Food Delivery Dealt Another Blow: What Can We Learn?

Late last month Sprig joined the ranks of Maple and SpoonRocket, and rumors are that Munchery is on its last legs. Sprig had some of the best funding, at more than $55 million. So what's going wrong? 

There's lots of conjecture, but the reality is that just delivering high-quality locally sourced foods may not be enough. In this era in which we want our foods delivered “now,” we may have pushed this convenience into a dark hole where it's just too difficult to deliver on that promise – and the fact that supermarkets are stepping up with high-quality, lower-cost prepared meals and meal kits that we can pick up on our way home might be the fatal bullet for this burgeoning industry. 

I believe that there's a market for this type of business – but with a laser focus. Perhaps for health attributes, or, as we’ve reported, even meal kits for infants and toddlers. And … for pet food. 

The Farmer’s Dog, founded in 2015 and based in New York City, has raised just over $10 million to deliver fresh dog food that's made specifically for your dog. Pet food is big business – almost $25 billion here in the United States, and with our love of pets seemingly taking over, this might just be one of those startups that make it big. 

The Farmer’s Dog meal plans start at $3 a day for small dogs and are customized based on each dog’s age, breed, size, activity level and health needs in individually packaged servings. One plus is that it doesn't deliver one or two meals at a time, but a couple of weeks' worth at a time, keeping delivery costs and packaging more affordable. Another is that the meals are made with human-grade ingredients, with less processing, natural nutrients and higher food safety standards.