Another Reason Meal Kits Will Grow

Julie Feickert, CEO of Cultures for Health, says DIY food kits are "the future of our society." She told Food Navigator that increased awareness of and ongoing battles with diet-related chronic health problems are pushing more consumers into the kitchen for the first time -- creating massive opportunities for do-it-yourself kits that teach consumers how to make their own food and beverages. 

Cultures for Health first began selling DIY kits in 2008 to make fermented food such as yogurt, tempeh and cheese, and those days, most of its customers were “hardcore foodies” and other “niche” consumer groups. 

But about 18 months ago, its business went mainstream. 

Feickert attributes the shift of mainstream shoppers to DIY kits in part to “more and more people having diet-related conditions, gut health conditions that are pushing them to step back and say, ‘I need to control my food. I need to up the number of probiotics that I am eating. I need to ultimately have a real handle on what my food is,’ so that they will be healthy long-term.” 

It's hardly a niche marketplace any more, as the company sells direct on its website, through Amazon and in 500 retail stores. Its kits include ones to make cheese, fermented veggies, kefir and yogurt, and  kombucha. 

Perhaps it's time to expand your store’s offerings to keep pace with consumers?