From Farm-Fresh Products to a Structured Meal Service and Personalized Vitamins
My name is Serhii Kotenko, and today I am an entrepreneur building businesses in the health sector. I am growing Foodex, a structured balanced-meal delivery service, and a new venture, Nutrilogy — a service offering personalized selection of vitamins and micronutrients.
My entrepreneurial journey began with the decision to leave salaried employment. It was important for me to move from being an executor to being a creator: not simply carrying out tasks, but shaping a product, taking responsibility for results, and determining the direction of my life. Since 2012, I have not returned to salaried work, consciously choosing the path of entrepreneurship.
The first stage was a period of searching for a sustainable business model. We started by delivering farm-fresh and organic products, but after two years it became clear that we needed to rethink the concept. In 2014, we relaunched with a new approach — as a healthy meal-plan service. Later, a key turning point for me was the decision to move away from the mindset of a «small, hands-on business» and consciously build a structured company — with clear processes, defined roles, management reporting, and performance-based oversight.
At the same time, I devote considerable attention to personal discipline and practices that help me maintain my energy: sports, long-distance running, meditation, and biohacking. For me, these are not about extremes, but about building inner strength. In business, you constantly have to act amid uncertainty and make decisions without full control over all the variables. That is why business systems and inner resilience in life are interconnected principles for me.
My Sister's Idea, Two Years of Farm-Fresh Products, and a Relaunch in 2014
How did the business idea come about?
Foodex grew out of a personal need of my partner — my sister. She wanted to eat well and stay in shape, but without spending time cooking and constantly shopping. At first, it was her initiative; together, we began refining and testing it and turning it into a business model.
Before launching Foodex, we spent two years in the farm-fresh and organic food delivery business. However, the business was not developing as we had expected, so we decided to transform the concept.
Nutrilogy is a new venture that we are building from scratch: creating selection algorithms, building a customer base, and developing a process for communicating its value. What sets us apart is that we do not offer individual supplements such as vitamin D3 or omega-3, but a personalized multicomplex. If a client's levels are normal, the relevant ingredient is minimized; if there is a deficiency, the formula is strengthened. The product format also matters: instead of a set of tablets, we use small Swiss-made granules which, according to our approach, provide better absorption and reduce component interactions.
Belief in the Product, Discipline, and a Focus on Quality Rather Than Appearances
What key skills helped you launch the business?
At the outset, what mattered most was not perfect expertise, but a combination of three elements:
Belief in the product — the conviction that it offers real value to customers, even if the market has not yet recognized it.
Persistence and discipline — the ability to turn a dream into concrete actions and do a little more than others.
A pragmatic focus on product quality — investing resources in what directly creates value for customers, rather than in outward appearances.
There Was No Market, the Stereotype That «Healthy Means Tasteless,» and a Launch in an Acquaintance's Restaurateur's Kitchen
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you tackled in the early years?
- Creating a market. In 2014, there were almost no healthy food delivery services in Kyiv. People were not looking for such services, so search marketing was not very effective. We had to explain the meal-plan concept itself to customers — eating five times a day — and show how it could help with weight loss.
- Overcoming the stereotype that «healthy means tasteless.» We focused on balance (calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates), taste, and ingredient quality, avoiding flavor enhancers such as monosodium glutamate, under the supervision of a dietitian.
- Launching with minimal resources. After our previous project, we did not have enough money for a kitchen, equipment, or a team. We started in the kitchen of a restaurateur we knew, using our own recipe specifications, and ran our first marketing activities through barter and partnerships. Our first investment came from a customer who believed in the product — this allowed us to open our own kitchen and strengthen the team.
COVID Became an Opportunity — Frozen Meals and Talented Chefs from the Market
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
The COVID-19 period. It was a crisis for the restaurant industry, but for us it was both a challenge and an opportunity. We moved part of the team to remote work and reduced operating hours; just two days later, we launched a new concept: ready-made frozen meals. Demand for food remained steady, and the market offered an opportunity to bring talented chefs onto the team.
The full-scale war. The immediate priority was the safety of our team and customers. On the very first day after the shelling, some of our couriers went out on their routes. Later, we temporarily transformed production to serve a social mission, preparing hot meals for the Territorial Defense Forces and the State Emergency Service. My main takeaway is this: when a team and its owners have inner strength, a crisis becomes a point of renewal and growth.
Moving from Hands-On Management to a Structured Model Was the Key Driver of Growth
Which decisions proved most effective in growing the company?
The biggest boost to growth came from the decision to move from «hands-on management» to a structured model. Once you have a clear vision of Point B — what the company should look like after a certain period — the need for systematization follows: job descriptions, a responsibility structure, reporting, and performance management. This is what turned the business from a collection of the owners' efforts into a manageable system.
Other growth drivers included scaling through franchising and developing adjacent ventures.
Franchise Partners Broke Their Agreements — A Lesson in Legal Formalization
Which mistake do you now consider your most valuable learning experience?
Trusting franchise partners too much without proper legal agreements. Some partners broke their agreements and used our work. Today, I am convinced that partnerships must be legally structured by professionals. This does not guarantee absolute protection, but it significantly reduces risks.
