Food producer Campbell Soup Company invested $10m in US-based meal ingredients provider Chef’d yesterday as part of a three-year strategic partnership agreement.
Chef’d has created what it refers to as an e-commerce meal marketplace. Users can access thousands of possible meals and order the ingredients to be delivered so they can make the meals at home.
Campbell’s funding will make up part of a series B round that will follow $12.3m in funding secured in May 2016, according to a regulatory filing. It will assist Chef’d with e-commerce business models, data analytics and data on customer behaviour.
Denise Morrison, president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, said: “E-commerce will transform the food industry in similar ways to how it transformed entertainment and apparel. It is a game changer for consumers, food makers and retailers.”
“The movement is irrevocable and irreversible. In the future, shopping for and preparing meals will be flexible, fully automated and even anticipatory. Chef’d will help Campbell connect with our consumers where they are today and, more importantly, where they’re headed.”