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

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-06-25

What would you do if your employer went bankrupt tomorrow? For Tessa van Meerten, that moment came in April 2020. Her company collapsed due to the pandemic. Instead of panicking, she launched Foodprepper—a meal box service for busy families who want healthy dinners without the hassle. She started with exactly zero dollars. Fast forward to today, and Foodprepper delivers across Belgium and has been part of Smartmat (the company behind Foodbag) since 2024. This isn't just a success story. It's a blueprint for anyone who's ever wondered if a business idea without capital can actually work. ### The Spark That Started It All Tessa didn't wake up one day with a fully formed business plan. She had a vague dream of doing something meaningful. The pandemic forced her hand. When her job vanished, she had to make a choice: find another 9-to-5 or bet on herself. She chose the bet. But here's the thing—she had no savings, no investors, and no safety net. Her first few months were a blur of cooking, packaging, and delivering meals herself. She never stopped to calculate the value of her own time. She just worked. ### When Passion Meets Reality At first, Tessa did everything. She handled recipes, logistics, marketing, and customer service. She didn't pay herself. She didn't track her hours. She was so focused on making Foodprepper work that she forgot she was running a business, not a charity. Then came the summer dips. Orders slowed down. Doubts crept in. She realized that growing without outside money wasn't sustainable. She needed capital to scale—to hire help, improve packaging, and reach more customers. ### Finding Her First Investor Tessa had to learn a hard lesson: intuition alone won't pay the bills. She started trusting the numbers. She built a financial model, showed her growth metrics, and pitched to investors. It wasn't easy. She had to convince people to believe in a meal box company with no track record. She found her first investor. That funding allowed her to expand beyond her own kitchen. But it also meant giving up some control. She had to learn to let go of the small stuff and focus on strategy. ### The Smartmat Acquisition By 2024, Foodprepper had grown enough to attract attention from Smartmat, the company behind Foodbag. The acquisition was a turning point. Tessa went from solo founder to part of a larger group. She could finally work *on* her business instead of *in* it. But the transition wasn't seamless. She had to delegate. She had to trust her team. She had to accept that her baby was now part of something bigger. And she had to let go of the urge to micromanage every meal box. ### What She'd Do Differently If Tessa could start over, she'd value her time from day one. She'd track every hour and charge for it. She'd build systems earlier. She'd hire help before she felt ready. And she'd trust data over gut feelings. She also learned that growth requires sacrifice. You can't keep everything. You can't do it all yourself. And you can't let fear of losing control stop you from scaling. ### Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs - Start before you're ready. Tessa had zero dollars and no plan. She just started. - Value your time. If you don't, no one else will. - Trust the numbers, not just your gut. Data gives you clarity. - Let go to grow. You can't scale if you're doing everything. - Find mentors and investors who believe in your vision. ### Final Thoughts Tessa's journey from unemployed to acquired isn't a fairy tale. It's a real, messy, beautiful story of resilience. She proved that a great idea combined with relentless execution can overcome a lack of capital. Her advice? Don't wait for the perfect moment. Start today. Learn as you go. And never underestimate the power of a home-cooked meal. *This article is based on a podcast interview with Tessa van Meerten. Want more inspiring stories? Subscribe to the show and leave a five-star review if you found this valuable. Special thanks to our partners at Teamleader and Cloudpoint.*