Blue Apron Files Registration Statement for Fully Backstopped Rights Offering

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. today filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its previously announced proposed fully backstopped equity rights offering, which represents $45.0 million of its planned $78.0 million capital raise.

As part of the $78.0 million capital raise, the company previously disclosed a planned $30.0 million investment by RJB Partners LLC, an affiliate of Joseph N. Sanberg, and a $3.0 million investment by Matthew B. Salzberg, Blue Apron’s co-founder and former board chair, on the same terms as...

Freshly Introduces Purely Plant-Its First-Ever Plant-Based Meals Line

Freshly, a leading fresh, chef-prepared meal delivery service in the U.S., announced the launch of its first-ever plant-based line including six new purely plant meals featuring plant-based proteins made with clean, whole-food ingredients. Developed with a flavor-first approach that shows plant-based eating can be both nutritious and delicious, the line provides an entirely new category of meals to Freshly users and satisfies ongoing demand for variety, taste, nutrition, and convenience. Offering a mix of plant-based twists on classic comfort foods and globally-inspired cuisine, Freshly introduces proprietary plant protein blends including...

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.

“Blue Apron’s solid second quarter results reflect, in part, the benefits of the product roadmap focused on adding variety, flexibility and choice we established two years ago. This has allowed us to continue to attract and retain high-value customers,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This was another quarter of strong performance for all our key customer metrics, particularly when considering the return of seasonality impacts. Our Average Order Value, Orders per Customer and Average Revenue per Customer continued to be at record or near-record quarterly levels in the second quarter even as consumers increasingly...

HelloFresh Market Launches in U.S., Expanding Beyond Weeknight Dinners to Everyday Essentials

HelloFresh announced the launch of HelloFresh Market, an online store offering customers a range of add-ons, from quick meals to pantry essentials. The Market gives customers a convenient way to get breakfast options, ready-to-heat meals or everyday items – such as fresh produce, snacks, desserts, sides, spice blends, grocery essentials, and more – delivered to their doorstep simply by adding them to their weekly HelloFresh order. The range of Market offerings will be rolling out to all customers across...

The Online Grocery Market Nearly Tripled in 2020

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020, more consumers than ever before were deciding to order food and beverage items online to avoid grocery shopping in crowded stores, where they might be exposed to the COVID-19 virus. As reported by Packaged Facts' new report The Future of Grocery: Online Grocery, Meal Kits, & Direct-to-Consumer Food, the online grocery market nearly tripled in 2020.

Packaged Facts projects that online sales of food and beverages will...

Blue Apron Sets New Sustainable Packaging Goals

Blue Apron announced a new sustainable packaging goal for its meal kit boxes of 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by the end of 2025. The company also strives to use 75% post-consumer recycled content, by weight, in its meal kit boxes by the end of 2025.

By establishing these goals, Blue Apron is the first major meal kit company in the United States to announce time-bound targets around packaging goals.

“With these new goals, we are building on our history of sustainability through food waste reduction, packaging improvements, and ingredient standards,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We estimate that our meal kit packaging is currently...

US Food Retail: Where Did Consumers Go During Covid-19? 

While the fact that food retailers have benefited enormously from stay-at-home orders and restaurant closures is hardly news, a deeper look into credit/debit card transactions reveals their different impacts across food retail categories in both brick-and-mortar and online environments. We translated these data points into six learnings from the most eventful year in the food industry in generations, as well as into insights as to how players can sustain the momentum in a post-Covid economy.

- Online is the big winner, but summer may bring a temporary halt. Recent data indicates a likely temporary halt to this expansion in Q2 2021, as cases...

Nathan’s Famous Launches Brand’s First Natural Casing Footlong Hot Dog

Nathan’s Famous announced the creation of its first footlong hot dog. The footlong hot dog features all the makings of a Nathan’s Famous hot dog – the natural casing and the Nathan’s Famous secret spice recipe.

"Indulgence isn’t a bad thing, especially when it comes to a Nathan’s Famous hot dog,” states James Walker, Senior Vice President, Restaurants. “Whether you like it plain, or with just a little Nathan’s Famous mustard, or you go all out with our world-famous chili cheese dog, a Nathan’s Famous hot dog is certainly...

Blue Apron Adds Variety and Flexibility to Menu with Three New Products

Blue Apron is announcing three new products that provide more meal occasions for customers and bring additional variety to their kitchen tables. The newest offerings, Butcher Bundles, Craft Burger and Add-ons, build on the company’s commitment to provide customers with high-quality ingredients that address different cooking experiences and meal options.

“These three new Blue Apron products add more variety and new, great tasting meal experiences to our menu, providing our customers with additional options to bring Blue Apron into their homes in a convenient way,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Blue Apron’s culinary authority...

