FreshRealm Acquires Marley Spoon's U.S Operational Assets

Deal to allow broader innovation in the fresh meals industry

1/30/2024

FreshRealm has become Marley Spoon's exclusive national fresh meals platform.

FreshRealm, the national fresh meals platform, has revealed that it is acquiring the operational assets of Marley Spoon – a global subscription-based meal kit provider.

Founded in 2014, Berlin-based Marley Spoon currently operates in three primary regions: Australia, United States, and Europe (Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands). Its brands include Marley Spoon, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, Dinnerly, and Chefgood. Through the new deal, FreshRealm will take over all of Marley Spoon's U.S. operational and supply chain infrastructure, integrating them into its U.S.-based network. The $24 million transaction includes Marley Spoon's transfer to FreshRealm of three production and fulfillment facilities in Newark, N.J.; Tracy, Calif.; and Dallas. Marley Spoon forecasts that the deal will increase margin and reduce cost.

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Concurrently, Marley Spoon is acquiring bistroMD, a food-as-medicine subscription service that provides convenient ready-to-eat gourmet meals for health-conscious consumers, and will also join the FreshRealm platform. After the deal closes, FreshRealm will fulfill all orders for U.S. Marley Spoon customers nationwide, including for its bistroMD, Martha & Marley Spoon, and Dinnerly brands.

"Both of our companies are founder-led, and we both share a passion for delighting our customers as well as driving excellence in processes across the whole organization," said Fabian Siegel, founder and CEO of Marley Spoon.

"This strategic partnership with Marley Spoon marks a milestone for FreshRealm in shaping the future of the fresh meals solutions space and transforming this $900 billion market," noted Michael Lippold, founder and CEO of San Clemente, Calif.-based FreshRealm. "We are thrilled to empower meal providers like Marley Spoon and bistroMD with what they need to deliver on scale and efficiency. Our partnership will supercharge these established brands' ability to build innovative offerings for their customers and will lead to broader innovation in the fresh meals industry."

FreshRealm's optimized, channel-agnostic, end-to-end Fresh Meals platform offers services for direct-to-consumer, brick and mortar food retailers, restaurants and other fresh meals providers. The company provides fresh scale, culinary expertise, fully customized meal options, and nationwide fulfillment for short-shelf-life, high-quality products. According to FreshRealm, the company lowers fixed costs while delivering better unit economics for retailers. Existing relationships include Amazon Fresh, Kroger, Publix and Walmart.

Following the transfer of Blue Apron's operational infrastructure to FreshRealm in June 2023, FreshRealm is continuing to strengthen its meal platform across multiple distribution channels, with a broad and efficient solutions offering.