Martha Stewart gets into meal kit business

[blue_dolphin]

Another one:  Martha Stewart gets into meal kit business

 

Is there any well known "food personality" whose NOT getting into this movement?

From the WSJ article discussed here last week, it seems the expansion of these services is not all that smooth.   

[rotuts]

""  The new venture is a licensing deal "

 

WSJ suggested the Martha Felon brand is not doing so well, I think I recall

 

sad. 

 

Maybe Paula Dean can sell her image somewhere.

 

I did see a new cookbook from Paula in the Library   I did not open it.  she looked slim'd down and the Rx's are said to also be slim downed via a blurb

 

on the cover.

 

good for Paula re Wt Loss.

 

Jasper White slimmed down a few years ago, so good for him too.

 

don't think MarioB got that message.  

 

wonder if he will jump onto the Italian Meals at home wagon

 

Edited June 16, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I noticed today that Martha's kits are now available from amazon fresh...

 

https://smile.amazon.com/b/ref=fr_gw_shvlr_lnmore_acqmarthap1?_encoding=UTF8&node=16207550011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-top&pf_rd_r=KTV498NMJ8N684HZQ0YG&pf_rd_r=KTV498NMJ8N684HZQ0YG&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=db57034d-2ed8-4f64-8cc1-ece8e2e09f03&pf_rd_p=db57034d-2ed8-4f64-8cc1-ece8e2e09f03&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

 

Still not tempted.

 

[Anna N]

 My opinion so far is that in order to make meal kits that actually appeal to me they would have to charge too much.   And strangely I am not expecting to find morels, foie gras or wagyu beef.  I just want decent cuts of meat and vegetables other than kale.   I am afraid I'm just not their demographic.

[GlorifiedRice]

Ill never buy any of these. Too much trash for the landfills.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, GlorifiedRice said:

Ill never buy any of these. Too much trash for the landfills.

 

At least amazon fresh takes back their packaging, I assume for cleaning and reuse.

 

Which reminds me, put bags outside before bed.

 

[IndyRob]

Quote

"It is, I think, the way to cook for the future," Stewart said.

 

Thus invalidating every fucking thing she has ever supposedly taught us throughout her sordid and, IMHO damnable, career.

 

She could've saved so much time.

 

If only her name was Birdseye.

Edited March 24, 2017 by IndyRob (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

It seems many here hate Martha.

But I love her. I have none of her books or accoutrements but I love her.

I love that she was in prison and served with out bitching

I love that she gets up at 4-5 am and listens to loud Gangsta Rap in her office

I love her slayage

I love her friendship with Snoop and other rappers.

I love when she went to Conan OBrien and ate a Taco Bell Burrito and a Colt 45

I love that she used Match.com to try and get a date

and I love that she used KMart to sell her stuff so it wasnt expensive for the masses.

 

...Oh and I love the way she drags Gwyneth Paltrow aka GOOP

Edited March 24, 2017 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

It's behind a paywall but The Wall Street Journal had a piece today on the collaboration with amazon fresh for Martha's meal kit delivery.

 

And no, the amazon person did not take back the packaging from the last order with today's delivery.  I now have four large green (albeit a pleasant shade of green) amazon fresh shipping containers blocking the landing of the stairwell of my one bedroom apartment.  I called amazon and complained.

[rotuts]

maybe throughout here ?

 

amazon fresh and martha stewart

[GlorifiedRice]

I also love her for this

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/611583/samira-wiley-lauren-morelli-married-wedding-photos

[daveb]

Martha stole from me.  And she stole from you.  In a frightening example of wealth privilege, she was convicted of lying about the theft but not of the theft itself.  But I'm so not going on a rant.

 

My sister literally does not cook and buys every type meal in a box there is.  I'm amazed at how little usable product the box contains and how unpalatable the food is when prepared following directions.  Poorly prepped chicken comes in at about $20/lb.  

 

It seems like a ripe opportunity when someone figures how to do it right..

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, daveb said:

 

 

It seems like a ripe opportunity when someone figures how to do it right..

 

Yes, but in the end, how hard is it to shop for food? If you have the recipe and instructions, the shopping is a no-brainer.

 

And recipes are free in the interwebs.

 

Unless shopping itself is an obstacle...like in NYC or the for home-bound.

 

And that's what I see as the issue with this business. Their real market is tiny.

[daveb]

I don't disagree with a bit of that.  But.  I see the future of meals being like the Star Trek "kitchen".  Push a button and a magic tray comes out.  Hopefully we"ll get there via SV, CSO, even automated PCs and still want food that's enjoyable to eat.  Don't expect it in my lifetime but it would fit my daughter's (and my misguided sister's) lifestyle.

[chromedome]

The meal-in-a-box thing strikes me as the culinary equivalent of smartwatches...there's a market there, to be sure, but it's not as big as its boosters think it is. Not in this format, at any rate. 

[rotuts]

Meal-in-a-box is for people ( wealthy ) who want to occasionally spend time in the kitchen  ( for what ever reason )

 

but do not want to shop.

 

people who want to do neither , and are wealthy enough for the premium price / calorie 

 

would gravitate to the prepared meals that are then placed in a smart oven.

 

the first group is small , the second even smaller.

 

and no , all the men did not go free.

 

and yes , there is  a massive amount of sexism every where.  M.Fellon uses that to her financial advantage   for sure.

