CINCINNATI, OH & CHICAGO, IL - All of us with a hand in the food industry know home cooking has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. This spike in shoppers exploring their culinary talents has bred an increased demand for mealtime solutions and shortcuts, and Kroger is showing it has capitalized on these trends by announcing its Home Chef brand has reached $1 billion in annual sales.
"Kroger's commitment to being Fresh for Everyone is underscored by our Home Chef products, which help us bring families together in the kitchen with meal options for any occasion," said Dan De La Rosa, Kroger's Group Vice President of Fresh Merchandising. "We continue to strategically expand Home Chef offerings across our family of companies. Whether it's meal kits or heat-and-eat and ready-to-cook solutions—which are available via subscription, in-store, pickup, or delivery—it's safe to say that Home Chef has mealtime covered."
Home Chef was founded in 2013 by Pat Vihtelic, CEO, and merged with Kroger in 2018, according to a press release. Since joining forces, the retailer and the mealtime solutions brand have been able to advance the availability of offerings, create new product innovations, and transform the way consumers approach meal preparation.
With more people turning to meal kits and heat-and-eat meals, Home Chef and Kroger have been taking in feedback and using it to expand their product selection with the overall goal of helping consumers reduce cook time without skimping on quality or flavor.
"Home Chef was founded on the idea to simplify mealtime with easy-to-make, delicious recipes," Vihtelic. "Since 2013, we've grown from delivering meals with a rented truck to becoming a leading brand for Kroger. With Kroger's support, our two brands offer a collective passion to make mealtime easy and bring people together over a meal."
Currently, Home Chef offers over 500 products across several different categories, including meal kits, heat-and-eat meals, ready-to-eat products, and seasonal meals. As the brand progresses, it will continue to work with Kroger to offer a range of mealtime shortcuts that make having a delicious, home-cooked meal easy and convenient for shoppers no matter their daily schedule.
"At Home Chef, we're on a mission to make mealtime easier with fresh ingredients and simple instructions," said Erik Jensen, President of Home Chef. "By offering time-saving meal solutions at Kroger Family of Stores, we're able to simplify the cooking process, provide a wide variety of options, and allow customers to enjoy a delicious homemade experience. We're excited to continue scaling the brand and creating new products that are accessible to customers nationwide."
Home Chef products are available for purchase at Kroger Family of Stores nationwide, including via online pickup and delivery. The offerings are also available to consumers through the company’s home delivery subscription.
The sky seems to be the limit for Kroger and Home Chef, leading us to wonder how the duo will take the popular brand even further in the convenient meal options space. Only time and AndNowUKnow will tell, so keep clicking back.
