Nestlé continues to expand its direct-to-consumer offerings in the UK and Ireland, with the news that it has agreed to acquire recipe kit provider SimplyCook – just months after it bought a majority stake in Mindful Chef.
The company says that its latest acquisition comes at a time when dining at home has become ‘more important than ever’.
SimplyCook, founded by Oli Ashness in 2014, provides pre-portioned blends of spices and flavourings, combined with easy-to-follow recipes that help consumers cook dishes from around the world. It has delivered around 20 million recipes since its launch.
The business will continue to be led by its founding team in London.
Nestlé says that the move will bring together Nestlé’s extensive expertise in nutrition and industry leading research capability, with SimplyCook’s entrepreneurial vision to make cooking more accessible. With the increasing interest of consumers in food as well as subscription services, Nestlé’s investment in this digital-first business offers significant growth opportunities.
Oli Ashness, chief executive officer of SimplyCook said: “At SimplyCook we’ve always been focused on our long-standing mission to bring joy to tens of millions of meal times around the world through fantastic flavour and our simple recipes.
“The more we got talking to Nestlé the more we realised that our ambitions and vision for the business aligned with what Nestlé sees as the right path for the SimplyCook business. Nestlé’s experience, operational expertise, and international know-how gives us the opportunity to expand further in the UK and beyond, making cooking more accessible for millions more consumers in far less time than we previously imagined.
“We already have a great team with a very diverse set of skills, which will continue to run the business with the same entrepreneurial spirit and data-driven approach, putting the consumer at the centre of everything we do, and I look forward to seeing what the team can deliver going forward with some exciting doors now opened to us.”
Stefano Agostini, CEO for Nestlé UK & Ireland, said: “I am delighted to welcome the SimplyCook team to Nestlé. We share an ambition to make cooking more accessible by offering delicious, nutritious and convenient solutions. This is an ideal partnership for both parties as Nestlé continues to transform its portfolio and SimplyCook accelerates its growth.”
“There is a growing demand for great tasting, nutritionally balanced food and this move underlines our focus on investing in businesses with attractive growth prospects and acting on current trends.”
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