Meal Makers
Meal Makers is a Swedish B2B digital marketplace connecting food producers with restaurants, schools, and public-sector kitchens to sell surplus and overstock inventory in bulk lots, monetizing via marketplace commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersUddevalla, Sweden
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Meal Makers does
Meal Makers operates a B2B digital marketplace, accessible at mealmakers.se, that connects Swedish food producers and distributors with restaurants, school kitchens, and public-sector food buyers to rescue surplus and overstock inventory. The platform is structured around two product lines: 'Rädda mat' (Save Food) for surplus items at discounted prices, and 'Smarta val' (Smart Choices) for regular products offered at volume discounts. Listings are sold in bulk units (full pallet, half-pallet, quarter-pallet, or carton-on-pallet) with per-lot pricing ranging from a few thousand to over 70,000 SEK, using both fixed-price and auction mechanisms. The technology is built on the Magento e-commerce platform, with registered buyer accounts, credit checks, and invoicing/payments handled through a Fortnox Finans AB integration.
The business model is a transactional marketplace take rate: Meal Makers earns a commission on each transaction processed, with pay-as-you-go billing and prices quoted excluding VAT. Go-to-market is partnership-driven, anchored by a 2019 pilot with Göteborgs Stad that opened public school kitchens as buyers, and by a supplier roster exceeding 100 producers including Atria, HELLMANN'S, Femtorp, Rama Professional, Polar Seafood, and Kronfågel. Buyer-side customers include commercial restaurants and institutional/public-sector kitchens, with marketing conducted through Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, newsletter, and earned media in Swedish food industry publications.
Meal Makers was founded in 2018 in Uddevalla, Sweden, by Christian Pettersson (CEO) and Morgan Kroon, both with prior experience in Nordic food sales, restaurant wholesale, and restaurant operations. The company endured a severe pandemic-related downturn in 2020 — during which the founders held side jobs — before securing a 2021 partnership with Katalysen Ventures that enabled full-time focus. By 2022, the company reported revenue growth of more than 3x year-on-year, 1,045 registered users, 2,597 cumulative parties sold, and an average of 1.5 tons of food rescued per day. Recognition includes the 2019 Win Win Gothenburg Sustainability Award. The company remains privately held with 1-10 employees and operates exclusively in Sweden across all major regions.
Meal Makers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Meal Makers
- Legal name
- Meal Makers Sweden AB
- Website
- https://mealmakers.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Meal Makers is a Swedish B2B digital marketplace connecting food producers with restaurants, schools, and public-sector kitchens to sell surplus and overstock inventory in bulk lots, monetizing via marketplace commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Meal Makers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Food Marketplace
- NAICS
- Food Service Contractors (72231)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)
Keywords
Where Meal Makers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Uddevalla
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Meal Makers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketplace Commission: Meal Makers operates as a digital marketplace, facilitating transactions between food producers (sellers) and buyers (restaurants, schools). The platform earns revenue by taking a commission on transactions processed through the marketplace. Sellers list products at fixed prices or through auction mechanisms, and buyers purchase discounted bulk inventory that would otherwise go to waste.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Fixed-price and auction marketplace for bulk food inventory |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Meal Makers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Meal Makers operates a B2B digital marketplace that connects food producers (sellers) with restaurants and public sector institutions such as schools (buyers). Food producers list surplus, overstock, or close-dated inventory on the platform via fixed-price or auction mechanisms, and buyers purchase bulk quantities (pall, half-pall, quarter-pall) at discounted wholesale prices. The platform generates revenue by taking a commission on transactions processed between the two sides of the marketplace.
Product overview
Meal Makers is a climate-smart digital marketplace platform connecting food producers with restaurants and schools in Sweden. The platform operates two core offerings: 'Rädda mat' (Save Food) for surplus food that would otherwise become waste, and 'Smarta val' (Smart Choices) for regular products at volume discount prices. The platform enables both fixed-price sales and auction-based purchasing. Product categories include Meat & Poultry (68 articles), Fish & Seafood (40 articles), Vegetarian products (17 articles), Dry Goods/Pantry, Dairy, Bread & Bakery, and Ready Meals. Suppliers list products in bulk quantities (pall/half-pall/quarter-pall units) and buyers purchase through registered accounts with payment via Fortnox invoicing or advance payment with 2% discount.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Meal Makers B2B Marketplace Platform A B2B e-commerce marketplace platform where registered food producers (sellers) list surplus, overstock, or close-dated food inventory via fixed-price or auction mechanisms, and registered buyers (restaurants and public sector institutions such as schools) purchase bulk lots (pall/half-pall/quarter-pall) at discounted wholesale prices. The platform supports product categorization across meat/poultry, fish/seafood, dairy, dry goods, bread/bakery, ready meals, and vegetarian categories, with billing handled via Fortnox invoicing.
