Soup Therapy
Comfort as Care
From an idea… to the Start Program.
Juliette Ozkalfayan
Founder
Before Hot Bread Kitchen
I had an idea, but I didn't
yet know how to build a business.
COVID
Navigated crisis and uncertainty
Rebuilding my life
Finding my footing again
Certified Home Health Aide
Caring for New Yorkers in their homes
Discovered a need
Many seniors struggled to prepare nourishing meals
Started making homemade soup
Cooking for my clients, one bowl at a time
Realized this could become a business
An idea — but not yet a plan
The Seed Program
Building the foundation.
Hot Bread Kitchen Seed
From idea to real business
- •Learned how to build a food business
- •Formed Soup Therapy LLC
- •Created my brand, website & business plan
- •Learned to confidently pitch my business
- •Presented at the HBK Fresh Out the Oven Pitch Event
The Turning Point
Start Program unlocked.
Accepted into Hot Bread Kitchen's Start Program — and everything it unlocks.
Hot Bread Kitchen Start Program
From foundation to scale
Commercial kitchen space
Advanced business coaching
Access to larger markets
Financial & operational support
A community of food entrepreneurs
"The Start Program is the key that turns a real business into a scalable one."
What I've Learned
Lessons learned.
Start small.
Listen to customers.
Stay focused.
Build systems.
Believe in your mission.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that great businesses aren't built overnight — they're built one relationship at a time.
The Scale Engine
The commercial kitchen.
Where Soup Therapy grows from personal to scalable.
Batch production beyond one home kitchen
Flash-freezing for frozen soup delivery
Fulfilling recurring wholesale orders
Launching a shelf-stable canned line
Consistent, food-safe quality at scale
One home kitchen served one family at a time. A commercial kitchen serves a city.
The Opportunity
A market hungry for comfort.
Big, growing, and underserved at the point of care.
TAM — Prepared Meals
$190B+
Global prepared meals market (2025), growing to $326B by 2034 at 6.1% CAGR.
SAM — US Meal Delivery & Kits
$9.1B
US meal-kit & delivery revenue (2025) — the at-home, prepared-food channel we serve.
SOM — Caregiver-Support Nutrition
NYC First
Aging-in-place seniors, caregivers & recovery households in Manhattan — underserved by mainstream delivery.
Sources: Fortune Business Insights (Prepared Meals), IBISWorld (US Meal Kit Delivery), 2025.
Growth Roadmap & Unit Economics
A clear path to scale — profitably.
Phase 1 · Seed
In-Home Preparation
Premium, high-margin, proof of concept
~70%
Target gross margin
Phase 2 · Start
Commercial Kitchen + Delivery
Flash-frozen, scale beyond one kitchen
~60%
Target gross margin
Phase 3 · Scale
Wholesale + Canned Line
Repeatable shelf-stable SKUs
~50%
Target gross margin
Margins are targets based on comparable prepared-food models — confirm with current cost data.
The Future of Soup Therapy
Growing — with soup at the heart.
Soup remains our specialty, always.
Personalized In-Home Soup Preparation
Commercial Kitchen Production
Soup Delivery
Wholesale Partnerships
Premium Shelf-Stable Soup Line
Trusted Caregiver-Support Food Company
Why It Matters
Every bowl of soup represents…
Something far greater than a meal.
Comfort
Nutrition
Independence
Support for Caregivers
Recovery
Dignity
Support Soup Therapy
Help us nourish NYC.
Every contribution helps us bring comfort — one bowl at a time — to seniors, caregivers, and families across the city.
Soup Therapy at the Hot Bread Kitchen Seed Fresh Out the Oven Pitch Event · 8/27/2025
Thank You
Two years ago, I came to Hot Bread Kitchen with an idea.
Today, I've been accepted into the Start Program — with commercial kitchen space and a clear path to scale.
Thank you to Hot Bread Kitchen and the Amplify Her Foundation for believing in entrepreneurs like me and investing in businesses that strengthen our communities.