Online Food Business

How Much Money Do Online Food Businesses Make? (2024)

Pat Walls

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Updated: June 23rd, 2024

TL;DR:

Based on our data, online food businesses can make between $2,000-$3,000,000 per month.
The average revenue for a successful online food business is $336K per month.
The highest grossing online food business in our records makes over $36,000,000 per year.
Online food business owners salaries can vary wildly depending on industry, niche, and size of the business

So you're thinking about starting an online food business?

And now you're wondering how much online food business owners actually make...

Well, let’s dive in!

Here are example of real online food businesses and how much money they make - as reported by the founders themselves:

1. Love Good Fats ($36M/year)

Suzie Yorke, a CPG marketing executive and fitness enthusiast, came up with the idea for Love Good Fats after shifting to a high-fat, low-carb, low-sugar diet and struggling to find convenient snacks that fit her new lifestyle. Recognizing a gap in the market, she developed a line of delicious, healthy, and keto-friendly bars. Since its launch, Love Good Fats has achieved rapid growth, generating over $120 million in cumulative sales and expanding to over 10,000 stores in North America.

How much money it makes: $36M/year

2. Rosa's Thai Cafe ($24M/year)

Alexander Moore and his wife, Saiphin, came up with the idea for Rosa's Thai Cafe after moving back to the UK and being disappointed by the Thai food options available. They started with a market stall and office catering company, serving authentic Thai food cooked in their small flat. The business grew rapidly, and they opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2008. With a focus on great food and word-of-mouth marketing, Rosa's now has 18 locations across the UK and brings in over $25 million in annual revenue.

How much money it makes: $24M/year

3. Auric ($3.6M/year)

After a backbone fracture led him to explore yoga and Ayurveda, the founder of Auric had a lightbulb moment to make Ayurveda more convenient and aspirational for others. With a background in consumer brands from his time at Unilever, he launched Auric as a beauty and wellness brand based on Ayurveda, creating 100% natural and low-calorie beverages that offer visible benefits. With already selling 150k bottles monthly, the future looks bright for Auric as they aim to penetrate more consumers in India, the US, and the UK.

How much money it makes: $3.6M/year

4. HalalWorldDepot ($2.4M/year)

Mohamad Saad, one of the founders of HalalWorldDepot, launched the business as a side hustle to list Halal products from his father's store online. With an initial investment of $5,000 for the website and shipping materials, the company quickly gained traction and now boasts a customer return rate of 50-60% and steady profitability. The future looks promising as HalalWorldDepot continues to expand and serve the growing community of Muslims in the United States.

How much money it makes: $2.4M/year

5. Just Panela LLC ($2.1M/year)

Scott Unkefer, the founder of Just Panela LLC, came up with the idea for his business when he moved to Medellin, Colombia and discovered Panela, an organic, unprocessed, and natural cane sugar. After experiencing its unique taste and health benefits, Unkefer decided to reposition Panela for the North American and international market. Despite facing challenges in packaging and manufacturing, Just Panela has achieved annual sales of $1.5 million and has gained recognition for its design and product quality.

How much money it makes: $2.1M/year

6. Urban Smokehouse ($1.5M/year)

Andrew Buehler, founder of Urban Smokehouse, came up with the idea for his business after noticing the growing market trend and opportunity for online delivery of perishable items during the COVID-19 lockdown. As a foodie with a background in financial services, Buehler saw the rising demand for BBQ, a food that tastes great but is often inconvenient to make, and decided to create a digitally native BBQ brand that offers pre-cooked and sauced ribs that can be easily prepared at home in under 20 minutes. He launched Urban Smokehouse as a Kickstarter project and quickly surpassed his goal, raising over $30,000 in pre-orders.

How much money it makes: $1.5M/year

7. XO Marshmallow ($1.3M/year)

Lindzi Shanks, co-founder of XO Marshmallow, started the business after her partner Kat Connor created homemade marshmallows as a gift and received overwhelming feedback. Realizing the potential, they decided to launch an online shop and later opened the world's first marshmallow café. They relied on customer feedback and suggestions to develop new flavors and products, using their culinary and branding expertise to create a successful lifestyle brand.

How much money it makes: $1.3M/year

8. Ka-Pop! Snacks ($1.2M/year)

Dustin Finkel, the creator and CEO of Ka-Pop! and Awakened Foods, came up with the idea for his snack business after realizing the lack of genuinely authentic and delicious snacks in the market. As a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, Finkel wanted to create snacks that were both healthy and tasty, leading him to develop the Ka-Pop! line using 100% Ancient Grains and natural seasonings. Since its launch, the business has experienced impressive growth, with over 300% annual growth and projected annual sales of nearly $10 million by the end of 2021.

How much money it makes: $1.2M/year

9. Jaju Pierogi ($960K/year)

Jaju Pierogi, founded by sisters Casey and Vanessa White, started as a side project selling pierogi at farmers' markets and pop-up events. With a background in the corporate world and a love for their Polish heritage, they saw a gap in the market for high-quality, handmade pierogi. Fast forward to August 2022, Jaju Pierogi is now in multiple grocery chains and over 650 specialty independent stores, with a monthly revenue of $80,000-$100,000.

How much money it makes: $960K/year

10. Lil Buff Protein ($960K/year)

Christine Moore, the founder of Lil Buff Protein, came up with the idea for her business when she was competing in bodybuilding and craving sweets while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She created a protein cake mix that had the same nutrition facts as her diet meals, and after posting about it on social media, she received a lot of demand. With encouragement from friends, she decided to start Lil Buff Protein and within the first year, her husband quit his job and they were able to pay off all of their debt.

How much money it makes: $960K/year