Blue Apron Holdings Reports First Quarter 2021 Results

Blue Apron Holdings announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

“Blue Apron had a strong 2021 first quarter with net revenue rising 27% year over year to $129.7 million, representing our fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit year over year net revenue growth,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The first quarter marked another period of year-over-year improvements in all of our key customer metrics. In particular, strong Average Order Value and Orders per Customer drove a 22% improvement in Average Revenue per Customer to an all-time quarterly record level. This demonstrates that...

Home Chef and Skinnytaste Team Up to Meet the Surge in Home Cooks' Demand for Fresh, Easy Meals

By all accounts, the pandemic-driven surge in home cooking is here to stay, which inspired Home Chef®, one of the nation's largest meal kit delivery brands and Skinnytaste®, the popular recipe and cookbook franchise founded by chef Gina Homolka, to join forces in making fresh, simple, delicious home cooked meals even more accessible.

In fact, both brands have seen their customers and communities grow exponentially over the past year, and with it a demand for a wider variety of lighter, more balanced meal choices.

"Home Chef has always wanted to collaborate with a partner who shared our values and ideas when it comes to...

Blue Apron Partners with Chef Roy Yamaguchi to Create a Hawaii-Inspired Menu

Blue Apron is partnering with James Beard award-winning Chef Roy Yamaguchi to bring his culinary expertise to kitchens around the country. Available to order starting today, the Blue Apron x Chef Roy Yamaguchi menu features Hawaii-inspired recipes, representing a blend of French and Japanese cooking traditions using fresh ingredients typically found in Hawaii cuisine.

"I am thrilled to partner with Blue Apron to shine a spotlight on Hawaii-inspired cuisine and its roots," said Chef Roy Yamaguchi. "In collaboration with their culinary team, we created recipes that highlight...

Three New Sysco Foodie Solutions Toolkits Available for Restaurateurs

Sysco Corporation announced the addition of three new toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform: Brunch, Protecting Your Business and Turning Your Tables. As more restaurants reopen their dining rooms, these are the latest in a series of carefully curated tools to help customers respond quickly to shifting business requirements and trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brunch toolkit offers innovative ideas and recipes to help make Easter and Mother’s Day a success, including popular brunch and take-out concepts, such as Bloody Mary cocktail kits and a Mother’s Day “Berry Me in Chocolate” strawberry kit. In addition, “Sea-cuterie boards” are a unique play on the...

Blue Apron Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Results

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. announced financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2020.

“Fourth quarter operating results exceeded guidance as we grew net revenue year over year by 22% to $115.5 million. The fourth quarter marks the third consecutive quarter of double-digit year over year increase in net revenue and highlights our continued operating momentum,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Product innovation remains central to our strategy and initiatives to drive customer attraction and...

Foodservice and Retail Get Creative for an Unprecedented Valentine’s Day 

While the pandemic has caused disruptions to gatherings and going out, there remains a special significance around Valentine’s Day. Consumers are committed to celebrating the holiday, even if traditional celebrations must be altered. According to the National Retail Federation, about 52% of adults plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, spending a total of $21.8 billon.

Nearly three-quarters of consumers celebrating the holiday this year feel it is important to do so given the current state of the pandemic. The virus is still a focus, with 74% indicating it will directly impact their plans for the holiday. About 24% of consumers plan to gift their loved one with an evening out, the lowest in...

GrubMarket Raised $90 million in 2020 to Accelerate Nationwide Expansion

GrubMarket announced it completed $90 million of financing in an oversubscribed Series D round in 2020, from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, ACE & Company, Celtic House Venture Partners, Sixty Degree Capital, The Strand Partners, Reimagined Ventures, Trinity Capital Investment, Madison Bay Capital Partners, Marubeni Ventures, GGV and others.

"I want to thank all of our supporters. Series D round was many times oversubscribed as we originally intended to raise no more than $30 million. We have made quite some efforts to keep this round under $100 million. Such oversubscription continues to happen in...

Impossible Foods Teams Up with Goldbelly to Launch the Impossible Foods Store 

Impossible Foods announced that it is launching The Impossible Foods Store on Goldbelly, a leading platform for food e-commerce, featuring some of America's top culinary trendsetters.

The brand-new store on Goldbelly features four Impossible™ meal kit offerings, curated exclusively for the site and now available for nationwide shipping, including...

National Restaurant Association Releases 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report

The National Restaurant Association released its 2021 State of the Restaurant Industry Report, which measures the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry and examines the current state of key pillars including technology and off-premises, labor, and menu trends across segments based on a survey of 6,000 restaurant operators and consumer preferences from a survey of 1,000 adults. The report also provides a look at the path to recovery for chains, franchises, and independents and the year of transition ahead.

Key findings regarding the impact of coronavirus on the restaurant industry include...

Sysco Releases New Foodie Solutions Toolkits

Sysco Corporation announced the addition of four new toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform. The Valentine’s Day, Wholesome Dining, Seafood and Greatest Game toolkits are the latest in a series of carefully curated resources that reflect the best ideas from across the foodservice industry for generating additional revenue and meeting consumer expectations for a safe and memorable dining, takeout or delivery experience.

