Home Chef
Home Chef is a US direct-to-consumer subscription meal kit service delivering pre-portioned ingredients and weekly recipes to households, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. with retail distribution across 2,400+ Kroger stores.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Home Chef does
Home Chef, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, operates as a direct-to-consumer subscription meal kit delivery service that ships pre-portioned fresh ingredients accompanied by step-by-step recipe cards to households across the United States. Operated legally as Relish Labs LLC, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) since 2018 and distributes co-branded grocery products through more than 2,400 Kroger Family of Stores, giving it a dual-channel retail-plus-subscription footprint uncommon among meal kit peers.
Its platform is built around a weekly rotating menu of 35+ recipes spanning traditional cook-from-scratch kits, Family Plan 4-serving meals, Oven-Ready no-prep meals, Express kits finishing in under 30 minutes, single-serving Heat & Eat microwavable prepared meals, and the companion Tempo prepared-meal sub-brand. Pricing ranges from $7.99 to $13.99 per serving with weekly minimum order values of approximately $50.95 (Home Chef Plan) and $82.91 (Family Plan), and personalization is driven by a Taste Profile onboarding quiz, a Customize It protein-swap tool, and a Fresh Start dietary tagging system covering Carb-Conscious, Calorie-Conscious, Keto-Friendly, Vegetarian, Gluten-Smart, and GLP-1 Friendly options. Underlying technology includes a quiz-based recommendation engine, a subscription management system with skip/pause/cancel flexibility, a generative AI content layer referenced in the Terms of Service for answering customer questions, and logistics for insulated-box home delivery Sunday through Friday.
Revenue is generated across (i) recurring weekly meal kit and prepared-meal subscriptions, (ii) a la carte add-ons such as Extras (breakfast, lunch, snacks, desserts, sides) and Protein Packs, (iii) Home Chef-branded grocery SKUs sold through Kroger retail shelves, and (iv) gift card sales. Customer acquisition is multi-channel: a self-serve product-led onboarding funnel, affiliate distribution through Commission Junction, a referral program, paid social aimed at the ID.me-verified Heroes discount segment (military, first responders, medical, teachers), and recurring PR-driven celebrity chef collaborations with Giada de Laurentiis, Ayesha Curry, Dolly Parton, Kids Eat in Color, and PAW Patrol.
Home Chef firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Home Chef
- Legal name
- Relish Labs LLC
- Website
- https://homechef.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Home Chef is a US direct-to-consumer subscription meal kit service delivering pre-portioned ingredients and weekly recipes to households, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. with retail distribution across 2,400+ Kroger stores.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Home Chef industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Meal Kit and Prepared Meal Delivery
- NAICS
- Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Direct-to-Consumer Meal Kit Subscriptions (CRAHAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Prepared Meal Subscriptions (Chef-Prepared, Recurring) (CRAHAJAD), Meal kits & subscription meal components manufacturing (AFAKAHAD)
Keywords
Where Home Chef is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Home Chef business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Meal Kit Subscription: Weekly recurring subscription model where customers pay per serving for meal kits delivered to their doorstep. Customers choose from 35+ weekly menu options and can skip, pause, or cancel deliveries. Standard meals average $9.99 per serving with options from $7.99 to $13.99 per serving.
- Extras and Add-ons: Additional items including breakfast, lunch, snacks, desserts, sides, and protein packs available for separate purchase. Breakfast from $4.98, desserts from $3.98, snacks from $6.98.
- Family Plan: Family-oriented meal plan offering 4-serving meals at family-friendly pricing with easier preparation options like Taco Kits and Oven-Ready meals.
- Heat & Eat Prepared Meals: Single-serving prepared meals that microwave in minutes, providing convenient ready-to-eat options alongside meal kits.
- Retail Sales: Home Chef-branded products available in Kroger retail stores across 2,400+ locations, including grocery items like Pickle Pizza.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | Standard meal kit plan with per-serving pricing |
| Subscription | Weekly | Family-oriented meal plan with 4-serving meals |
| Subscription | Weekly | Heroes discount for military, first responders, medical staff, and teachers |
| Subscription | Weekly | Culinary Collection premium meals |
| Subscription | Weekly | Heat & Eat prepared single-serving meals |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Extras and add-ons |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Home Chef product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Home Chef is a subscription meal kit and prepared meal service that delivers weekly boxes of pre-portioned fresh ingredients with chef-developed recipes, as well as oven-ready and fully prepared meal options. Customers select from more than 35 weekly menu items, can swap proteins or ingredients via the Customize It feature, and choose household size and plan tier. Orders ship directly to homes or are picked up at Kroger stores, with skip-a-week flexibility built into the recurring subscription.
Product overview
Home Chef is a meal kit delivery service owned by Kroger (since 2018) that offers multiple meal formats: traditional meal kits (Home Chef Plan), family-focused meals (Family Plan), oven-ready no-prep options, express 30-minute kits, and single-serving Heat & Eat prepared meals. The core offering is the weekly rotating menu of 35+ recipes with pre-portioned fresh ingredients and step-by-step instructions. Additional offerings include a la carte proteins (Protein Packs), breakfast items, sides, snacks, and desserts as add-ons. A companion brand, Tempo, provides fully prepared meal delivery. The service is accessible via website and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Classic Meal Kits Weekly subscription boxes of pre-portioned fresh ingredients paired with chef-developed printed recipe cards, designed for U.S. households that want home-cooked dinners without meal planning or grocery shopping.
- Oven-Ready Meals Pre-assembled meals packaged in oven-safe trays that customers place directly in the oven, eliminating chopping and prep work for time-constrained households.
- Heat & Eat Meals Fully prepared meals that require only heating in the microwave or oven, targeting consumers who want restaurant-quality food with no cooking effort.
