DropChef
DropChef is an Irish direct-to-consumer meal kit and prepared-meal subscription service, delivering weekly pre-portioned Recipe Kits and Made Fresh chef-prepared meals to households across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland via its own Dublin fleet and nationwide couriers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DropChef does
DropChef is an Irish direct-to-consumer meal kit company headquartered in Dublin, founded in 2015 by Ryan Scott (CEO) and Roman Grogan (COO). The company delivers pre-portioned ingredients with step-by-step recipe cards (Recipe Kits) and chef-prepared ready-to-reheat meals (Made Fresh) to subscribers across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with weekly billing under tiered plans: Classic, Plant-Based, Family (Small/Hungry), and Made Fresh. Pricing starts from €5.16 per serving, and the company sells digital gift cards (€50–€1,000) as a non-subscription channel. DropChef's technology is a subscription e-commerce platform built on WordPress/WooCommerce, with native iOS and Android apps, Stripe payment processing, Klaviyo email automation, Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity analytics, and VWO experimentation tooling.
The business model is straightforward DTC subscription revenue with ancillary marketplace attach: a DropChef Market module sells Re.Fresh cold-pressed juices, Snack Lab nutritional snacks, and premium wines as add-on items. Distribution uses DropChef's own delivery fleet in the Greater Dublin Area and third-party couriers for nationwide Irish coverage, from a single fulfillment center at Baldoyle Industrial Estate. Operating costs are controlled via proprietary upcycled-denim insulation liners and a packaging return programme. The company has delivered over 1 million meals cumulatively and holds a 4.5-star rating from 110+ Google Reviews; it has raised approximately $2.37M from Venturewave Capital (November 2020) as its only disclosed institutional round.
The company competes on local sourcing (Ray Collier Craft Butchers, Wrights of Howth, Keelings, Annalitten Free Range Eggs, Garryhinch Mushrooms, Shines Irish Tuna), menu breadth (60+ recipes/month with 20+ new dishes weekly), and operational sustainability. Its market is effectively the island of Ireland (~5M population), and it has no disclosed enterprise or B2B customers, no AI/ML layer, and no international revenue despite a UK listing in operating geographies.
DropChef firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DropChef
- Legal name
- DropChef Limited
- Website
- https://dropchef.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DropChef is an Irish direct-to-consumer meal kit and prepared-meal subscription service, delivering weekly pre-portioned Recipe Kits and Made Fresh chef-prepared meals to households across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland via its own Dublin fleet and nationwide couriers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DropChef industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Meal Kit Delivery
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Meal Kits & Recipe Box Subscriptions (AFAIANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Prepared Meal Subscriptions (Chef-Prepared, Recurring) (CRAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where DropChef is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DropChef business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Meal Kit Subscription: Weekly subscription service delivering pre-portioned recipe ingredients and recipe cards. Customers choose from Recipe Kits (ingredients to cook) or Made Fresh (pre-prepared meals). Flexible subscription with ability to skip, pause, or cancel weekly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | Classic Plan - Most extensive menu with 15+ weekly changing dishes |
| Subscription | Weekly | Plant-Based Plan - 9+ weekly vegetarian and vegan options |
| Subscription | Weekly | Family Plan - Choice of 10 family-friendly dishes |
| Subscription | Weekly | Made Fresh Plan - Chef-prepared meals ready to reheat |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
DropChef product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DropChef operates a direct-to-consumer meal kit delivery subscription service, delivering pre-portioned recipe ingredients with step-by-step colour-coded recipe cards to customers across Ireland and Northern Ireland. It also offers Made Fresh chef-prepared meals requiring only reheating, alongside a marketplace of complementary add-on products such as cold-pressed juices, premium wines, and healthy snacks.
Product overview
DropChef is an Irish meal kit delivery company offering two core product lines: Recipe Kits (pre-portioned ingredients with step-by-step recipe cards for customers to cook themselves) and Made Fresh (chef-prepared meals requiring only reheating). These are supported by subscription plans including Classic, Plant-Based, and Family options. The company also operates a marketplace called DropChef Market offering add-ons including the Re.Fresh cold-pressed juice range, Premium Wines, and Snack Lab nutritional snacks. The portfolio is completed by Gift Cards and a mobile app for iOS and Android. All products are delivered weekly to customers across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Made Fresh: Prepared meals that are made fresh to order, from scratch, by trusted chefs. Restaurant quality meals ready to eat in minutes.
- DropChef Market
- Re.Fresh
- Snack Lab
Products and services
- Recipe Kits Pre-portioned ingredients with step-by-step recipe cards delivered weekly, allowing customers to cook fresh dinners in under 30 minutes using locally sourced ingredients.
- Made Fresh
- DropChef Market
- Snack Lab
- Re.Fresh Range
- Premium Wines
- Gift Cards
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 million meals delivered to customers throughout Ireland
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use DropChef
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DropChef technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
DropChef partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ray Collier Craft ButcherscorePrimary meat supplier since DropChef's first week of operation in 2015. Supplies many of Ireland's top restaurants and has remained DropChef's supplier through significant growth, offering unbeatable quality and supporting local jobs.
