Freshly

Freshly is a meal delivery service that offers fully prepared, ready-to-eat meals delivered directly to customers' homes. Founded in 2015 by Michael Wystrach and Carter Comstock, Freshly focuses on providing healthy, chef-crafted meals that can be heated and served in just three minutes. The company's meals are made without artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, or excess sugar, and are free of gluten, artificial sweeteners, and hormones. Freshly's menu rotates regularly, offering over 30 unique entrees per week that customers can mix and match based on their preferences. The meals are portioned into single servings and made in certified gluten-free kitchens.

Freshly's business model initially centered on direct-to-consumer meal delivery. At its peak during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company was delivering over 1 million meals per week to customers across 48 states in the US Freshly emphasized nutritional balance in its meals, with each dish including a portion of protein, seasonal vegetables, and whole grain starches. The company implemented ingredient swaps to make meals more nutritious, such as using pureed squash or cauliflower instead of heavy cream for added creaminess.

In October 2020, Nestlé acquired Freshly for USD 950 million, with potential earnouts up to USD 550 million. However, following shifts in consumer behavior and economic challenges, Freshly announced in January 2023 that it would cease its direct-to-consumer meal delivery operations. The company has since refocused its efforts on retail and food service channels.

Key customers and partnerships

During its operation as a direct-to-consumer meal delivery service, Freshly primarily served individual consumers across the US. The company expanded its reach in 2020 to include business-to-business food delivery, providing meals to hospitals and essential service workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In November 2022, Nestlé partnered with private equity firm L Catterton to combine Freshly with Kettle Cuisine, a manufacturer of fresh foods for retail and foodservice customers. This merger shifted Freshly's focus toward offering a wide assortment of fresh food products to customers across various channels and geographies, moving away from its original direct-to-consumer model.