Quantifiable outcome
- 665,147 kg of food rescued from waste
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Meal Makers
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Meal Makers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Meal Makers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Göteborgs StadcoreGöteborgs Stad (Gothenburg City) started a pilot project with Meal Makers in 2019, opening up opportunities for public school kitchens to rescue surplus food. This partnership was significant for expanding into the public sector segment.
- AcadeMedia MåltidminorCollaboration with AcadeMedia Måltid, one of Sweden's largest private school meal providers. The partnership follows AcadeMedia's 'Gräv där du står' philosophy of working sustainably with food.
- Svensk MärkningminorPartnership with Svensk Märkning (Från Sverige certification), supporting Swedish food production transparency and traceability.
- 100+ Food Supplier PartnerscoreMeal Makers has partnerships with over 100 food producers and suppliers including Atria, Femtorp, Rama Professional, HELLMANN'S, Flevogold, Bjärefågel, Kronfågel, Leröy, Polar Seafood, and many others. These suppliers list surplus inventory on the marketplace.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Meal Makers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Matsmart: Swedish online retailer selling surplus and short-dated food at discount. Closest domestic analogue — operates a marketplace-like surplus model, though primarily B2C rather than Meal Makers' B2B focus on restaurants and schools.
- Karma: Sweden-born surplus food marketplace connecting restaurants with end consumers via a mobile app. Targets the same Swedish food-waste thesis but B2C; provides a benchmark for what consumer-side traction looks like in the region.
- Too Good To Go: Pan-European surplus food marketplace with millions of users rescuing meals from restaurants and grocers. Largest scale player in the food-waste category and the most relevant competitor for cross-border expansion thinking.
- Phenix: French B2B surplus food marketplace connecting manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers with charities and consumers. Most direct B2B marketplace peer, operating a similar supplier-listings model across France and southern Europe.
- FoodCloud: Irish B2B surplus food redistribution platform linking food businesses with charities and community groups. Operates a similar two-sided surplus intermediation model and is a comparable reference for institutional/charity channel growth.
Emerging players
- Winnow Solutions: UK-based food waste prevention tech for commercial kitchens, using AI to measure and reduce kitchen waste. Adjacent in mission but operates upstream (kitchen analytics) rather than downstream (surplus redistribution), making it a complementary rather than direct competitor.
- Leanpath: US-headquartered food waste prevention platform with tracking hardware and analytics for food-service operators. Adjacent vertical SaaS play targeting the same buyer (food-service operators) but with kitchen measurement focus rather than surplus resale.
- Wasteless: Israel-based dynamic-pricing platform for grocery surplus using AI markdown. Adjacent category — solves surplus at the retail shelf via pricing rather than via B2B marketplace intermediation.
Broad incumbents
- Axfood: One of Sweden's largest grocery wholesalers and retailers (Hemköp, Willys, Dagab). A potential competitor or acquirer with vastly greater buyer–supplier reach; could internalize surplus intermediation if the category proves scalable.
- Martin & Servera: Sweden's leading restaurant wholesaler with deep buyer relationships across the same restaurant segment Meal Makers serves. Most credible incumbent that could launch a competing B2B surplus offering given existing logistics and supplier base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Meal Makers social profiles
Digital presenceMeal Makers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Meal Makers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Meal Makers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Meal Makers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Meal Makers
What does Meal Makers do?
Meal Makers operates a B2B digital marketplace that connects food producers (sellers) with restaurants and public sector institutions such as schools (buyers). Food producers list surplus, overstock, or close-dated inventory on the platform via fixed-price or auction mechanisms, and buyers purchase bulk quantities (pall, half-pall, quarter-pall) at discounted wholesale prices. The platform generates revenue by taking a commission on transactions processed between the two sides of the marketplace.
Is Meal Makers a public or private company?
Meal Makers is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Meal Makers founded?
Meal Makers was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Meal Makers based?
Meal Makers is headquartered in Uddevalla, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Meal Makers make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketplace Commission.
Who are Meal Makers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Matsmart, Karma, Too Good To Go, Phenix and FoodCloud. Emerging players are Winnow Solutions, Leanpath and Wasteless. Broad incumbents are Axfood and Martin & Servera.
Does Meal Makers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Meal Makers.
What industry is Meal Makers in?
Meal Makers's product category is B2B Food Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAJAI, Local Chef/Restaurant Meal Boxes & Marketplace Prepared Meals, with a secondary code of CRAHAKAC, Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals). Its NAICS code is 72231 and its SIC code is 5812.