In just three short months, Chakula Nyumbani delivered 169 plates of nutritious, home-cooked meals to busy professionals in Ruaka. Our goal was simple: to make life easier for people like Cheptoo, a young professional juggling a demanding job and the daily grind. We offered her and many others the comfort of wholesome meals delivered straight to their doors. Along the way, we’ve gained valuable insights, received heartwarming feedback, and refined our service to meet the needs of our customers.
But with growth came challenges. Today, we face the hard reality of scaling a business in an industry with thin margins, high costs, and logistical hurdles. This brings us to an important decision: we are pausing Chakula Nyumbani’s operations—not as a setback, but as a necessary step to regroup and strategize for a more sustainable future.
Recap of Progress
Over the past three months, we’ve served 169 plates of food and earned KES 66,175 in revenue. These numbers tell only part of the story, however. More importantly, we’ve earned the trust of our customers—some of whom have committed to paying upfront for weekly meals. Their confidence in us and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received speak volumes about the quality and reliability of our service.
Our journey has been one of experimentation and learning. We’ve continuously tinkered with our menu to find the perfect balance between taste, nutrition, and affordability. Some meals were a hit—like our beef and matoke, which quickly became a customer favorite. Others, like omena and ugali, didn’t resonate with everyone. But this process of trial and error has been crucial in understanding our customers’ preferences.
Cost management has also been a key focus. We’ve worked hard to source affordable ingredients without compromising on quality, which has helped keep our meals within a reasonable price range. We even tried reducing waste through reusable containers—a small step towards a greener footprint, though not without its logistical challenges.
Challenges Faced
While Chakula Nyumbani has seen some success, scaling the business has revealed significant challenges. Chief among them is the cost of ingredients—particularly beef and fish, which remain our most expensive inputs. With limited order volumes, we’ve struggled to negotiate better deals with suppliers, and without larger-scale purchasing power, we’re unable to maximize cost savings. This, in turn, has made it difficult to keep our prices low while maintaining the high quality our customers expect.
Logistics and production have also been major hurdles. Operating without a commercial kitchen means our capacity is limited, and we’ve been delivering meals by foot around Ruaka. As demand grows, this setup has quickly become unsustainable. Our experiment with reusable plastic containers, while environmentally conscious, has introduced more complexity, especially when customers delay returns or don’t reorder frequently enough. Keeping track of the containers and maintaining stock is an additional layer of logistical challenge we hadn’t anticipated.
On top of these operational constraints, the sheer time commitment demanded by running a food delivery business has been immense. Each day would start at 1 PM, sourcing ingredients, preparing meals, and ensuring everything was cooked to perfection. After meals were delivered, the work didn’t stop—cleaning the kitchen, updating our social media posts, and finally sitting down to account for our finances. By the time we closed out, it was often 9 PM. Juggling these multiple roles has stretched our capacity thin.
Financial Realities
The financial picture of Chakula Nyumbani has also proven challenging. Over the past three months, we generated KES 66,175 in total revenue, but our costs far outweighed this, standing at KES 109,785. This stark difference highlights the financial hurdles we’ve faced in balancing affordability, quality, and sustainability.
A significant portion of our expenses went toward high-cost ingredients like beef and fish, as well as other essentials like tomatoes, onions, and vegetables. While we’ve tried to source ingredients more affordably, the limited scale of our operations has meant we can’t yet access bulk discounts or negotiate better supplier deals.
The reality is clear: our current model is financially unsustainable without drastic changes. We’ve pushed hard to make this work, but the numbers highlight the need for a new strategy.
Suspending Operations
After much reflection, we’ve made the difficult decision to suspend Chakula Nyumbani’s operations. This is not a defeat but rather a strategic pause to reassess and find a way forward. The financial strain, combined with logistical challenges and the time commitment required to run the business, has made it impossible to continue sustainably in our current form.
With revenues of KES 66,175 and expenses of KES 109,785, it’s clear that adjustments are needed before we can move forward. Our inability to secure affordable ingredients, the strain on our delivery model, and the demands on our time have all contributed to this decision.
However, we are committed to the mission of Chakula Nyumbani—bringing nutritious, affordable meals to busy professionals like Cheptoo. This pause is a moment to step back, refine our approach, and plan for a stronger, more sustainable return. We believe in the vision, and we’re determined to come back better equipped to serve our customers and grow the business in a way that works for everyone.
Closing
As we take this pause, we want to thank everyone who has supported Chakula Nyumbani. Your trust, feedback, and encouragement have been invaluable, and we are deeply grateful. While this is not goodbye, it is a moment to reflect and prepare for the next chapter.
We invite you to stay tuned for updates as we work behind the scenes to refine our business model and come back stronger. At Positive Sum Africa, our commitment to creating innovative, impactful solutions remains as strong as ever. Chakula Nyumbani is just one part of our broader vision, and we’re excited to share our journey with you as we continue to tackle the challenges ahead.
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