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Is Blue Apron in Barcelona? That is the question asked by many fans of meal kit delivery services who live in Barcelona. The short answer is no. The long answer is a bit more complicated, but not to worry, LetsCook, Barcelona’s version of Blue Apron is here, only better!👨🏻🍳
Blue Apron is a company offering a subscription service for recipes and ingredients delivered to people’s homes. It follows LetsCook’s model but has grown to be a North American megacorporation with a tumultuous history.
Since its founding in 2012, Blue Apron has been riding a rollercoaster of changes in sales strategies, business models, and economic valuation. Understanding these twists and turns in its business history gives us insight into why it has not come to Barcelona or the broader European market.
Blue Apron is one example of a new entrepreneurial company’s spectacular rise and then even more dizzying descent. At the very beginning, the company’s three founding partners packaged and delivered meal kits to Long Island customers themselves. Just three years later, in 2015, the company had grown by 500%, selling almost eight million meals per month.
After going public in 2017, Blue Apron’s successful model collapsed like a house of cards, with constant and dramatic drops in both customers and revenue numbers. The stock, initially valued at $10/share, fell to $1/share by the following year. In desperation, the company even began selling its kits at some physical Costco stores to reverse its downward spiral.
Nothing seemed to work until COVID-19 came along. Pandemic lockdowns ushered in a golden era of upward growth for Blue Apron. The company saw 400% growth in the second quarter of 2020. Customers were wanting to stay healthy and avoid dining out at restaurants. They now flocked to Blue Apron’s convenient meal kit delivery subscription service.
Despite the silver lining of success that COVID-19 brought to Blue Apron, it still appears unlikely that Blue Apron will expand beyond North America any time soon.
Blue Apron’s rollercoaster ride has left its investors feeling shaky and risk-averse. From a more structural perspective, it becomes more challenging for meal kit delivery services to find high growth margins at larger scales, especially at the international level. It is harder to deliver the high-quality product and services customers expect as a multinational megacorporation.
As a way of hedging their bets, Blue Apron and other companies in this market sector have chosen to expand their offerings. Blue Apron was one of the first delivery services to offer wine pairings, and now they also sell proprietary kitchen utensils and spice mixtures.
Blue Apron’s shift in what it sells its customers tell us that they won’t be expanding to foreign markets like Barcelona any time soon. And that is just fine for us and much better for you.
LetsCook has local knowledge of Barcelona’s highest-quality growers and food producers. We know Catalan’s passion for good food and the priority they place upon fresh ingredients. Barcelona’s restaurant and culinary scene are legendary. LetsCook is honored to be a part of your Barcelona food experience.
We offer you the convenience of healthy, affordable, and customizable meal plans delivered right to your doorstep. Our easily-followed recipes are written in English and come with helpful photos to guide even beginner chefs. We value the trust you place in us to provide you and your family with nourishing and enjoyable meals in today’s tumultuous times. Stay up to date with our latest news and recipes. We’ll see you soon with your next LetsCook delivery.