- Family Meals Larger four-serving meal kits designed for families, offering family-friendly recipes with pre-portioned ingredients scaled to household size.
- 5-Minute Lunches Quick-prep lunch-format meals designed for the workday, providing convenient at-home or office lunch options with minimal preparation time.
- Customize It Personalization capability within the Home Chef menu that allows customers to swap proteins or ingredients in eligible recipes to accommodate dietary preferences and household tastes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 9/10 rating and Best Value designation from AARP Smart Picks team testing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Home Chef
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Home Chef technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Home Chef partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Giada de LaurentiiscoreHome Chef partnered with Emmy Award-winning chef Giada de Laurentiis to offer Italian-inspired meal collection. Collaboration features eight rotating recipes designed for convenience with authentic Italian flavors. Partnership includes new recipes and seasonal discounts for customers through April 24, 2026. Available for various meal plans including Oven-Ready and microwaveable options.
- Ayesha CurrycoreHome Chef partnered with celebrity chef Ayesha Curry to bring her culinary expertise to the Home Chef menu. Collaboration designed to add variety and flavor to everyday family dinners.
- Kids Eat in Color®majorHome Chef partnered with Kids Eat in Color® to bring dietitian-crafted, kid-tested recipes to its Family Menu. Partnership focused on providing nutritious, child-approved meal options that parents can feel good about serving.
- Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton GeorgemajorHome Chef partnered with global superstar Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George for limited run meal kits. Partnership brought Dolly's Southern-inspired recipes to Home Chef customers for a limited time.
- PAW Patrol®minorHome Chef partnered with PAW Patrol® to bring adventure-themed family meals. Partnership targeted families with young children, featuring kid-friendly meals inspired by the popular animated series.
- The Kroger Co.coreHome Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), one of the largest grocery retailers in the United States. Kroger acquired Home Chef to expand its meal solutions offering. Home Chef products are available in over 2,400 Kroger Family of Stores. Kroger headquarters is in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Commission JunctionminorHome Chef uses Commission Junction as its affiliate platform, enabling partners to earn commissions for driving new customer orders for Home Chef and Tempo brands.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Home Chef competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HelloFresh: The global leader in direct-to-consumer meal kit subscriptions, operating multiple brands including HelloFresh, EveryPlate, and Green Chef. Direct competitor for the same weekly meal kit customer with overlapping menus, pricing, and customization features.
- EveryPlate: Value-priced meal kit subscription owned by HelloFresh, competing head-to-head with Home Chef in the affordable meal kit segment. Highly comparable in product, pricing architecture, and weekly delivery model.
- Marley Spoon: Meal kit delivery service co-founded by Martha Stewart offering chef-designed weekly recipes with pre-portioned ingredients. Direct competitor with similar DTC subscription model and menu variety.
- Blue Apron: Pioneering U.S. meal kit subscription service offering weekly chef-designed recipes with pre-portioned ingredients. Closely comparable in core offering despite a smaller post-IPO footprint.
- Sun Basket: Meal kit and prepared meal service emphasizing organic, clean-label ingredients and dietary options (paleo, keto, gluten-free). Comparable weekly subscription model with overlapping health-and-diet positioning.
Emerging players
- Factor (formerly Factor 75): Prepared, heat-and-eat meal delivery service owned by HelloFresh. Competes directly with Home Chef's Heat & Eat and Tempo lines for prepared meal occasions.
- Freshly: Fully prepared, ready-to-heat meal delivery service (acquired by Nestle). Comparable to Home Chef's Heat & Eat and Tempo offerings in the prepared-meal subscription category.
- Daily Harvest: Direct-to-consumer subscription service for frozen, ready-to-blend smoothies, harvest bowls, and prepared meals. Adjacent competitor for health-conscious consumers seeking convenience.
Broad incumbents
- Thrive Market: Online membership-based grocery retailer specializing in natural and organic products. Competes for the same wellness-oriented household food budget as Home Chef's Fresh Start menu.
- Kroger Home Chef 365 / Simple Truth: Kroger's in-store prepared meal and private-label brands (Simple Truth, Home Chef 365 retail products). Represents the retail-channel arm of Home Chef's parent and a comparable prepared-meal offering in physical grocery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Home Chef social profiles
Digital presenceHome Chef financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Home Chef leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Home Chef subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Home Chef funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Home Chef M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Home Chef
What does Home Chef do?
Home Chef is a subscription meal kit and prepared meal service that delivers weekly boxes of pre-portioned fresh ingredients with chef-developed recipes, as well as oven-ready and fully prepared meal options. Customers select from more than 35 weekly menu items, can swap proteins or ingredients via the Customize It feature, and choose household size and plan tier. Orders ship directly to homes or are picked up at Kroger stores, with skip-a-week flexibility built into the recurring subscription.
Is Home Chef a public or private company?
Home Chef is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Home Chef founded?
Home Chef was founded in 2013. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Home Chef based?
Home Chef is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Home Chef make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Meal Kit Subscription is the primary driver. The others are extras and Add-ons, family Plan, heat & Eat Prepared Meals and retail Sales.
Who are Home Chef's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Marley Spoon, Blue Apron and Sun Basket. Emerging players are Factor (formerly Factor 75), Freshly and Daily Harvest. Broad incumbents are Thrive Market and Kroger Home Chef 365 / Simple Truth.
Does Home Chef have an API?
No public API is recorded for Home Chef.
What industry is Home Chef in?
Home Chef's product category is Meal Kit and Prepared Meal Delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAJAA, Direct-to-Consumer Meal Kit Subscriptions, with a secondary code of CRAHAJAD, Prepared Meal Subscriptions (Chef-Prepared, Recurring). Its NAICS code is 311991 and its SIC code is 2000.