Malaysian-based food startup, Meals in Minutes, today announced that it has successfully secured USD 1.5 million in a seed round led by an early-stage venture fund and seed accelerator, 500 Global, with participation from a private investor. This fresh round of capital will fuel Meals in Minutes’s growth across Malaysia and Singapore, including establishing a presence in the United Kingdom. The funding will also be focused on the research and development to expand Meals in Minutes’s selection of food products and build a stronger marketing campaign to reach greater target audiences across all markets.
Vin Vin Khu, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Meals in Minutes further shared, “The funding will be focused on achieving key milestones such as successfully launching in the UK market, product development, and building a robust foundation for future growth across all markets.”
Launched in 2020 by Brandon Lim and Khiara Mia, founder and co-founder of Meals in Minutes respectively, the food startup serves a brand new advanced meal kit concept with its frozen vacuum-packed ready-to-cook meals, allowing consumers to whip up a gourmet meal within 15 minutes. All meals are flash-frozen, and individually portioned to reduce food wastage with no genetically modified ingredients or additional artificial substances, and are fully HALAL, HACCP and ISO 22000 certified.
“Meals In Minutes was founded with the vision of simplifying cooking for individuals leading busy lives, offering them the opportunity to enjoy high-quality, clean, and nutritious meals without the associated hassle and requisite culinary skills. Additionally, recognising the considerable advantages of this concept, we anticipated its positive impact on business and cafe owners who aspire to provide food services but lack the necessary equipment and resources to operate a fully equipped kitchen,” said Malaysian-born founder and CEO of Meals in Minutes, Brandon Lim.
Mixing creativity and efficiency: Overcoming the F&B manpower dilemma without compromising quality
Considering the love and passion for food amongst Malaysians, it is unsurprising that the F&B industry remains a lucrative business, as the industry is expected to grow annually by 6.85% from 2024 to 2028. However, F&B owners, looking to tap into this opportunity, are finding themselves caught in a manpower dilemma. In Malaysia, fewer young individuals are turning to F&B as a career option due to the low pay wage and the perceived uncertainty within the industry. Additionally, the delay in issuing work permits for foreign workers makes it exceptionally slow and difficult for owners to turn to foreign workers to overcome manpower shortages. Moreover, the F&B sector exhibits a significantly higher employee turnover rate, with an average of approximately 75%, which could lead to businesses facing reduced quality of services and products, and an increased workload amongst existing employees.
Integrating Meals in Minutes food products as a solution enables businesses to optimise kitchen operations, resulting in the efficient and consistent production of gourmet meals. This is achieved without the need for a fully equipped kitchen or the employment of a professional chef, thus overcoming the manpower dilemma without compromising quality.
Khiara Mia, co-founder of Meals in Minutes shares, “Our advanced meal kits not only offer sustainable solutions to F&B businesses but also tackle environmental concerns like food wastage and excessive packaging. We’re also collaborating with CleanHub to prevent plastic pollution by collecting plastic waste for every product sold and are committed to delivering a genuine impact with every purchase. Sustainability remains a pivotal factor in shaping our future business strategies.”
Today, Meals in Minutes is available in Malaysia across multiple premium grocery stores including Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, Ben’s Independent Grocer and selected 7-Eleven stores. Meals in Minutes is also currently supplying their food products to Loud Speaker, a Malaysian karaoke chain and has successfully collaborated with celebrities such as Joe Flizzow to create the unique Joe’s Burger, made with 100% pure premium yellowfin tuna patty. Meals in Minutes will continue to expand and is constantly on the lookout for funding and partnership opportunities.
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About Meals in Minutes
Meals In Minutes is an advanced frozen meal kit startup specialising in crafting frozen, vacuum-packed ready-to-cook meals that revolutionise cooking. Its unique concept and innovative approach unlock limitless culinary possibilities, offering customisable creations and unparalleled versatility in cooking methods.
Website: https://mealsinminutes.co/
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