Campbell Soup invests $10m in Chef’d

American food company Campbell Soup has invested $10m in California-based e-commerce meal store Chef’d.

Campbell Soup anticipates that the new partnership will help it to strengthen and improve its e-commerce capabilities.

The investment made in Chef’d is part of the Series B round of funding.

Campbell Soup president and CEO Denise Morrison said: “E-commerce will transform the food industry in similar ways to how it transformed entertainment and apparel. It is a game changer for consumers, food makers and retailers alike.

“The movement is irrevocable and irreversible. In the future, shopping for and preparing meals will be flexible, fully automated and even anticipatory. Chef’d will help Campbell connect with our consumers where they are today and, more importantly, where they’re headed.”

Under the terms of the deal, Chef’d will help with infrastructure and meal solution distribution through the Campbell’s Kitchen site.

Campbell will also make use of Chef’d’s expertise on e-commerce business models and will have access to data analytics and insights on shopper behaviours.

Chef’d CEO Kyle Ransford said: “We are actively looking to add strategic partners and Campbell’s outlook on the future of food and e-commerce aligns perfectly with the Chef’d vision of the future of online grocery.

“Both Campbell and Chef’d believe in continuing to drive innovation in the new food economy, particularly around consumer customisation and e-commerce solutions.”

The two companies intend to test various capabilities over the three-year agreement involving product innovation and fulfillment.