- Wrights of HowthcoreFamily-run fishmonger business operating since 1893 in Howth harbor. Fish is never frozen, hand-filleted and vacuum-packed immediately for peak freshness. Located near DropChef's fulfillment center.
- KeelingscoreFamily business growing vegetables and supplying local markets since 1930. One of Ireland's most experienced fruit and vegetable suppliers providing consistent quality produce.
- Annalitten Free Range EggsminorFamily farm in County Monaghan established in 1955. Third generation of O'Reilly family supplies Bord Bia Quality Assured Free Range Eggs.
- Garryhinch Wood Exotic MushroomsminorLong-standing family-run farm operated by Joe and Dolores Gorman, supplying exotic mushroom varieties.
- The Happy PearminorAdditional supplier for plant-based and vegetarian products as menu changes frequently.
- Shines Irish TunaminorMulti-generational family-run company based in Killybegs, Ireland's premier fishing port for over 40 years. Provides premium Irish Albacore Tuna.
- StripecorePayment processing platform used for secure transaction handling. Stripe cookies are used for fraud prevention and payment processing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DropChef competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HelloFresh: Global meal-kit subscription leader operating across the US, UK, and most of Europe including Ireland. Directly comparable product category (weekly recipe boxes with pre-portioned ingredients) but at vastly greater scale and capital base; HelloFresh represents the primary competitive threat to DropChef in Ireland.
Direct peers
- Gousto: UK-based meal-kit subscription service delivering pre-portioned recipe ingredients weekly. Closely comparable on product (recipe kits with step-by-step cards), subscription model, and weekly menu rotation; Gousto is the most likely template for DropChef's potential UK expansion.
- Marley Spoon: European and US meal-kit subscription operator owned by MGF (formerly Chefs Plate/EveryPlate parent in some markets). Directly comparable DTC meal-kit model with weekly subscription, similar pricing tier architecture, and overlapping target customer.
- Blue Apron: US-based pioneer of the DTC meal-kit subscription model. Closely comparable on subscription mechanism, weekly menu rotation, and pre-portioned ingredient delivery; provides a cautionary benchmark for category economics and churn dynamics.
- Mindful Chef: UK healthy meal-kit subscription brand focused on nutritionist-designed recipes and premium ingredients. Highly comparable to DropChef on health/quality positioning, subscription model, and weekly menu cadence; useful comp for premium pricing power.
- Simply Cook: UK recipe-box service delivering dry ingredient kits and recipe cards (no fresh produce). Comparable on the recipe-card-and-ingredients format and DTC subscription model; represents a lower-cost variant of DropChef's Recipe Kit product.
Emerging players
- Cook: UK frozen ready-meal manufacturer and retailer (founded 1994) now selling direct to consumers online. Comparable to DropChef's Made Fresh line as a chef-prepared, reheat-at-home meal subscription/catalog model; useful peer for the prepared-meal component of DropChef's offering.
- Allplants: UK-based plant-based prepared-meal subscription delivery service. Directly comparable to DropChef's Plant-Based Plan and Made Fresh lines on vegetarian/vegan positioning and DTC subscription delivery model.
- Freshly: US-based chef-prepared, ready-to-eat meal subscription service (acquired by Nestlé in 2020). Closely comparable to DropChef's Made Fresh line on chef-prepared, reheat-only model and weekly subscription delivery.
Regional players
- Field Goods: Irish/UK health-focused prepared-meal and grocery delivery startup. Closely comparable on Ireland-anchored operations, health positioning, and DTC delivery model; direct domestic competitor to DropChef in the Irish market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DropChef social profiles
Digital presenceDropChef financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DropChef leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
DropChef funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DropChef M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DropChef
What does DropChef do?
DropChef operates a direct-to-consumer meal kit delivery subscription service, delivering pre-portioned recipe ingredients with step-by-step colour-coded recipe cards to customers across Ireland and Northern Ireland. It also offers Made Fresh chef-prepared meals requiring only reheating, alongside a marketplace of complementary add-on products such as cold-pressed juices, premium wines, and healthy snacks.
Is DropChef a public or private company?
DropChef is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DropChef founded?
DropChef was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DropChef based?
DropChef is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does DropChef make money?
One revenue line is on record: meal Kit Subscription.
Who are DropChef's main competitors?
HelloFresh is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Gousto, Marley Spoon, Blue Apron, Mindful Chef and Simply Cook. Emerging players are Cook, Allplants and Freshly. Field Goods is listed as a regional player.
Does DropChef have an API?
No public API is recorded for DropChef.
What industry is DropChef in?
DropChef's product category is Meal Kit Delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIANAA, Meal Kits & Recipe Box Subscriptions, with a secondary code of CRAHAJAD, Prepared Meal Subscriptions (Chef-Prepared, Recurring). Its SIC code is 2090.