Competition in the meal-kit industry is fierce.
Rivals are looking for creative strategies to minimize time in the kitchen and still cater to varied dietary restrictions and preferences.
But how can smaller players stand out from the pack?
“Focus on needs,” Sun Basket’s Co-founder and CEO Adam Zbar, told Cheddar. The executive argues that the industry has become big business, with meal-kit companies bringing in $5 billion in revenue last year.
Sun Basket currently has less than ten percent of the meal-kit market, according to research firm Second Measure, but it's managed to create big waves. Just in 2017’s first quarter, the company saw sales grow 80 percent. But the industry is constantly changing, and participants have to keep up.
Blue Apron is currently the dominant player in the market, holding a 40 percent market share. But Second Measure says that the leader's recent challenges, including layoffs and a plunging share price since its IPO, open the door for other players.
Sun Basket hopes to capitalize on the opportunity. The company rolled out a new strategy Tuesday and now features more premium meat selections, the CEO told Cheddar.
“All of our consumers were really asking for that,” Zbar said. “We are always talking to our consumers, and they said that they wanted even better premium proteins.”
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
