Freshly

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Freshly, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryFood delivery
Founded2012
Headquarters
New York, New York
,
United States
Areas served
United States
Key people
Michael Wystrach, Carter Comstock
ParentNestlé
Websitefreshly.com

Freshly is a New York-based prepared meal delivery company that delivers throughout the United States.[1][2][3] Founded by Michael Wystrach and Carter Comstock, the company ships one million meals per week[4] and delivers to the contiguous United States.[5] In 2020 Freshly was acquired by Nestlé for US$1.5 billion.[6]

History[]

Freshly was founded by Michael Wystrach and Carter Comstock in 2012. Influenced by 4-H program initiatives, Wystrach adopted minimal food waste and sustainability into Freshly's menus. The company delivers all meals for a given week and are heated by microwave or oven without preparation.[7] Freshly also donates excess ingredients and meals to local food banks as part of its partnership with Feeding America.[8]

CEO Michael Wystrach sought to lose weight after he saw a decline in his overall health following years working in investment banking. His family operated a restaurant, The Steak Out in Sonoita, Arizona and a family friend, emergency room doctor Frank Comstock helped prepare nutritious meals.[9][10] Co-founder Carter Comstock, the son of Frank Comstock, joined Freshly in 2012.[11][12]

Following a $7 million Series A round, in 2016, the company raised $21 million in a funding round led by Insight Venture Partners.[7]

In 2017, Nestle led a $77 million funding round that added its USA's Food Division President to Freshly's board and an East Coast kitchen and distribution center built in 2018.[13][14][15]

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Freshly donated prepared foods worth the equivalent of $500,000 to Meals on Wheels and reported sales up 50% year over year.[16][17] In 2020, Freshly expanded to business-to-business food delivery, including to hospitals and essential service workers.[18][19] In December 2020 the company launched FreshlyFit to cater to active lifestyles and low-carb, high-protein diets.[20] In 2021, Freshly opened a 134,000 square-foot production facility in Austell, Georgia.[21]

References[]

  1. ^ "Food Still Hot: Why Investors Bet $21 Million On Freshly's Three-Minute Meals". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Meal service Freshly to open a facility in Howard County". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Meal Kit Startup Freshly Has A Winning Recipe". New York Business Journal. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Special Delivery: Freshly Aims To Supply Boom In Prepared Meals". Chief Executive. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  5. ^ "I Tried Freshly, Which is Now Producing 600,000 Meals Per Week and Expanding into Snacks". The Spoon. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Nestlé acquires healthy meal startup Freshly for up to $1.5B". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Healthy meal delivery startup Freshly raises $21M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Freshly Launches Freshly for Business to Support WFH Employees and Essential Workers". Food & Beverage magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  9. ^ "How Eating Take Out Food Changed Michael Wystrach's Life". The Manual. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Diet food delivery company started by two UA grads goes national". This is Tucson. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  11. ^ "This NYC Startup Raised $7M To Change How We Eat". AlleyWatch. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. ^ "While Competitors Close or Contract, Meal-Delivery Service Freshly Expands Reach to 28 States". Fox News. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Nestle buys stake in U.S. ready meals group Freshly". Reuters. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  14. ^ "A new agency and team are part of Freshly's recipe for growth". AdAge. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Spotify's Mayur Gupta on his move to Freshly: 'The industry is still underpenetrated'". The Drum. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Freshly CEO talks food e-commerce: 'I think we've hit a tipping point'". Food Navigator. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Freshly and Nestle team up to donate $500 million to Meals on Wheels". CNBC. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Freshly Launches New B2B Program To Help Companies Offer Employee Meals For Remote And Essential Workers". Forbes. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  19. ^ "Freshly meal delivery sees rapid growth amid COVID-19". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Freshly launches new lower-carb product line". Grocery Dive. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Freshly to open new distribution center, bring hundreds of jobs to Cobb". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

External links[]

Freshly CEO Michael Wystrach on Cheddar

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