Sun Basket continues expansion with new US distribution facility

US meal kit company Sun Basket has opened a new distribution site in Westampton, New Jersey, which it says will allow it to ship five to ten times more meal kits on the East Coast.

The new facility has the potential to support $500m in revenue for Sun Basket. Since launching its first East Coast distribution centre, the company claims to have added 400 new jobs to the local economy.

The 190,000-square-foot centre is six times larger than Sun Basket’s previous East Coast facility and its inauguration comes on the heels of $57.8 million in new funding.

The company offers consumers meal kits delivered to their door weekly, consisting of organic and non-GMO ingredients alongside an easy-to-prepare recipe.

By cutting out the grocery store middleman with its new distribution site, Sun Basket said it will be able to deliver food from farm-to-fork twice as fast as the traditional grocery model, resulting in fresher food and lower food waste.

With its  two other American distribution centres, the company said it will now be able to reach 98% of the continental US.

Sun Basket CEO Adam Zbar

Sun Basket CEO and co-founder Adam Zbar said: “Our rapid growth and need for a much larger East Coast facility is an amazing vote of confidence from customers, and it’s a clear sign that there is a huge market for healthy, delicious meals which meet consumers’ diet-specific needs.

“We will continue to upgrade our facilities with automation, which improves efficiency and provides customers with an even more personalised experience.”

Sun Basket plans on equipping the new East Coast facility with a combination of state-of-the-art automation and data management tools. This will allow it to increase the facility’s operational efficiency, thereby increasing margins. It will also give customers greater choice and the ability to personalise their meals.

Founded in San Francisco in 2014, Sun Basket secured  $9.2 million in a funding round last year, including backing from Unilever.

Earlier this year, it launched vegan, pescatarian, and Mediterranean meal plans and provided further personalisation options to customers.