25 Healthy Food Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]
Are you interested in starting a healthy food business in 2024?
We put together 25 of the best healthy food business ideas you can start today.
For each healthy food business idea, we’ll show real-world examples of other businesses to help you see what it takes.
Here's the full list:
1. Start a healthy meal delivery service
Meal prep delivery services offer healthy and nutritional meals to customers via e-commerce sites.
These services provide either DIY meal kits or Ready-to-eat meals, saving time and eliminating food waste.
They are particularly beneficial for busy people and health-conscious millennials who prefer nutritional food at home.
There are two types of meal services: online meal kits and fast food delivery services.
A meal prep delivery business can be profitable, especially when compared to restaurants, as they save costs on a storefront.
To make a good profit, one should invest less in groceries and ensure they have many customers.
How much you can make: $60,000 — $300,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 7 days (?)
Healthy Chew is a profitable weekly meal preparation service that grew from 200 to 10,000 weekly bowls in just over 3 years, with an overall sales figure of $1.8 million, achieved through effective branding and personalised customer service.
2. Start a healthy drink business
With emerging trends around health in the last few years, there is a large demand for healthy beverages. Starting a healthy drink business involves sourcing quality and healthy ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, and others.
Consumers are hungry for good-tasting drinks that make them feel great without sacrificing taste. From smoothies to juices and kombucha beverages, there are many opportunities available in the market to easily create a profitable healthy drink business.
How much you can make: $500 — $900,000/month
How long does it take to build: 250 days (?)
A beauty and wellness brand based on Ayurveda, Auric, is making 150,000 sales per month after launching in September 2018 and is currently 95% bootstrapped, with the company focusing on social media and D2C strategies and driving traffic to its website to understand its end consumer.
3. Start a healthy snack food business
Businesses with healthy snacks are becoming increasingly popular. This is because people are becoming more conscious of what they eat and the ingredients used in their food products.
Compared to a few decades ago, more people value health over anything else. A tasty snack food business can be a great way to turn your passion for snacking into profit.
The global healthy snacks market is expected to reach $152B by 2030, and there’s no sign of this slowing down. Healthy snacks can include anything from protein bars to gluten/dairy-free alternatives to chips, cookies, crackers, and more.
How much you can make: $15,000 — $3,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 270 days (?)
Neuro co-founders Kent Yoshimura and Ryan Chen developed their functional gum and mint products to offer a portable, healthy, and efficient alternative to energy drinks and supplements, hitting 12M pieces sold and generating ~$500k in monthly revenue with over 25% repeat customer rate and retail presence in over 6,500 locations including 5,000 CVS stores.
4. Start a healthy food processing business
With the growing preference for healthy and functional food, starting a healthy food processing plant can be rewarding.
The advancements in the food processing industry, innovation in processing technology, and continuous growth in demand for processed food are some excellent reasons to consider opening a healthy food processing business.
To start a healthy food processing plant, find out a market gap, and research the demand. Understand customers changing tastes and focus on offering the best throughout.
How much you can make: $52,944/month
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Bluebird Provisions Bone Broth is North America's fastest-growing bone broth brand, doing 49,000 per month and growing 50% YoY, with 5000% growth in customer base since starting, thanks to an SEO-focused strategy, email marketing, referrals, and Amazon.
5. Start a vegan restaurant
The global vegan and vegetarian market is worth more than $50 Billion and will grow by approximately 30% over the coming years. The reason behind the increased popularity of vegan food is increased awareness of the importance of healthy eating habits. In that regard, starting a vegan restaurant can be a rewarding business.
To start, research the current market to identify a potential niche and a profitable business model. You may deliver healthy cooked food to commercial centers or offices or focus purely on walk-in customers.
How much you can make: $30,000/month
How long does it take to build: 730 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of Wen, the founder of House of Leaf & Bean, an organic restaurant and cafe, who left her corporate job due to her passion for healthy living and curing her Irritable Bowel Syndrome through lifestyle changes, and now serves fresh and organic meals to help patients reverse or improve their health conditions, with a goal to make healthy food and healthy living more affordable and accessible.
6. Start an organic food store
Organic food stores stock fresh or processed food produced through organic farming methods. Healthy food restaurants and health-conscious individuals are some target customers regarding healthy organic food.
If you plan to start an organic food store, focus on providing the customers freshest, organically grown produce. Starting an organic food store is a great way to make money while helping the environment. Organic food stores are becoming increasingly popular, especially with people who want to eat healthily but don't have time to cook. If you're looking for a business idea that will allow you to make money and help people simultaneously, starting an organic food store could be the perfect fit for you!
Organic food stores are so popular because they offer fresh produce that has not been treated with chemicals or pesticides, which means they're much safer than the produce found at your local grocery store.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $62,000/month
How long does it take to build: 1 days (?)
Denver-based founder Andrea Slinde built her own organic food start-up, Golden Root, which sells trendy Turmeric Latte Mix online and now in 50 coffee shops nationwide, with an average monthly revenue of $4K, a long term objective of expanding into traditional grocery sales, and uses Shopify, Recharge, Mailchimp, Shipstation, and QuickBooks to manage e-commerce and finances.
