From Zero to Acquisition: Tessa van Meerten's Foodprepper Journey

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-06-25

What if you lost your job tomorrow and had zero savings to fall back on? Would you bet everything on a wild idea? Tessa van Meerten did exactly that in April 2020. When her employer went bankrupt due to the pandemic, she launched Foodprepper—a meal box service for busy families who want healthy dinners without the hassle. Her starting capital? Exactly $0. Fast forward a few years, and Foodprepper now delivers across Belgium. In 2024, it became part of Smartmat, the parent company of Foodbag. This isn't just a success story—it's a masterclass in bootstrapping, pivoting, and knowing when to let go. ### From Layoff to Launch: The Birth of Foodprepper When Tessa's company folded in April 2020, she didn't panic. Instead, she saw a gap. Families were stuck at home, juggling work and kids, and healthy cooking felt impossible. Her solution: a meal box that delivers pre-portioned ingredients with simple recipes. No planning, no waste, just good food. She started alone, handling everything from sourcing ingredients to packing boxes to driving deliveries. Her own time? She never counted it. "I was working 80-hour weeks and paying myself nothing," she admits. "I thought that was just what founders did." ### The Hard Truth About Growth Here's where most startup stories gloss over the ugly parts. Tessa hit a wall. Without investment, she couldn't scale. She couldn't afford better packaging, a bigger kitchen, or marketing. "I realized I couldn't do it all on passion alone," she says. "I needed capital, but I also needed to prove I was worth investing in." She started tracking every metric—customer acquisition costs, churn rates, average order value. She learned to trust data over gut feelings. That shift opened doors. ### Finding Her First Investor Tessa's pitch wasn't flashy. She showed potential investors exactly where her numbers stood and where she needed help. She found someone who believed in her vision and the business fundamentals. - **Key lesson:** Investors invest in clarity, not charisma. - **What she gave up:** Some equity, but gained a partner who could open doors. ### The Smartmat Acquisition: Letting Go to Grow By 2024, Foodprepper had outgrown Tessa's solo operation. Smartmat, the company behind Foodbag, saw the potential and made an offer. Tessa had to make a tough call: stay independent and stay small, or join a larger group and scale. She chose the latter. "I had to let go of control," she explains. "But I gained the ability to work *on* my business instead of just *in* it." Today, she focuses on strategy, partnerships, and product development—while Smartmat handles logistics and distribution. ### What She'd Do Differently If Tessa could start over, she'd value her time from day one. She'd hire sooner and delegate more. She'd also trust her instincts less and her spreadsheets more. "Passion gets you started," she says. "But data keeps you alive." ### Practical Takeaways for Entrepreneurs - **Start small, think big.** You don't need $100,000 to launch. You need a clear problem and a simple solution. - **Track everything.** If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. - **Know when to let go.** Growth often means giving up control. - **Investors are partners, not saviors.** They want to see you're already winning. ### A Final Word Tessa's story proves that a dream with zero capital can still become a reality—if you're willing to work, learn, and adapt. Whether you're a side hustler or a full-time founder, her journey offers a blueprint for turning passion into profit. *This conversation is part of an ongoing series with Belgian entrepreneurs. Subscribe and leave a five-star review if you find these stories valuable.* *Special thanks to our partners: [Teamleader](https://www.teamleader.be) and [Cloudpoint](https://www.cloudpoint.be) – the IT partner for every SME.*