~8 wks
Net margin
35%
Saturation
medium
Realistic ceiling
€800–€4,200+
This ceiling is not a wall
The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps
going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different
job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.
What nobody usually tells you
Subscriptions make food predictable for once: you know on Monday what you cook and what you earn. Churn is the whole battle though, and the drive time between drops is the cost nobody models.
The route, in five steps
Sell a weekly subscription, never one-off boxes
Cook two days a week, deliver on a fixed route
Niche hard: gym, diabetic, elderly — not 'healthy food'
Nail the packaging before you nail the recipes
Break even sits around 60-80 subscribers; plan for that number
What you'll need to buy
These are the categories every meal prep delivery pays for in the first month.
We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the
tools page.
These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on
your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.