Gain Kitchen: How Medea Lorenzen Bootstrapped a Food Startup with a Nut Butter Machine
Volume #20 of "Happy Bootstrapping" Newsletter
Medea Lorenzen has invested €200,000 in her food startup Gain Kitchen and generates €25,000 in monthly revenue – but isn't profitable yet. The 30-year-old from Cologne produces high-protein peanut spreads without sugar and finances her company through freelance project management. An honest look into the ups and downs of bootstrapping in the food industry.
This is a summary of Episode 131 of the “Happy Bootstrapping” Podcast (German).
From Nut Butter Machine to Food Startup
Gain Kitchen's founding story begins unusually: In Egypt, Medea discovered a nut butter machine that allowed customers to tap fresh nut butter themselves. Back in Germany, she promptly ordered such a machine for her home – at the price of a high-end coffee machine. "I woke up at night with this urge about the nut butter machine. What cool things could I make with it?" the founder recalls.
As an athlete and self-proclaimed foodie, Medea experimented for months in her kitchen. Her goal: recreating the "forbidden Nutella spoon moment" – but with a product that supports fitness goals. The result: peanut spreads with over 30% protein content, no sugar, but with crunchy crispies. Instead of conventional sugar, she uses erythritol, a calorie-free sugar substitute.
Business Model and the Hard Reality of Numbers
Gain Kitchen currently sells seven varieties of "The Protein Spread" for €8.90 per jar. With monthly revenue of about €25,000, the company isn't profitable yet. The challenge lies in thin margins: one jar costs almost €3 to produce – a difficult starting point for e-commerce standards.
"Food doesn't have margins like other e-commerce products," Medea explains the problem. High costs stem from premium ingredients like raw cacao, Ceylon cinnamon, and bourbon vanilla. Additionally, minimum order quantities of 4,000 jars per variety from the contract manufacturer tie up significant capital.
To reduce complexity, the founder plans to trim the assortment to three bestsellers: chocolate, vanilla, and probably pistachio. In parallel, she's developing new products with better margins, including a coffee substitute with medicinal mushrooms.
Marketing Strategy and Community Building
Gain Kitchen's main revenue comes through email marketing. Medea sends three newsletters per week with lots of storytelling. On Instagram, she has built up 8,000 followers and actively engages her community: monthly contests where customers can share their creations with the spreads, new products developed together with 40 regular customers in a WhatsApp group.
"I develop everything together with my community," the founder emphasizes. Performance ads through an external agency run "up and down," which is why she wants to focus more on influencer marketing. TikTok was discontinued after initial attempts – too complex for a one-woman show.
Tech Stack of a Solo Founder
Medea's setup is designed for efficiency:
Shopify as shop system
Klaviyo for email marketing
Billbee for inventory management (connection to Amazon)
Fulfillment and contract manufacturer for location-independent work
AI tool "Christiani AI" for content creation
Monthly software costs: about €900
The Dark Side of Bootstrapping
After two years and over €200,000 in investment, Medea struggles with doubts: "You've been working on this project for two years and it doesn't bring you a cent, it's draining all your money." Financing through her freelancing business (20 hours/week) enables independence but also means double the workload.
The challenges in the food sector are manifold: low margins, high marketing costs for building trust, competition from big brands, and the danger of being copied. A planned appearance on "Die Höhle der Löwen" (German Shark Tank) fell through because the product wasn't ready yet.
Learnings from a Food Founder
Margin is everything: "If I had approached this venture from a different perspective, I would have done many things completely differently"
Reduce complexity: Fewer varieties, better capital efficiency
Community first: Close customer relationships create real fans
Own production as learning phase: The knowledge helps in negotiations with contract manufacturers
Maintain balance: "I want to build a business where I can be location-independent"
Mental health: Regular reflection on the purpose and continuation of the project
Despite all challenges, Medea remains determined: The goal of being present at hotel breakfast buffets and offering entrepreneurs a healthy alternative continues to drive her forward.
What I Learned as an Interviewer
Medea's openness about financial challenges and self-doubt impressed me – this honesty is rare in the startup scene. I was particularly fascinated by her community approach: with her WhatsApp group of 40 regular customers who test prototypes and provide direct feedback, she demonstrates how to develop extremely close to the customer despite a small budget.
Happy Bootstrapping is a German podcast where I interview bootstrapped founders, indie hackers, and solopreneurs about their startup journeys.
Over the years, I've connected with many successful entrepreneurs who have built e-commerce shops, SaaS platforms, mobile apps, content businesses, or hybrid models.
Furthermore I am a bootstrapper myself and growing my DevOps-as-a-Sercice and Web Operations Company “We Manage”.