7. Start a healthy bake shop
Pastries aren't known for being a healthy cooking choice. However, with various ingredients, you can start a healthy bake shop.
Baked goods businesses have been around for many years. However, over that period, people have realized that baking is not a heart-friendly cooking method.
Starting a healthy bake shop can be profitable and satisfying. To start, find a good location and market your business. In addition, you should ensure compliance with your state's health department.
How much you can make: $25,000 — $80,000/month
ABS Protein Pancakes founder, Ashley Drummonds, tells the story behind the growth of her business from making her pancake recipe in her apartment kitchen to an appearance on the US TV show Shark Tank and how social media has played a crucial role in her marketing.
8. Start a natural health product business
A natural health products business covers many products, including foods, supplements, drinks, and weight management products. Typically, natural health products go into the production of drugs.
It is easy to imagine why you would want to start your own natural health products business. First, health and wellness are hot topics right now. Everyone wants to be happy and healthy regardless of background, culture, or economic status. Second, the natural health products industry will exhibit a CAGR of 5.3% and reach over 32 billion in the next few years.
Therefore, the natural health products business can be a profitable venture. To maximize profitability, focus on providing health products that solve the problems experienced by your target customers.
How much you can make: $35,000 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
SuperGreen TONIK's founder developed a greens powder supplement with 38 superfood nutrients, adaptogenic herbs, vitamins, and minerals that achieved $250k in sales in its first year and is looking to hit 7-figures in its second year, thanks to transparency, repeat customers, and focusing on fewer, properly dosed ingredients.
9. Become a nutritionist
As individuals seek to adopt healthier lifestyles, there is an increasing demand for professional nutritionists who can offer tailored advice.
A nutritionist offers personalized nutrition advice and guidance to individuals or groups, helping them achieve their health and wellness goals through dietary recommendations and education.
This may include creating meal plans, conducting assessments, and providing ongoing support to clients seeking to improve their nutritional habits.
To become a nutritionist, consider obtaining relevant certifications and gaining practical experience through internships or supervised practice.
How much you can make: $600 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,750 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 3 hours/week
RDRx Nutrition is a successful private practice that offers individual nutrition coaching, boasting profits of $1,800-$2,100 per month after just one year of business, and achieving a client base of over 2200 followers on Instagram alone.
10. Start a food blog
Do you love educating people on the importance of keeping healthy food? Starting a food blog can be rewarding and fun.
A healthy food blog can focus on educating website visitors the importance of keeping it healthy food. Besides, you can share recipes for healthy eating and budget-friendly options with the reader. To start, you may hire someone to configure your website and content creator to share insightful information with the audience.
To increase blog interactions, share informative insights with your readers.
How much you can make: $500 — $200,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
How one food blogger turned his passion into a business that brings in $15k-$20k per month through display advertising, affiliate marketing, and exclusive content, and doubled in revenue every year since going full time in 2018.
11. Start a meal planning business
Couples, individuals, and families often find themselves in the “what’s for dinner dilemma.” Thus, finding help on what to cook for dinner or what groceries to bring home for their next meal can be a relief.
If you are a meal planning specialist or a registered dietitian, starting an online meal planning portal can be helpful to thousands of people who find themselves struggling with what to cook. To start, learn the tips you need to expertly plan meals. Then, configure your online meal planning portal and focus on getting the audience to your website.
Drive traffic to the portal through a blog or guest posting about the portal on other platforms.
How much you can make: $62,000 — $600,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 227 days (?)
Nourishing Brands is a direct-to-consumer media company that generates more than $600k per month and sold over 300,000 cookbooks in 2020 through their popular health websites like KetoSummit.com by transitioning from digital events to cookbooks, evergreen courses, and paid media.
12. Start a nut butter business
According to experts, nut butter contains loads of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that help to increase HDL cholesterol while reducing LDL cholesterol.
To start a nut butter business, decide which area you want to focus on. You can be a nut butter manufacturer, distributor, or retailer. Whichever level, ensure you focus on delivering high-quality nut butter to the end user.
13. Start an oil production business
The oil manufacturing business is highly profitable small scale business and can be started with little money. Oil is used for various purposes like cooking, manufacturing soaps, cosmetics & hair products.
Oil can either be produced at home or in manufacturing units depending on the scale you want. The most important aspect is maintaining consistency in quality & hygiene standards. If that is maintained then you can easily create your own brand of oils & even start exporting.
How much you can make: $29,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $4,970 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Thulisa Naturals founder, Anusha Moodley, shares the journey of building her natural bath and body product company, which boasts a 25% post-tax profit after generating $29k in monthly revenue and expanding into 123 retail stores across the US.
14. Start a fresh fish shop
According to the American Heart Association, eating fish twice a week is part of a healthy diet. Fish is rich in calcium, potassium, and magnesium, making it a nutritional meal supplement.
