Sunbasket

Sunbasket is a subscription meal delivery service that ships members fresh, organic, and sustainable ingredients and recipes every week, allowing them to cook their own meals.[2] The company is headquartered in San Francisco, and operates two regional distribution centers in Morgan Hill, CA and Westampton, New Jersey.[3] It is part of the meal kit industry.[4]

Sun Basket, Inc.
Type of businessPrivate
FoundedApril 2014 (2014-04)
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Area servedUnited States
Founder(s)Justine Kelly, Adam Zbar
Key peopleDon Barnett (CEO)
Justine Kelly (Executive Chef)
IndustryMeal kit
Employees338 (2019)[1]
URLsunbasket.com

History

Sunbasket was founded in 2014 by San Francisco chef Justine Kelly,[5] former Chef de Cuisine at the Slanted Door, tech entrepreneur Adam Zbar, Tyler MacNiven, the 2006 winner of The Amazing Race and the company's head of user experience,[6] and George Nachtrieb.[7] Kelly appeared on Iron Chef America, and had been cooking in San Francisco for 25 years. Tyler Florence, a celebrity chef, is one of its board members.[3]

By May 2015, the company was serving customers in eight states.[2]

In May 2016, the company raised $11.62M in series A funding, led by PivotNorth Capital, Baseline Ventures, Vulcan Capital Management, Tyler Florence Group and several others.[8] and in July, the company raised $15 million in series B funding.[9] By July, the company had expanded its operations by opening an East Coast distribution center, and announced plans to open a third.[10] The company grew from 10 employees from its 2014 launch to 400 in July 2016.[9]

In February 2017, the company announced a $15 million Series C funding round led by Sapphire Ventures and several others.[11] In May, the company announced a Series C-2 round, led by Unilever Ventures, the venture capital arm of food giant Unilever.[12] The funding was earmarked to increase its coverage area by opening a distribution center in the Midwest, to go along with its two existing centers on the West and East Coast.[13]

In January 2018, the company secured a $57.9 million series D and debt segment funding round, and also announced an expansion with two new distribution centers in the Midwest and East Coast.[14] In March, the company opened a 190,000 sq. ft distribution center in New Jersey.[15] In May, the company announced it was working with the American Diabetes Association to introduce diabetes-friendly recipes.[16] In October, the company's meals received the American Heart Association's Heart-Check certification.[17] In November, the company announced that it was working with the American Cancer Society to create meals that met that organization's health guidelines.[18]

In May 2019, Sunbasket raised $30 million in Series E funding, including an investment from Unilever Ventures.[19] In August, the company announced it was closing its St. Louis, Missouri distribution center.[20]

In December 2021, Sunbasket merged with Prüvit Ventures, a keto supplement maker, in an all-stock deal, with Sunbasket and Prüvit becoming wholly-owned subsidiaries of PSB Holdings, a new holding company.[21][22]

Service

The company serves customers who have strict dietary restrictions, offering paleo, gluten-free and vegetarian options, among others.[23][24] It is one of the few meal kit companies that is USDA - Certified Organic.[25] The ingredients are sourced from California farms.[2]

Personnel

The company's recipes are created by Chef Justine Kelly, the former Chef de Cuisine at the Slanted Door, and a former contestant on Iron Chef America.[26] Tyler MacNiven, the 2006 winner of The Amazing Race, is a co-founder and the company's head of user experience.[6] Tyler Florence, a celebrity chef, is one its board members.[2]

Sustainability

In response to industry concerns about wasteful packaging in meal kits, the company set a goal to produce zero-waste packaging and developed recyclable insulation liners using recyclable PET fiber; ice packs made from GMO cotton and water; and fully compostable ingredient bags.[27][9]

See also

References
  1. "Sun Basket profile", Craft, retrieved 13 August 2019
  2. "San Francisco startup cooks up service that brings healthy food to your door". bizjournals.com. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  3. Whitten, Sarah (29 March 2018). "Meal kit company Sun Basket bought a cave, and it's helping them beat Blue Apron". CNBC.
  4. "Meal kit delivery startups are eating into supermarket revenue". businessinsider.com. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  5. Clark, Kate (2019-05-21). "As meal-kit melee stretches on, Sun Basket whips up $30M Series E". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  6. "Workout Buddies and Work Colleagues". wsj.com. 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  7. "Sun Basket cooks up another $15 million for gluten-free and paleo meal kits". techcrunch.com. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  8. "Sun Basket wraps up Series A with $11.6 mln round". pehub.com. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  9. "Meal kits are becoming part of modern lifestyles, says Sun Basket CEO as organic meal kit co raises $15 million". foodnavigator-usa.com. 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  10. "Sun Basket Raises $15M Up Round as Overall Food Delivery Market Cools". inc.com. 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  11. "U.S. food delivery service Sun Basket hires banks for IPO: sources". reuters.com. 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  12. "Exclusive: Unilever Is Investing in the Red-Hot Meal Kit Space". fortune.com. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  13. "Unilever Backs Organic Meal Kit Startup in $9.2M Series C-2 Round". foxbusiness.com. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  14. "Sun Basket hits $275 million run rate and raises $57.8 million to fuel meal delivery expansion". venturebeat.com. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  15. "Sun Basket opens larger distribution center in New Jersey". fooddive.com. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  16. "Meal kit service Sun Basket tries to reach a new audience: 30 million people with diabetes". cnbc.com. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  17. "Sun Basket Launches Heart-Healthy Meal Delivery Service". cookinglight.com. 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  18. "Sun Basket Offers Meal Kits Based on American Cancer Society Guidelines". specialtyfood.com. 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  19. "Meal kit delivery service Sun Basket raises US$30m backed by Unilever". www.foodbusinessafrica.com. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  20. "Sun Basket leaving Valmeyer". Republic Times. June 12, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  21. "Meal kit company Sunbasket merges with Keto lifestyle company Prüvit Ventures". 2022-01-31.
  22. Cheng, Candy. "Meal kit startup Sunbasket is combining with Prüvit, a keto supplements-maker, in a deal that values the new company at $1.3 billion". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  23. Watson, Elaine (2015-10-26). "Sun Basket poised for growth in burgeoning meal-kit-delivery market". Food Navigator USA. Food Navigator USA. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  24. "Why Sun Basket Is More Like Stitch Fix Than Blue Apron". cheddar.com. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  25. Gunst, Kathy (2016-06-02). "Do Meal Kits Provide Great Taste Along With Convenience?". wbur.org. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  26. Hare, Sarah. "Another Hot Chef". Diablo Magazine. Diablo Magazine. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  27. "Meal kits are convenient, but what about the wasteful packaging?". mnn.com. 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.