It’s pretty basic “Business 101” that tells entrepreneurs looking to start a business that it’s important to invest where there is consumer demand that can support your investment. Food is always a good option—we all gotta eat, after all. Good business is also all about following the trends. Right now, what’s trending is health and wellness. There is an explosion of consumers looking to create a healthier lifestyle which means your search should be for healthy food business ideas.
Profit Potential for Healthy Foods
Based on recent findings, consumers are becoming much more educated about foods and their health inspiring them to convert to a healthier diet. This has been trending for years, but since the onset of the pandemic, more folks are looking for foods that build immunity, focus on metabolism and weight loss, improve mental health and overall nutrition and are plant based. Consumers are ready and willing to spend money on improved self-care.
So much so that in 2020, the global health and wellness food market was valued at $733.1 billion– expected to climb to $1 trillion by 2026 thanks to the surge in demand for superfoods—or foods that are high in nutrition and essential nutrients. It makes good sense that looking into the future, all arrows are pointing toward healthful eating.
But wait, how do you know if healthy foods are the way to go as opposed to an investment in a “regular” food business? Just look at the facts. Even those “regular” food businesses are either converting or adding healthy foods to their portfolio. Nestle has cut sugar in some of its products by 40%. Amazon understood the wave of the future when they acquired Whole Foods Market. McDonald’s saw the need to make adjustments when fruits and salads were added to the menu. Look around, food companies are cutting fat, sugar and preservatives in their popular staples to adjust to the growing need for high nutrition to fuel our bodies. There are more healthy products on mainstream grocery stores shelves reflecting the change in attitude from just eating to eating with a purpose gaining not only delicious but nutritious as well. So, it makes good financial sense that dedicating a business to healthy foods—including transparency regarding nutrition and sourcing, you have the opportunity to build consumer trust, thus growing your profit potential.
Getting Started
It all begins with a good plan. To decide what opportunity to invest in—research. See what product or service is needed and would be a good fit in your community. Once you’ve decided, create a business plan including financial information, your business goals, competition and how you will market your company. There are many steps to consider like finding suppliers, getting licenses and permits, getting a website and a marketing plan up and running and of course finding a location and dealing with construction or leasing.
One more thing, the next class, “Business 102”, will tell you one more basic key fact to remember, which is that business opportunities work best when you are passionate about what you are doing. If you align with the culture of improving people’s health and wellness, you are more likely to give it all you got and stand a better chance at success. If you’re looking for some options to consider, let’s look at a dozen health and nutrition food business ideas.
12 Healthy Food Business Ideas
- Nutritionist- Counseling people on the right foods to eat not only to maintain a healthy lifestyle but to combat health issues like diabetes can be very rewarding.
- Food blogger- Providing nutrition advice or information about food sourcing and new trends in healthy foods can be a lucrative profession.
- Food trucks– Anything you can serve in a restaurant you can serve from a food truck. There are any number of healthy options like soups, salads, organic or vegan foods and grilled offerings. Trucks are usually visited by people on lunch break who want to energize for the rest of the day fueling their body with some healthy rather than high fat options like burgers and fries.
- Food Kiosks- These can be found in any number of public places like malls and provide quick food options for people on the go like wraps, salads, sushi, ramen and vegetable plates. The possibilities are endless.
- Healthy Ice cream Parlors- Not only is frozen yogurt a great option for a healthy snack or dessert, but more ice cream shops are opening offering a variety of low sugar and lower fat dairy products. These also include non-dairy options like soy milk.
- Healthy Meal delivery service: As more people are working remotely or still at the office, it can be tough to get away from work or home to prepare meals. Intensified by the pandemic, meal delivery has grown as people want the convenience of not cooking and having food brought right to them.
- Grocery Stores (all organic): A grocery store specializing in all organic products or selling locally grown or locally produced products can be very successful as more people are looking at specialty stores to shop for healthy food.
- Catering: Many caterers are offering health-conscious menus for people who hold events. Since more people are interested in eating healthy and there are many people with dietary restrictions, caterers are offering a wider variety of healthy foods.
- Meal-Prep: More people want the convenience of preparing their own meals but it can be frustrating when you’re following a recipe and realize you didn’t purchase the right ingredients. That’s why meal prep delivery services and meal kits are doing so well. They provide all the ingredients you need with easy-to-follow instructions and provide healthy menu options.
- Healthy Snacks- You can create healthy veggie chips, fruit bars, granola bars, just to name a few. Many people have come up with healthy snack options based on dietary restrictions like gluten-free, sugar free or organic.
- Restaurants- There are many restaurants that now offer healthy options, but more and more specialty food service establishments are popping up providing all organic menus or vegan and vegetarian offerings.
- Acai bowls and smoothies- Superfruits like acai are trending as more people love incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their diets.
Healthy Food Franchising with SoBol
We purposely saved the best for last. SoBol is a healthy food franchise serving a completely customizable menu of acai bowls and smoothies designed for every diet and every appetite. We saw the demand and established a franchise that satisfies the needs of health-conscious consumers.
For example, in all our locations we source from local growers when in season. But the best part is that as a franchise owner with SoBol, you don’t have to worry about all the steps to get your business off the ground. We’ve done all the heavy lifting already. Our model has been market tested and repeated with our 50 franchise locations (and counting).
As a franchisee, you don’t face the heavy purchase investment that you might otherwise as an independent business owner building a business from scratch. With SoBol you have all the benefits of business ownership with many advantages over a sole proprietor. Benefits like our training program and on-going support from franchise experts and fellow franchise owners. Plus, we assist with site selection, marketing and your grand opening and beyond. Your initial investment is lower, with a $30,000 franchise fee to get you started with a quicker ramp up for profit potential.
If this sounds like an opportunity you can sink your teeth in, sign up to learn more about the opportunity to franchise with SoBol.