Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/647901
ByJosephPisani TheAssociatedPress NEW YORK Meal-kit com- panies have exploded in the past four years, ship- ping boxes of raw meat, sea- food, fresh vegetables and other ingredients to busy city folk who want to skip the supermarket and still cook at home. Now they want to tempt even more people to give them a try. But the companies face several challenges as they grow. They need to hold onto customers they al- ready have, figure out how to ship uncooked food fur- ther outside of cities and continue luring funds from increasingly tight-fisted investors. The industry is growing quickly in the U.S., after first gaining popular- ity in Europe, and competi- tion is heating up as more players join the fray. Because of that, meal kit companies are doing all they can to stand out. Blue Apron started to ship wine last year to pair with its meals. HelloFresh be- gan airing TV commercials in November featuring ce- lebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Gobble promises that its meals can be cooked in one pan within 15 minutes. And Purple Carrot, which ships vegan meals, brought on cookbook author Mark Bit- tman to come up with rec- ipes like tofu fries and on- ion-stuffed crepes. Even Martha Stewart wants in. The CEO of Se- quential Brands, the brand management company that bought Martha Stewart Liv- ing last year, said in De- cember that the company is considering a meal kit by the home goods mogul that would be similar to the "Blue Apron model." Meal kits are shipped to people's doorsteps, and the raw ingredients come in an insulated cardboard box. Customers then cook the meals using included step- by-step recipes. Each kit comes with enough food to make several meals, which average about $10 each. Subscribers can get a new box every week. People around the world spent $1.5 billion on these kits last year, with less than half of that coming from the U.S., according to the Tech- nomic research group. It was the first time the com- pany measured spending on meal kits. The market in the U.S. is expected to grow faster than in any other country in the next five years, to as much as $6 billion by 2020, Technomic says. "We don't know how the market will shake out in five years, but there's go- ing to be some big winners and there will be some folks that won't make it," says Erik Thoresen, a principal at Technomic. Holding on to custom- ers may prove to be partic- ularly challenging. Jump- ing from one meal kit ser- vice to the next is tempting since many offer free meals or heavily discounted boxes for new subscribers, says Thoresen. To help fund their expan- sions, the companies also depend on investor cash, which has showed signs of tightening. Venture capital- ists raised $28.2 billion last year from clients to invest in startups across all indus- tries, down 9.5 percent from the year before, according to the National Venture Capital Association. Shipping raw food isn't easy, either. Currently, many customers live in cit- ies, where it's easier to get boxes delivered, says Dar- ren Seifer, a food and bever- age industry analyst at NPD Group. But expanding into more suburban areas may be tough since homes are more spread apart, he says. "I don't believe we'll see mainstream adoption of home meal kits," Seifer says. Keith and Sharon Rob- inson in Evanston, Illi- nois, began using meal kits from Blue Apron and Plated about two years ago after finding discounts at daily deals websites Groupon and Gilt City. The kits let the high school vice prin- cipal and his pediatrician wife cook healthy meals for their two daughters without having to shop at the gro- cery store. "It literally comes to the door," Keith Robinson says. "Everything is right there; the little baggies of season- ing and spices, the meat, all the vegetables." Some meal-kit sellers have shaken up their busi- nesses to get the attention of potential customers and venture capitalists, too. Gobble, based in San Francisco, started in 2010 by delivering already- cooked meals that needed only to be heated in a mi- crowave. But growth slowed, and after talking to customers, founder and CEO Ooshma Garg realized that people actually want to cook. "They felt guilty feeding their kids out of a micro- wave," she says. So she came up with a different concept: sending raw ingredients that peo- ple can cook in one pan in 15 minutes. Company work- ers slice and chop vegeta- bles, marinate meats and simmer sauces at Gobble's kitchens before shipping them to subscribers. The change was a hit with customers, and boosted subscribers twen- tyfold in the first year. In- vestors in Silicon Valley also liked the new concept, giv- ing Gobble nearly $11 mil- lion to help it hire more people and ship its meals in more cities around the country. New York's Purple Car- rot, meanwhile, last year brought in Bittman, whose cookbooks and articles fo- cused on eating plant- based foods for part of the day. Purple Carrot, founded in 2014, shipped 100,000 meals in its first year. That's small potatoes compared with Blue Apron and HelloFresh, which say they ship millions of meals in a month. But Purple Car- rot has big plans with Bit- tman, who is now a part owner, and the service has since expanded to the West Coast. Other kits go beyond din- ner, sending ingredients to make cupcakes or smooth- ies. Foodstirs, co-owned by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar, ships monthly kits with in- gredients and tools to bake chocolate cake pops, va- nilla loaf cakes and other treats. And for those that prefer liquid meals, Green Blender in New York sends boxes of cut fruit, veg- etables, chia seeds, al- monds and other ingredi- ents that can be dumped into a blender to make a smoothie. FOOD FIGHT! Co mp et it io n gr ow s to b ri ng d in ne r in t he m ai l THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Taryn Robinson cooks white turkey chili, a meal kit dish from Blue Apron, as her father, Keith Robinson, watches over her shoulder in Evanston, Ill. By Heather Shelton Eureka Times-Standard EUREKA Valerie McGowan has been a vegan for nine years, and was a vegetarian for 17 years before that. "I used to think vegan- ism was too militant or ex- treme. Now, I see it