SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.,
Aug. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/
-- Home Chef, one of the largest meal kit delivery companies
in the U.S., is expanding in San
Bernardino County, nearly tripling the size of its
operations. Based in Chicago, Home
Chef will relocate its West Coast production facility to
200,000-square-feet of space at 1445 S. Tippecanoe Avenue in
San Bernardino to even better
serve their ever-increasing customer base. The innovative,
fast-growing company has been doing business in the city of
San Bernardino since 2015. With
this move, Home Chef will retain more than 300 existing jobs in
San Bernardino, with expansion
planned to follow the move.
Home Chef offers a variety of different meal kits that fit into
varying levels of preparation and cooking times, including an
Oven-Ready line that comes packed in an oven-safe tin eliminating
the need for a pan, and a Heat & Eat line that can be warmed in
five minutes or less. Home Chef's new state-of-the-art space will
help accommodate both the e-commerce and retail branches of the
business.
"Our secret sauce has always been our customer-first approach,"
said Pat Vihtelic, Home Chef's
founder and CEO. "Everything about our experience is designed with
the customer at the center. By keeping our West Coast facility in
San Bernardino, we will be able to
continue to provide the best possible cooking experience."
The San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency
proactively worked to keep Home Chef in the county. The agency
facilitated key meetings between Home Chef and its various resource
partners such as the city of San
Bernardino, GO-Biz and the San Bernardino County Workforce
Development Agency, to ensure the company could take advantage of a
number of incentives.
"We are proud to call the city of San
Bernardino our West Coast home. We look forward to creating
more jobs and continuing to make a positive impact on the local
community," said Alice Thompson,
Home Chef's chief operating officer. "We have an incredible team
recruited from the San Bernardino
area. Maintaining that team was top of mind as we determined where
to expand our West Coast presence."
The county also provided assistance related to Home Chef's site
selection efforts including assessment of cost comparisons between
San Bernardino County and other
locations outside of California.
The Economic Development Agency helped to expedite permitting
between city and county departments to meet project management
milestones associated with Home Chef's expansion.
To support the firm's staffing needs the County's Workforce
Development Agency is working with Home Chef on numerous workforce
initiatives, including participation in county job fairs.
"It is even more gratifying when a company is able to build upon
its success in our County. We know that our workforce, strategic
infrastructure and attainable lifestyle can make a real difference
for companies that are looking to grow and establish a strong West
Coast presence. Home Chef is a great employer that now provides our
population with the opportunity to work in a leading-edge sector of
the fast-growing meal kit delivery industry," said San Bernardino County Deputy Executive Officer
of Workforce and Economic Development Reg Javier.
About Home Chef
Home Chef is one of the largest
meal kit delivery companies in the U.S., with over 3.5 million
meals delivered each month. Founded in 2013, Home Chef offers
fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy to follow recipes
delivered weekly and is designed for anyone to be able to cook and
everyone to enjoy. The Chicago-based company delivers nationwide. For
two years running, Home Chef has been rated #1 in customer
satisfaction among leading meal kit companies, according to Market
Force Information U.S. Grocery Benchmark Study. Home Chef is a
subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get
cooking at www.homechef.com. Follow us on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook for updates and inspiration.
About San Bernardino
County: Located at the heart of Southern California, an economy of 23 million
people, San Bernardino County is
the largest county in the United
States. Its vast borders stretch from the greater
Los Angeles area to the
Nevada border and the Colorado
River encompassing a total area of 20,160 square miles. Comprised
of 24 cities, San Bernardino
County encompasses more than two million residents with a
workforce of nearly 950,000. Its assets include an innovation
corridor of close to two dozen colleges and universities supporting
a strong, diverse workforce along with an unparalleled collection
of roadways, runways and railways that lead to regional, national
and international business centers. Visit
www.SBCountyAdvantage.com.
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SOURCE Home Chef