Aquaponics Farm Break-Even Analysis: $57k Monthly Revenue

Fixed costs $21.2K/mo Monthly overhead base

Contribution margin 83% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $25.5K/mo Cover the base

Break-even timing Month 10 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Use this to test whether monthly revenue covers variable expenses and fixed costs for an aquaponics farm.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the cash you bring in each month before costs. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These are direct costs that rise as sales rise. $ Tight cost Heavy cost

Money available to cover fixed costs $93,000 $110,000 revenue - $17,000 variable expenses

Margin ratio

85%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs These costs stay on even when sales dip. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which aquaponics farm expenses are fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even only works if each expense behaves the way the model says it behaves. Here, recurring fixed overhead is $21,200/month before payroll, while feed, nutrients, production utilities, and packaging move with revenue.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Facility and admin overhead	Fixed	Include Facility Lease/Rent, Insurance, Admin Utilities, Software Subscriptions, Professional Services, Equipment Maintenance Contracts, and Security Services as $21,200 per month.	Spreading rent and admin overhead across units too early.
Farm operations payroll	Semi-fixed	Treat Farm Manager, Aquaponics Technicians, Processing & Packaging Staff, and Delivery Driver payroll as $26,250 per month in the first year, then step up with FTE count.	Modeling all labor as fully variable per sale.
Sustainable Fish Feed	Variable	Apply as 5.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 4.0% by the fifth year.	Using one flat feed dollar amount despite higher harvest volume.
Non-GMO Seeds & Plant Nutrients	Variable	Apply as 3.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 2.0% by the fifth year.	Treating crop inputs as fixed greenhouse overhead.
Electricity & Water for Production Systems	Variable	Apply as 6.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 5.0% by the fifth year.	Treating production utilities as fixed when the model prices them as revenue-linked.
Packaging & Distribution Materials	Variable	Apply as 3.0% of revenue in the first year, falling to 2.0% by the fifth year.	Leaving packaging out until after break-even is calculated.

How does break-even shift from lean launch to full aquaponics scale?

Scenario table

Lean still carries the heaviest fixed load, so it sits near break-even with a small loss. By the base and full cases, higher output spreads rent and staff, and the contribution cushion turns into solid profit.

Planning figures only; actual break-even will move with mortality, yield, and selling mix.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch case	$542k	$92k	$474k	83.0%	-$24k	Near break-even, but still slightly under water.
Base ramp case	$787k	$128k	$531k	83.8%	$129k	Moves past break-even and starts building cushion.
Full scale case	$1,713k	$223k	$704k	87.0%	$786k	Well above break-even, with strong operating leverage.

What breaks the aquaponics farm break-even plan?

Stress test

The launch plan is close to break-even, but the cushion is thin. A 10% sales miss, a 10% overhead bump, or higher feed and utility pressure can turn a small monthly loss into a much bigger one.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$572k	$30k gap	The plan starts with a small loss.
Revenue shortfall	Revenue falls 10% from the launch plan.	$572k	$84k gap	A small sales miss widens the loss fast.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises 10%.	$629k	$87k gap	Higher rent, labor, or support costs eat the cushion.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 170% to 220%.	$608k	$66k gap	Feed, utilities, and labor overruns push break-even up.
Combined pressure	Revenue falls 10% and fixed costs rise 10%.	$669k	$181k gap	One weak month becomes a large cash burn.

What should you verify before signing the greenhouse lease for an aquaponics farm?

Founder checklist

Before you commit, prove the farm can cover its fixed cost stack with real sales, not hope. Year 1 EBITDA is -$282K and break-even lands in Month 10, so the launch needs enough demand and cash to carry the gap.

1Demand Proof5 products

Secure buyer commitments for fish, greens, herbs, and juvenile fish before Month 1 so the sales plan is not leaning on spot demand.

2Fixed Costs$21.2K/mo

Verify that lease, insurance, utilities, software, professional services, maintenance, and security stay at this level before payroll and feed start.

3Unit Margin83% CM

Check that Year 1 feed, seeds, electricity, and packaging use only 17.0% of sales, so enough gross profit is left to absorb labor and overhead.

4Capacity Ramp7.5 FTE

Confirm the Month 1 team can run 2 production cycles, buy 25,000 juveniles per cycle, and hold losses near 5.0% at a 0.7 kg harvest weight.

5Cash Cushion-$1.055M

Hold enough working capital to cover feed, seeds, utilities, packaging, payroll, and slow collections because the model hits its cash low in Month 11.

6Break-even TimingMonth 10

Only commit if the launch plan can reach break-even by Month 10, since payback takes 55 months and Year 1 still posts a loss.