as one of the primary ways I can live a life of nonviolence," said McGowan, who serves as director of the Vegan So- ciety of Humboldt. The goals of the local Vegan Society are simple, she said. They are "to share good vegan food with the com- munity, educate about and discuss animal rights, so- cial justice issues and the effects of a meat-centered diet on the earth — espe- cially when it comes to cli- mate change." The Vegan Society of Humboldt meets about once a month for potlucks, film screenings and an oc- casional speaker. "A couple of times a year, we like to visit vegan- friendly restaurants as well," McGowan said. According to the Vegan Society of the United King- dom — whose founder Don- ald Watson coined the word "vegan" — veganism is "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." McGowan said she de- cided to become a vege- tarian in the late 1990s when she learned that di- ets higher in plant foods may have a protective effect when it comes to some degenerative dis- eases. She took her eating re- gime a step further a de- cade ago. "About 10 years ago, I be- came aware of the valid rea- sons behind veganism while listening to several vegan podcasters," she said. One of the biggest chal- lenges of veganism, she said, occurs in some social situations, especially with family and friends. "When the new vegan first learns about the treatment of animals that become food, they may find it difficult to dine with loved ones who still consume animal prod- ucts," McGowan said. "Sometimes that's due to harassment towards the vegan. Sometimes it's the passionate attitude from the new vegan them- selves." Still, vegans are in good company. There are cur- rently about 100 members on the Vegan Society of Humboldt's email list, she said, and several hundred followers on its Facebook page. Both vegans and non- vegans are welcome in local Vegan Society. "It's not necessary to be a vegan to join, but we only have vegan food at our pot- lucks," McGowan said. "We also promote the Humboldt Vegans Meetup Group, as they often have events on days that we do not." The Vegan Society of Humboldt's most recent potluck took place Feb. 21 in Bayside. The theme of the event was "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" It featured dishes that most folks typically think of as including animal prod- ucts like lasagna, burgers and pizza. But for this pot- luck, dishes couldn't in- clude any animal-derived ingredients such as meat, eggs, dairy, honey or gel- atin.McGowan says creat- ing vegan alternatives for traditionally meat-based foods is one of her favorite things to do when it comes to cooking. "I'm the child of South- ern parents who are amaz- ing cooks," she said. "When I became vegan, I wanted to find ways to still eat the foods I loved growing up minus the animal prod- ucts. "Burgers can be made from mixtures of different beans and grains. The base of my ribs is 'wheatmeat' or seitan, which is what you get when you separate the protein content in wheat from the starch. May sound weird, but I haven't had any complaints yet. With pizza, it's really just a matter of substitution. Sometimes, I use one of the new and de- licious vegan cheeses on the market, tons of veggies and homemade or prepared vegan sausages when I'm short on time. "Mac-n-cheese is another favorite I love to veganize," McGowan said. "A mixture of cooked carrots, potatoes and seasonings in vegeta- ble broth, then blended un- til smooth and creamy, has a flavor similar to cheese sauce." Ice cream is also easy to make — vegan style, she said. "I just substitute a plant milk like coconut, almond or soy for the cow's milk, add the desired flavors and sweeteners, then put it into my ice cream maker and come back 30 minutes later. Again, no complaints. Most of my friends are not vegan or even vegetarian and they love it when I make these dishes." Below, McGowan shares one of her favorite vegan recipes — Caramelized On- ion and Sun-dried Tomato Dip. "This is one of those rec- ipes that is well received by everyone, vegan, vegetar- ian or not," she said. "It's a great dish to bring to a party, served with chips or crusty French bread." CaramelizedOnion and Sun-dried Tomato Dip INGREDIENTS 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2large yellow onions (about 1½ pounds), finely chopped 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, in oil, thinly sliced 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise like Just Mayo or Vegenaise or vegan sour cream 3/4 cup plain coconut yogurt (unsweetened, if you can find it) 3teaspoons dehydrated onion powder or granules (salt-free) 1small clove garlic, finely chopped very scantly 1/2 teaspoon salt DIRECTIONS In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onions and garlic in the olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt over medium heat. Stir occasion- ally with a wood or metal spatula and cook until the onions are deeply golden, brown and caramelized — roughly 40or 50minutes. About 35minutes in, add the sundried tomatoes and stir. When onions are fully caramelized, set aside and let cool. While the onions cook (check on them and stir every few minutes), whisk together the vegan mayo or sour cream, coconut yogurt, onion powder and salt. Make sure to add whatever onion powder you are using to taste. Add a bit at a time until you get the flavor you like. Set the mixture aside until the caramelized onions and tomatoes have cooled down to room temperature. Stir in 2/3 of the caramelized onions, scoop into a serving bowl, and then top with the remaining onions. This dip tastes best served at room temperature. Makes about 2cups. For more information about the Vegan Society of Humboldt, go to https://www. facebook.com/ vegsocietyofhumboldt. VEGAN SOCIETY OF HUMBOLDT Group celebrates a way of eating, a way of living PHOTO BY JOSE QUEZADA — FOR THE TIMES-STANDARD Molly Joyce of Bayside fills her plate with a variety of tasty vegan dishes. Joyce says the vegan diet is part of a "concious, aware lifestyle of 'if you care about the environment or animals, you can't eat meat.' We choose compassion." 365-7194or365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant | FOOD | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 4 B