Meez Meals - Ready-to-Cook Ingredients

Jumping on the latest hot trend seems like a sure-fire way to strike entrepreneurial gold. But while yoga studios and gluten-free bakeries may be popular, investors and business consultants say take a broader view.

Trends in society, including changing demographics and technology are the best guide. Instead of joining the pack, would-be small business owners should look for a niche and fill it.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Products or services that make life easier, particularly for the well-to-do.

Businesses that deliver ready-to-cook dinner ingredients or care for elderly relatives are good bets, says Brian Cohen, chairman of New York Angels, a group of investors that buy stakes in small or young companies.

"Over and over again, the companies that are getting funding are serving upper-income people," Cohen says.

Think about things that are convenient, save time and are fun to use — such as dinner ingredient companies, which deliver to customers all the makings of a dish like stir-fried beef or vegetable lasagna.

They offer people who like to cook the satisfaction of making a meal, without having to shop.

BEEN THERE, DOING THAT

Jen Collins Moore started Chicago-based Meez Meals, which delivers ready-to-cook ingredients to consumers, in 2010.

She realized there was a demand for an ingredient delivery service when she worked with focus groups of women at a consumer products company. The women wanted to cook but didn't have time to do all the work.

"Meez is inspired by the cooking philosophy of Mise En Place – French for having everything ready to go when you’re ready to cook.”

She started her business before Blue Apron and Plated, but isn't worried about the competition; unlike Moore's rivals, Meez Meals delivers food that's already cut up and chopped, saving customers time.

"We do it differently. We do the prep work," Moore says.

"Imagine this scene ... It’s almost dinnertime. You’re tired. You’re hungry. You haven’t been to the store in a week. Do you order take out? Do you settle for cold cereal? You do not!

Instead you stroll into your kitchen. 20 fuss-free minutes later you emerge with a dinner you made from scratch. You didn’t do any shopping. You didn’t pick up a knife. But you cooked it all yourself.

And here’s the crazy part. The minute you started cooking, you started to get energized. Maybe it was the smell of garlic or the stress of the day starting to fall away. But suddenly you’re rejuvenated and the night is something to be enjoyed, not just downtime before bed.

A fantasy? Nope. It’s the magic of Meez Meals."

Source: Yahoo!Finance