Chili costing analysis (2022)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cost breakdown for a large batch of [[Canadian chili|chili]]. Total yield: 9.5L, 38 portions at 250ml each.

Ingredient costs

Item	Qty	Unit cost	Total
Beef (stew)	1	$14.48	$14.48
Pork (stew)	1	$9.51	$9.51
Sausage	1	$5.00	$5.00
Kidney beans	1	$4.19	$4.19
Black beans	2	$2.49	$4.98
White beans	1	$2.49	$2.49
Canned corn	2	$1.69	$3.38
Diced tomato	2	$0.99	$1.98
Crushed tomato	1	$0.99	$0.99
Peppers	1	$2.26	$2.26
Jalapeño	1	$1.32	$1.32
Canned/roasted peppers	0.5	$1.44	$0.72
Carrots	0.25	$2.49	$0.62
Lime	1	$0.69	$0.69
Tomato sauce	0.25	$1.99	$0.50
Spices	1	$3.00	$3.00
Food cost total			$56.11

Loaded costs (includes labour and kitchen)

Item	Hours	Rate	Cost
Labour	2.5h	$16/h	$40.00
Kitchen overhead	4h	$20/h	$80.00
Total loaded			$176.11

Per-portion summary

	Cost
Food cost per portion	$1.48
Loaded cost per portion	$4.63

Potential cost reductions

Change	Current	Reduced
Dry beans (vs canned)	$11.66 canned	~$3.00 dry; saves ~$8.66, adds soaking and cooking time
Butcher own meat	—	saves ~$7.24 per hour of butchering; not counted below
Use pressure cooker ($60 one-time)	4 h kitchen time	~1.5 h; saves ~$50 of overhead
Total with dry beans and pressure cooker	$176.11	~$117.45 loaded ($3.09/portion)

The dry bean cost (~$3.00 for the equivalent of four cans) and the 1.5 hours of pressure cooker kitchen time are estimates. The butchering saving depends on how many hours you spend, so it isn’t in the total.

Chili on Bruce loves to cook

Chili costing analysis (2022)

Ingredient costs

Loaded costs (includes labour and kitchen)

Per-portion summary

Potential cost reductions