Kroger-owned meal kit company Home Chef is making waves in California after announcing the addition of a new San Bernardino County production facility that will feature a new state-of-the-art space to accommodate both the e-commerce and retail branches of the business. While the convenience category player is not new to the area, the facility will triple the size of its operations and retain more than 300 existing jobs.
"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."
According to a press release, the company has been doing business in the city of San Bernardino since 2015, and the San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency actively welcomed the move by facilitating key meetings between Home Chef and its various resource partners to ensure the company could take advantage of a number of incentives. These entities included:
"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 county also provided assistance related to Home Chef's site selection efforts while the Economic Development Agency helped to expedite permitting between city and county departments to meet project management milestones associated with the meal kit provider’s expansion. Even the county's Workforce Development Agency is working with Home Chef on numerous workforce initiatives.
"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.
It seems like we are just seeing the beginning of a developing growth strategy. As it continues to unfold, Deli Market News will bring you the latest.
