With the increasing popularity of meal delivery services, more seem to be coming onto the market every year. Founded back in 2015, Chef’d is just one of those companies looking to change the game when it comes to the food industry. They provide meal plans from the American Diabetes Association, Atkins, The New York Times, and many others. Now, they’ll be partnering with the Campbell Soup company, as the company had invested $10 million into their business.
This partnership comes as part of a Series B round of funding for Chef’d. This also includes financial funding from Fresh Direct, an online grocer that added on to their original Series A investment. As part of this agreement, Campbell’s Soup will also get a seat on the Chef’d board of directors and they’ll become the largest strategic investor that the company has. It’s also worth noting this investment is not a direct stake in the Chef’d company.
In an interview with Fortune, the President of Campbell’s, Mark Alexander, said, “We believe that digital and e-commerce is going to transform [the food] industry.” It’s no doubt that millennials and younger generations are paving the way for this change, as many are seeking convenience when it comes to preparing their meals.
With such a large investment, Campbell’s clearly believes a lot in the future of Chef’d and the opportunities the pair could create together. This partnership could even mean future meal kits will contain products from Campbell’s United States brands, such as Swanson, Garden Fresh Gourmet, and V8. It would certainly be a strategic way to boost other Campbell’s Soup brands in the process, so don’t be surprised if you see this shift happening.
What makes Chef’d different from many of its competitors like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, is the fact that a weekly subscription is not required. No subscription or membership fee means less hassle for their customers. You can place an order at any time and you’re able to order as many or as few meals as you’d like. You’re completely in control and the lack of a weekly commitment makes it very appealing to its customers. Unlike other services, you’re even able to repurchase your favorite meals.
When your box arrives on your doorstep, you’ll find a recipe that was created by a professional chef or another culinary personality. Alongside those recipes, you’ll be provided with the pre-portioned ingredients you need to make the dish, meaning everything is ready to go when you want to cook. When browsing the meal plans on Chef’d, you’ll find a variety of dishes including breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also dessert. You’ll have the opportunity to cook up meals such as: Filet Mignon with Black Truffle Butter, Barbecue Rub Grilled Chicken, Matzo Ball Egg Drop Soup, Marinated Skirt Steak, and Gluten-Free Chocolate Ganache Tart.
Given that Campbell’s investment into Chef’d is still fairly new, only time will tell what will come from this partnership. However, it’s clear that the Campbell Soup company sees the benefit in the e-commerce capabilities Chef’d will provide to their company.
