UK-based meal kit company Gousto has received £18 million in a new funding round, with further investment from existing shareholders including Unilever, as well as new investment from health influencer Joe Wicks.
Founded in 2012, Gousto now delivers over 1.5 million meals monthly in the UK, selling weekly recipes which can be shipped seven days a week. Prices start at £2.98 per meal.
This new round of funding supplements the £28.5 million investment the company received in a funding round last year, bringing the total received by the company since it was launched to £75 million.
Gousto used last year’s funding to double factory capacity and launch a customer facing AI recipe recommendation tool, and the company says it will use this latest investment to support further tech innovation to accelerate the company’s growth.
Gousto claims that it has achieved 170% year-on-year growth since its establishment, meaning the company is already ahead of its target to help families serve 400 million balanced and nutritious home-cooked meals by 2025.
CEO and founder, Timo Boldt said: “Our customer is at the heart of Gousto – every aspect of our business is about them. Our new funding enables us to do more for them: from developing leading AI technologies that improve their shopping experience, to launching new product ranges that appeal to their needs.
“Our friend and newest investor, Joe Wicks, is behind one of these new ranges that launches in January to deliver a healthy boost to the nation.
“In March, we said we’d win even more of the one billion meals eaten in the UK every week, by accelerating our proposition and giving customers the mealtimes they actually want.
“Nine months later and the proof is in the pudding – we’re making huge waves and delivering tremendous growth, by focusing on the areas the rest of the grocery market isn’t.”
New investor Joe Wicks added: “It was clear from when I first approached Gousto that they were a purpose-driven business, with a passion for getting more people cooking and in turn improving the health of the nation.
“As a customer before becoming an investor, I know that Gousto is having a lasting and hugely positive impact on the way families consume and eat food.
“I’m delighted to join forces and offer my knowledge to a company who has brought huge and much-needed innovation to the industry.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024