Meal kit subscription company Blue Apron has begun offering products on Walmart.com, including heat-and-eat meals and traditional build-at-home meal packages, both available without a subscription.
The launch comes amid Walmart’s annual Walmart+ Weekend savings event, which offers the retailer’s club members deeper discounts and ends on Sunday, June 5. Blue Apron, which announced the Walmart partnership during its first-quarter earnings call last month, said it is the first meal kit provider on the Walmart Marketplace platform.
“This direct-to-consumer offering is an excellent way for us to introduce Blue Apron to new groups of customers who may not have considered a meal kit before,” said Linda Findley, president and chief executive officer of Blue Apron, in the first-quarter call with investors.
She also noted that the arrangement is not exclusive to Walmart, and “represents a significant opportunity for broader distribution channels in the future.”
In announcing details of the Walmart partnership, Blue Apron said it is expanding onto third-party sales platforms that will allow customers to buy its meal kits without a subscription, which it said could reduce barriers to trial. Last December the company launched a partnership with Amazon that allows Amazon Echo Show users to order a selection of meal kits without a subscription.
The New York-based meal kit company for the past 10 years has been a leader in the subscription meal-kit space with its elevated recipes and high-quality ingredients, although it has struggled to make a profit and faced increasing pressure from the expansion of Hello Fresh in the U.S. and a host of smaller meal kit providers.
Blue Apron fulfills the non-subscription orders itself, using its own logistics system. It operates fulfillment centers in Richmond, California, and Linden, New Jersey.
The four product offerings on Walmart.com each include bundled meal combinations containing between six and 12 servings, initially priced from $69.99 to $119.99.
Dani Simpson, chief marketing officer of Blue Apron, said the new retail offering will introduce its meal kits to customers who may not have previously considered them as an option.
“This is just the beginning, and we look forward to expanding the offering throughout the year,” she said in a press release.
“These fantastic meal solutions will make it easier and faster for busy families and individuals to discover, plan, prepare and enjoy delicious and quality meals,” added Sheetal Patel, general manager of food, consumables, health, and wellness at Walmart U.S. Marketplace.
The Walmart distribution agreement follows an announcement last month that Blue Apron had added partnerships with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Planet Fitness as part of its Wellness360 initiative. It also said it renewed its collaboration with Calm, an app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation.
In April, Blue Apron launched a national, brand-building ad campaign highlighting the benefits of cooking with Blue Apron.
Walmart describes the Blue Apron Classic Meal Kits on its website as offering convenience “without the hassle of menu planning or last-minute grocery runs,” while the Heat & Eat meals allow customers to “take a night off of cooking.”
The Classic Meal Kit items available at launch on Walmart.com include:
• Glazed Chicken & Sesame Rice Bowls with Snap Peas & Carrots, with a soy glaze, mayonnaise, and yuzu kosho (a Japanese citrus-and-chili paste).
• Rosemary & Panko Chicken with Roasted Potatoes & Creamy Lemon Sauce, featuring chicken breasts coated with a seasoned mayo mix and panko breadcrumbs.
• Cheese Crisp Burgers with Dijonnaise, Arugula & Balsamic Onions, featuring beef burgers, cheese crisps and roasted potatoes.
The microwavable, Heat & Eat items include:
• Spicy Cavatappi & Beef Bolognese with Parmesan & Ricotta Cheese, with corkscrew pasta.
• Egg Noodles & Beef Meatballs with Creamy Mushroom Sauce & Peas.
• Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice.
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