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

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-06-25

What happens when you lose your job during a global crisis and decide to build something from nothing? For Tessa van Meerten, that moment came in April 2020. Her employer went bankrupt due to the pandemic, and instead of panicking, she launched Foodprepper—a meal box service for busy families who want to eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen. She started with zero startup capital. Zero. Today, Foodprepper delivers across Belgium and became part of Smartmat (the company behind Foodbag) in 2024. This is her story about turning a vague dream into a concrete business, learning to value her own time, and eventually letting go to grow. ### The Spark: From Job Loss to Business Idea Tessa didn't have a grand business plan when she started. She had a problem: she was out of work, and she saw a need. Families were overwhelmed, juggling jobs, kids, and life. They wanted healthy meals but didn't have the time to cook from scratch every night. "I just started," she says. "I didn't wait for permission." That mindset carried her through the early days when she did everything herself—from cooking to packing to delivering. She didn't pay herself a salary for months. She didn't even think about it. ### The Hard Truth: You Can't Grow Without Investment For a long time, Tessa believed she could bootstrap her way to success. She was wrong. There came a point where the demand outpaced her ability to deliver. She was working 80-hour weeks, and the business was still hitting a ceiling. "I had to learn to trust the numbers, not just my gut," she admits. That's when she started looking for an investor. It wasn't easy. She had to pitch her vision, open her books, and prove that a meal box business could scale. Here's what she learned about finding the right partner: - Look for someone who believes in your mission, not just your margins. - Be ready to give up some control—but not your core values. - Understand that investment isn't just money; it's expertise and connections. ### The Acquisition: Letting Go to Grow In 2024, Smartmat acquired Foodprepper. For Tessa, this was both a victory and a surrender. She had to let go of day-to-day operations and trust a larger team to carry her vision forward. "It's strange at first," she says. "You build something from scratch, and then you have to step back. But I realized I could work **on** the business instead of **in** it." That shift changed everything. She now focuses on strategy, partnerships, and innovation—things she never had time for when she was packing boxes at 2 AM. ### Lessons for Every Entrepreneur Tessa's journey offers practical takeaways for anyone who's ever doubted whether an idea without money deserves a shot. **Start before you're ready.** You'll never have all the answers. Begin with what you have, even if it's just a laptop and a dream. **Value your time.** Early on, Tessa didn't charge for her own labor. That's a mistake. Your time has worth, and your pricing should reflect it. **Embrace the dips.** Every business has slow seasons—summer lulls, doubt-filled moments. They're part of the process. **Data over intuition.** Feelings are important, but numbers tell the truth. Learn to read your metrics. ### Final Thoughts Tessa went from a junior employee to a confident entrepreneur leading a company within a larger group. Her story proves that passion, when paired with persistence and a willingness to adapt, can build something remarkable. If you're sitting on an idea and wondering if it's worth pursuing, take a page from her book: start small, trust the process, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.