[David Ross]

I guess I just don't get this whole meal kit thing.  One of my former employees asked me about it since she knows I teach cooking classes.  She was very enthusiastic about this stuff, and is in fact a fitness instructor.  She somehow got herself to the point of thinking this is a new, enlightened way for folks to cook healthy meals at home.  I suppose on some levels one could make that argument, but I can't.  So how does it save you time if you order a meal kit online and have it delivered a day, or days, later.   Why wouldn't you just stop by the local grocery store and pick up the ingredients and have them immediately?  But of course, if Martha Stewart tells you it's good, it's good.  Everything is portioned out for you and yes, you can cook it, you can cook it.  The wise folks above have defined it better than I have.  I'm old enough to remember watching the Jetson's cartoons on Saturday mornings and I marveled at the "space-age" cooking conveniences.  Maybe the folks that shill these meal kits referred to the Jetson's when they drafted their business plans.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Today's WSJ reported that on 7/6/2017 (as best I recall) amazon filed a trademark for a new meal kit business.  This is a new and separate meal kit business (again according to the WSJ) from amazon's meal kit collaboration with Tyson Foods.

 

Amazon's trademark filing has caused Blue Apron stock to drop like a rock, or words to that effect.

 

[gfweb]

52 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Today's WSJ reported that on 7/6/2017 (as best I recall) amazon filed a trademark for a new meal kit business.  This is a new and separate meal kit business (again according to the WSJ) from amazon's meal kit collaboration with Tyson Foods.

 

Amazon's trademark filing has caused Blue Apron stock to drop like a rock, or words to that effect.

 

 

Amazon's entry is a sign that there's money to be made here if it can be done efficiently and well.

 

How long till they buy Blue Apron?

[rotuts]

when it gets to < 5    4 maybe ?

 

 

N.B.: J14 to J17 +

 

over its short and painful lifetime :

 

[gfweb]

I can't see Blue Apron as a $180M company esp with AMZN stomping around in the space.

[gfweb]

In fact AMZN doesn't even need to buy them out. Most people never heard of BA, the name is worth nothing. The whole business is marketing and fulfillment, something that is the core of AMZN.

[rotuts]

I can't see a meal kit business  , no matter how well run , being profitable   

 

one thing : Amazon is is shrewd.

 

Buyt why they branded w M.Felon beets me.

 

why they decided to copyrighter a food delivery business name makes a great deal of sense as its

 

very cost effective to own a name.

 

I can  see  the Tovala frozen meal business being very profitable in areas where there are high salaries and very little extra time :

 

the Bay area  , urban centers.

 

receiving and properly maintaining perishable food-stuff is very complex business.

 

but I can see Amazon putting a lot of new magination  back into WholeFoods

 

something WF has forgotten about .

 

You have the Food.  you have the facilities to maintain and refresh your supply   

 

you have staff  ............

 

has any any one noticed those Amazon small delivery vans around you area ?

 

from AmazoinWF    :  I can see those vans making local deliveries in the afternoon of that's days meal kits.

 

retrieving the packing materials from previous  deliveries for re-use.

 

like back in the day when you Got Milk  delivered  ( in glass jugs no less ) and placed in an insulated cooler by your door.

 

that sort of thing I can see.   even prepped Tovala type Fz meals

 

Edited July 19, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[ChocoMom]

Well, I am not going to defend the meal kit delivery thing, no matter if its from Blue Apron, Amazon or Martha.  Its way too expensive, IMHO.  And, without seeing the origin of where these foods come from, how can you be sure they're "clean" (organic, non-gmo?), etc.    But I can shed some light on why some folks might do this. My relatives work full time. She works 3 12-hr days, plus being on call. He works 4 10-hr days.   They have three kids, 2 of whom who are fully capable of cooking, but not always inclined to.  

So, she started with the Blue Apron service on a trial, got a free meal kit a couple times, and signed up for delivery 2 or 3 times a week.   Because the kits come with directions, and pre-portioned ingredients, it makes it easier for the kids to wrangle. Everything is right there, and they just follow the directions, using the items in the box, and cook dinner themselves. And, there is little to no food waste. They cook for the family, before the parents get home. 

 From her perspective, it's a way to get the kids in the kitchen, eliminate the excuses like "I can't find xyz", and the 'too lazy to read and reason' syndrome, and it gets them to cook. And, she doesn't have to spend time shopping. 

  While I can understand her thinking, and applaud her for getting her kids in the kitchen to cook, I believe it does a great disservice to kids if they don't learn how to measure, read labels, and use their senses in cooking appetizing meals.  Back when I homeschooled my two recently-graduated kids,  we enjoyed a great deal of flexibility in scheduling on my days off. So, during elementary and middle school we'd spend hours in consumer math- sometimes at the grocery store doing price comparisons, and compiling meals for X dollars.  Then, I'd take them home, and have them sort through the groceries, find a recipe and make a meal. They learned how to shop and save $,  how to read recipes and labels, cook and serve meals, and basically take care of themselves with regard to feeding themselves on a budget.  And, I worked 40+ hours a week. Was it always easy? no. Can my kids shop sensibly, read recipes, and cook successfully? Yes.  My end goal was the same as my relative's, but we went about it in different ways; and, the way I see it, one way more fiscally responsible than the other. Cooking on your own allows you to make more than you need, save the leftovers for additional meals- or take your extra meal to someone who needs it. 

 

I guess if one can afford it, is completely trusting of the food being sent to them, and enjoys idea of "cooking", then fine. But I see so many more benefits to doing it the old fashioned way. 

[lindag]

ChocoMom

I really can see both sides here.  Your way, more difficult, better in the long run.

Her way, gets the job done and maybe will inspire her kids to learn more about cooking so they can end up creating their own meals one day.