Therefore, with the increasingly health-conscious population, starting a fresh fish shop can be a rewarding business.
You need not be a fish farmer to be a successful fish monger. You can source fish from fish farmers across the country or the food hub and distribute it to your target customers.
15. Start a crayfish processing business
There are many opportunities in the fish and seafood farming industry, and crawfish processing is one of the profitable options.
Crayfish is a good weight loss aid as it contains low fats and lower traces of carbohydrates. Therefore, crayfish has become a popular food among the health-conscious population.
Starting a crayfish processing plant may sound overwhelming. To start, find a stable supply of crayfish and capital to put up the seafood processing plant. Study the market and determine where there is greater demand for crayfish and other processed seafood.
16. Start a food hub business
A food hub links health food farmers with wholesale or institutional buyers such as restaurants and hospitals.
With the increased demand for healthy food, starting a food hub that focuses on healthy farm products can be a fun and profitable business idea. To get started, create a website and invite healthy food producers to register.
Then, you can market the health food to institutional buyers and wholesalers at a profit.
17. Start a juice bar
The increasing popularity of healthy juices and low start-up costs make starting a healthy juice shop appealing.
To start a healthy fresh juice business, prepare a business plan, create juice recipes and ensure you have the licenses and permits to sell fresh juice. Locate local producers and source fresh fruits for your business.
18. Start a salad bar business
There is nothing better than a delicious healthy salad served first. If you love trying different creative salads, starting your salad bar can be a significant business venture. According to statistics, healthy fast food is a booming industry. With more people choosing a healthy eating lifestyle, the demand for healthy salads has increased tremendously.
Therefore, you may want to start your salad bar focusing on the health-conscious population. To start, find a reliable supply of fresh salads and ensure a strategic location for your business. then, advertise your business widely so you can reach as many customers as possible.
19. Start a vegan ice cream
Vegan ice cream is made using plant-based products. Free of animal-based products, vegan ice cream is healthy food.
Experts expect the demand for vegan ice cream to grow across the globe. Thus, starting your vegan-ice cream business can be a profitable business venture.
To start a vegan ice cream business, access the demand for your product and write a business plan. Then, contact your state's health department for a food handling license and permits before starting any business operations.
20. Start a honey production business
Honey contains antioxidants that protect the body from inflammation.
Inflammation leads to various health issues, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune cancer. Given its health benefits, honey can be a significant health food sector to focus on, so long as you love beekeeping.
To start a honey production business, ensure you have relevant beekeeping knowledge and understand the regulations around beekeeping. Focus on selling your products to the local market and expand to other areas as the business grows,
How much you can make: $10,000/month
How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)
Chandler Honey is a Canadian organic honey brand with unique flavors, founded by Tique Chandler. With only 2 years since incorporation, the brand is now in 150+ stores in Canada and brings in $10k revenue monthly.
21. Start a shrimp farming business
Shrimp farming is a pawn or prawn production business in the marine or freshwater environment.
To start shrimp farming, ensure you have quality freshwater ponds. According to experts, newly dug ponds yield poor results, and there is no algae buildup for the shrimp to feed on. Select the appropriate location so you raise your shrimp.
Purchase quality juvenile shrimp and ensure you feed the shrimp twice a day.
22. Start a corn kiosk
Corn kiosks are compact and convenient kiosks that feature a built-in cup holder for convenience. The corn kiosk operator makes sweet corn and sell’s it to local customers. Some corn kiosks have popcorn machines.
To start a corn kiosk, find a street or a mall with high traffic of people who will be your potential customers. Take note of any detail you may encounter while preparing your corn kiosk.
23. Start an abalone farming business
Abalone is a highly nutrient-rich and flavorful delicacy, classified among the most expensive seafood. Abalone has several health benefits, including being high in protein and a combination of essential vitamins and minerals.
Abalone is often sold live in a shell, frozen, or pan-fried and canned.
Overfishing and high demand for seafood are reasons abalone farming remains highly profitable. However, starting an abalone farm can be overwhelming. Abalone farms should measure various parameters at regular intervals, including nitrogen and sulfide levels.
24. Start a seafood grilling stand
Do you love seafood? Seafood outlets range from casual to affordable to upscale establishments that cater to the affluent consumer. Owning a seafood grilling restaurant or joint can be fun and a lucrative business opportunity. However, it also comes with challenges as you have to find quality seafood.
To start a seafood grilling joint, pick the type of seafood you want to start grilling. You can determine the best seafood for your business by researching what customers around you prefer most. Then, set up the seafood grilling restaurant within a high-traffic street, so you maximize customer reach.
25. Start a fish smoking business
As many people become more health-conscious, fish demand is rising. Thus, starting a smoked fish business can be profitable. For many fishermen and fish mongers, smoking fish is one of the most efficient ways of preserving fish. This is because smoking fish allows it to be edible for a more extended and enhances the flavor.
However, not everyone can smoke fish perfectly. If you have the skill and experience of smoking fish, consider starting your own smoked fish business. Find an area where fish is in high demand, and set up your fish smoking business.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
