How do you know it’s the right time to make a big change? When your food business is thriving, your systems are working, and your social media presence keeps growing – is that when you stay put or when you leap forward? Here’s our story of choosing growth over comfort, and how our journey from dark kitchen operations in Mexico to food business consultancy in Spain taught us universal lessons about food business success.
Starting Small, Thinking Big
For us, that journey began in our home kitchen in a small Mexican city. Before terms like “dark kitchen” became trendy, we were building food businesses purely through social media. When the pandemic hit a year into our journey, instead of suffering a setback, we kept growing. No storefront, just great systems and a strong digital presence that kept us busy and profitable.
We did things differently from the start. While others struggled to pivot during COVID, our digital-first approach meant we were already where we needed to be. Our personal brand grew to over 27,000 Instagram followers and 38,000 on TikTok – not through luck, but through systematic content creation and community building.
Systems: The Foundation of Freedom
Running dark kitchen operations taught us everything about optimizing small food businesses. Every challenge became an opportunity to create a system. Take our custom cake business, for example – what started as casual pricing quickly evolved into a comprehensive system for consistent portions, standardized recipes, and profitable pricing. This wasn’t just about organization; it was about creating freedom through structure.
Combining Adeel’s project management expertise with Claudia’s professional chef training, we transformed daily challenges into streamlined processes. From kitchen operations to social media management, every aspect of our business ran on well-documented systems that could work in any setting.
The Crossroads: Comfort vs. Growth
Six years in, we faced a pivotal decision. Our cake business was thriving, our systems were solid, and we had a loyal customer base. We could have stayed comfortable. Instead, with Claudia’s Spanish passport in hand and years of industry experience between us, we chose the path of growth over comfort.
This wasn’t just about moving countries; it was about evolving from successful dark kitchen operators to food business consultants. We had learned how to build successful food businesses from scratch, grow them through social media, and operate them efficiently. Our hands-on experience running dark kitchens had prepared us perfectly for food business consultancy, where we could help others achieve the same systematic growth.
New Horizons, Same Principles
Today, as food business consultants based in Spain, we’re bringing our dark kitchen success strategies to entrepreneurs worldwide. While we’re learning the Spanish market firsthand, we continue serving clients in Mexico and around the globe through online consultancy. We’ve noticed that despite different regional requirements and standards, the fundamental challenges of running a food business remain universal – whether you’re operating a dark kitchen or a traditional restaurant.
Our journey has taught us that successful food businesses aren’t built on guesswork. Whether you’re running a dark kitchen in Mexico or a café in Spain, success comes from combining operational excellence with digital savvy. It’s about having systems that free you to grow, social media strategies that actually work, and operations that run smoothly whether you’re present or not.
The Right Time Is When You’re Ready
Looking back, there was no perfect time to make this transition. Just like starting a business, the right time is when you’re ready to take the leap. We’re living proof that with the right systems and courage, food businesses can adapt and grow in any market.
Follow our journey on Instagram @adeelandclaudia where we share our transition from dark kitchen success to food business consultancy, helping entrepreneurs worldwide turn their daily challenges into growth opportunities through proven systems and strategies. Whether you’re in Mexico, Spain, or anywhere else in the world, we offer online consultancy to help you optimize your food business operations.
