Delicious convenience

• More people are warming up to the idea of meal kits to complement their busy lifestyles and unpredictable schedules. Co-founders Brandon Lim and Khiara Mia saw this opportunity and launched 500-backed Meals in Minutes not only to cater to these individuals, but also F&B businesses like restaurants and cafes.
• Here’s the gap they’re aiming to fill: If we want something quick, we tend to go for unhealthy fast food. If we want something healthy, it has to be home-cooked. Meals in Minutes offers a 3rd option that’s convenient and nutritious.
• Khiara, a self-confessed “terrible cook”, also wanted to empower people with limited culinary skills like her.
• Meal kits that provide a recipe book and fresh ingredients don’t solve the problem for those who lack the confidence to cook. “We wanted to take it a step further and simplify it even more,” she explained.
• For aspiring chefs, Chef Mode allows them to add their own ingredients to the mix and come up with their own culinary creations.
• The team’s meal kits involved 2 years of reverse engineering dishes, and a lot of research and development, to arrive at recipes that can be flash frozen. Combining this with knowledge of market trends, they have been able to produce meal kits that people love.
• They’re also on a mission to redefine frozen food. “There’s a misconception that frozen food cannot be healthy,” Brandon shared. “A lot of the frozen food that we’re familiar with is the ready-to-eat ones, which are laden with preservatives and so on.”
• As their recipes continue to make its way into the stomachs and hearts of customers, the team’s business is on the right track. “We were profitable from year two onwards,” he revealed. “From year 1 to year 2, we 10x our revenue.”
• Listen to the full interview on BFM 89.9.