Valentine’s Day is historically one of the most popular holidays to dine out, second only to Mother’s Day. Despite the pandemic, Sysco expects it will remain...

Blue Apron Names Randy J. Greben Chief Financial Officer

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. announced that Randy J. Greben has been named Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective January 6, 2021.

Greben brings more than 20 years of finance and e-commerce operations experience to his new role, including a record of implementing strategic growth and scaling initiatives. As Chief Financial Officer, he will be responsible for Blue Apron’s financial and treasury functions, reporting to President and...

Blue Apron Launching ‘Wellness 360’ Campaign Showing Benefits of Homecooking

In an attempt to entice consumers to continue home cooking during the winter months, Blue Apron has introduced its “Wellness 360” campaign which will showcase how home cooking can benefit holistic wellness, including physical, brain, relationship, mental and financial health.

“As our community of home cooks continue to be increasingly focused on their overall wellness, we designed Wellness 360 to expand the ways in which cooking with Blue Apron can support them on that journey,” said Dani Simpson, Blue Apron’s Head of Brand and Marketing. “We know home cooking is more than making a meal. It has the ability to unlock a host of different benefits across aspects of one’s daily life, including reducing stress...

Technomic's Take: 2021 Global Trends Outlook

We can only guess what’s in store for 2021 in the global restaurant space. 2020 showed us—among so many things—that what’s expected and what happens don’t always align, to say the least. That said, we think our 2020 restaurant trend forecast holds up fairly well given the reality of the marketplace affected so drastically by the pandemic. Ghost kitchens certainly moved mainstream. Vegan fare got more space to stretch and grow. Plant-based meats continued to inform product development, especially across Asia. Beverage chains certainly broke out from the crowd—again, especially in Asia. And halloumi, pinsa pizzas and sliders had strong showings on chain menus across the world. So, what’s in store for the coming year...

Blue Apron Names Charlean Gmunder Chief Operating Officer

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. announced the appointment of Charlean Gmunder as Chief Operating Officer, effective as of November 25, 2020. Gmunder brings more than 30 years of food operations experience to her new role, including deep knowledge in food manufacturing and fulfillment. As Chief Operating Officer, Gmunder is responsible for overseeing Blue Apron’s fulfillment, supply chain, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, physical operations, including logistics, procurement and customer experience. Gmunder reports to President and Chief Executive Officer Linda Findley Kozlowski.

“Charlean’s background, experience and accomplishments represent an excellent complement to Blue Apron’s leadership and operations teams,” said Kozlowski. “Her experience in...

HelloFresh Acquires Ready-to-Eat Meal Company Factor75

US subsidiaries of HelloFresh SE, have entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding equity interests of Factor75, Inc. (including its subsidiaries “Factor”). HelloFresh is the leading provider of meal kits in the world and in the US. Factor is a leading provider of fully-prepared, fresh meals that combine health, convenience and restaurant-quality taste.

The acquisition marks the next step in HelloFresh’s growth plan in the US to strengthen its leading position and to expand its total addressable market. The total purchase price for the acquisition is up to...

Blue Apron Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

“Our third quarter operating results, including the 13% year over year net revenue improvement, exceeded our guidance reflecting continued momentum,” said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron Chief Executive Officer. “Our growth initiatives, such as continued product innovation to provide more variety, flexibility and choice, and more efficient marketing to drive higher attraction and engagement, are key factors in the consistent improvements we are generating in Orders per Customer and Average Order Value. These efforts led to Average Revenue per Customer exceeding $300 for the second consecutive quarter. While challenges with labor availability have impacted our ability to address...

Blue Apron Launches Three New Product Expansions

Blue Apron is expanding its menu offerings to make it more convenient for home cooks to receive additional meals every week. The company is offering more variety, flexibility and choice by giving customers the option to order multiple boxes per week, customize select components of recipes, as well as expanding the Two-Person Signature menu to allow home cooks to get up to four recipes per box.

"Our customers told us they want more ways to bring Blue Apron into their kitchen," said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron's President and Chief Executive Officer. "By offering additional meals per customer and recipe customization, Blue Apron is making it easier to...

Blue Apron to Introduce First-Ever Thanksgiving Feast

Blue Apron is introducing its first-ever Thanksgiving feast, featuring chef-designed recipes created for an unforgettable, stress-free, and delicious Thanksgiving Day meal.

Known for its unique take on everyday recipes, Blue Apron's Thanksgiving-inspired, southern-style menu will give options to suit every holiday table for parties up to eight people. Complete with a step-by-step guide on how to organize, prepare, and cook a Thanksgiving meal, Blue Apron will also support its home cooks by sharing tips on its social channels to help make the holiday as fun as possible.

"Thanksgiving is going to be different for many families this year, and we're happy to join them in the kitchen by creating...