Nestle Buys Stake in Meal Delivery Group Freshly

June 20, 2017
Freshly is a small ready meals group that sells healthy, prepared meals to consumers across the U.S. using a subscription-based model.

The world's largest packaged foods maker is becoming more health and nutrition-focused as a new generation of savvy consumers request fresher and healthier foods. Nestlé SA says it bought a stake in a U.S. ready meals group called Freshly, a small investment in home-delivered food for Nestle that comes as the Swiss food and drinks giant struggles with slow-growing demand in a fast-changing market.

Nestlé made the announcement today, (June 20), of its minority interest purchase in Freshly, as the lead investor in a $77-million funding round. Freshly sells healthy, prepared meals to consumers across the U.S. using a subscription-based model.

Nestlé said the deal would help it gain access to the $10-billion prepared meals market in the U.S. It did not disclose the exact investment, but said it would help Freshly build a new East Coast kitchen and distribution center in 2018, as it prepares to expand its U.S. service nationwide.

Nestle USA's Food Division president Jeff Hamilton is to join Freshly's board of directors. The deal follows Nestle's announcement last week that it could exit its U.S. confectionery business, and comes days after Amazon.com Inc. said it would acquire organic supermarket chain Whole Foods Market in a move that could turn it into a mass-market retailer.

Nestle USA Chairman and CEO Paul Grimwood said consumers still bought most food in supermarkets but were increasingly turning to direct-to-consumer options. "Acquiring a position in Freshly not only gives us access to this growth market, but it also brings reciprocal benefits for both companies," Grimwood stated. "Nestle will gain visibility into Freshly's advanced analytics and its highly effective distribution network, and Freshly will benefit from our R&D, nutrition and sourcing expertise."

Based in New York, Freshly was founded in 2015. It has operations in Phoenix and currently a staff of 400. Its website subscription-based model offers various meal plans to consumers via a revolving menu.

"This investment and close partnership will allow Freshly to continue to expand and rapidly scale our reach in order to achieve our goal of being in every household in America," said Freshly CEO Michael Wystrach.

Sponsored Recommendations

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Impact of Digitalization in Biopharma Innovation

Biopharma enables an entirely new level of innovation that’s simply not possible in conventional drug development. It’s an approach that can fundamentally change the way healthcare...

Navigating the Automotive Industry's Electric Future

The automotive industry is at a turning point. Bloomberg estimates that by 2040, 54% of new vehicle sales will be electric. And by 2030, we’re looking at 100% of passenger vehicles...

Unified Process Control Brings Operational Clarity

Inland Empire Utilities Agency replaces its SCADA enterprise system with the PlantPAx Distributed Control System and reduces complexity for operators

PlantPAx DCS Improves Operational Reliability

KC Water calls on R.E. Pedrotti to replace obsolete wastewater SCADA solution with a unified Modern Distributed Control System (DCS).