Amazon is officially getting into the meal delivery business. The company recently posted its first meal kits up on its websites. The company was also caught trademarking the slogan, “We do the prep. You be the chef.”
It’s unclear whether or not Amazon intentionally posted the meal kits onto its online store. However, as of Tuesday morning, when you searched for Amazon Fresh, the company’s $15 a month grocery delivery service for Prime members, you’ll find one flavor of meal kit still listed online.
That meal kit is called Steak au Poivre with Parmesan Fries & Snap Peas. It’s a two person meal kit that comes in a thin cardboard box.
A small information box on the side of the package describes the core features of the meal kit: “Easy-to-follow, chef-designed recipe, includes perfectly portioned fresh ingredients, Quick to cook – from box to table in about 30 minutes.”
By late Tuesday morning, Amazon had removed the listing.
When customers first spotted the meal kits online, there were 17 kits available. Some of the other Amazon meal kit options included Roast Chicken with Tarragon-Mushroom Sauce, Tacos al Pastor with Pork, Veggie Burger with Harissa Aioli & Smoked Eggplant, and Wagyu Beef Burger with Bacon Jam & Sweet Potato Fries.
Typically, meat-based meal kits are priced at $18.99, while vegetarian options are available for $15.99.
Meal kits are a $2.2 billion industry that’s expected to grow by 25 to 30% over the next five years. Amazon sent shockwaves through the industry when they were rumored to be entering the space.
One of the industry’s largest companies, Blue Apron, saw their shares fall by 11% on the news. By midday Tuesday, the stock had fallen an additional 3%. All of these movements occurred simply after Amazon trademarked the phrase, “We do the prep. You be the chef.” The Seattle-based company filed that trademark on July 6.
Blue Apron only went public on June 29, when their shares opened at $10 apiece. By the end of July 18, shares had closed at $6.36.
Today, you can purchase meal kits from Amazon from brands like Chef’d and Martha & Marley Spoon. However, all of Amazon’s in-house meal kits have been removed from the online store at this time.
It seems pretty obvious at this point that Amazon is planning to enter the meal delivery industry in a big way. Stay tuned for more information about Amazon’s meal delivery service over the coming weeks.
