Instabuggy launches meal-kit offering

Instabuggy co-founder Julian Gleizer believes he has found a unique recipe for success in the increasingly crowded – and highly competitive – grocery delivery space.

The Toronto-area company has partnered with Unilever Canada to offer a series of shoppable recipes (essentially meal kits) featuring a variety of products from the packaged goods giant’s Knorr and Becel brands.

Users can currently access more than 200 recipes, including roasted salmon, kale and quinoa salad and Korean beef barbecue tacos, all of which feature products such as Knorr Sidekicks, Knorr Homestyle Stock and Becel Buttery Taste margarine.

Gleizer says the ultimate goal is to expand the offering to include “thousands” of recipes, with plans to add other companies and brands to the roster.

Shoppable recipes becomes the third vertical for Instabuggy, joining its core grocery business as well as prepared meals from vendor partners including Summerhill Market and Sobeys FreshCo.

Each recipe page on the Instabuggy site features cooking directions, preparation time and the recommended number of servings, while also giving customers the ability to order all of the ingredients via a single click.

Gleizer said that Instabuggy’s same-day delivery – often within an hour – is what distinguishes its meal kit offering from that of companies such as Blue Apron and Plated, which typically have less selection and deliver recipe ingredients just once per week.

“If you’re lucky they give you three or four different meal plans, so you’re limited both in the types of meals you can order and also the frequency,” says Gleizer. “It’s not that convenient.”

Gleizer says that meal kits are a growing trend, particularly in the U.S., where MarketResearch.com estimates that the industry will generate US$1.5 billion in sales this year, growing into a “multi-million dollar” business over the next five years.

The company says that a variety of factors are contributing to meal kits’ growing popularity, such as their use of fresh food with little waste and easy-to-follow directions. They also solve a common problem for time-starved consumers: What are we going to eat for dinner?