SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Home Chef, one of the largest meal kit delivery companies in the U.S., is expanding in San Bernardino County, nearly tripling the size of its operations. Based in Chicago, Home Chef will relocate its West Coast production facility to 200,000-square-feet of space at 1445 S. Tippecanoe Avenue in San Bernardino to even better serve their ever-increasing customer base. The innovative, fast-growing company has been doing business in the city of San Bernardino since 2015. With this move, Home Chef will retain more than 300 existing jobs in San Bernardino, with expansion planned to follow the move.
Home Chef offers a variety of different meal kits that fit into varying levels of preparation and cooking times, including an Oven-Ready line that comes packed in an oven-safe tin eliminating the need for a pan, and a Heat & Eat line that can be warmed in five minutes or less. Home Chef’s new state-of-the-art space will help accommodate both the e-commerce and retail branches of the business.
“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 San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency proactively worked to keep Home Chef in the county. The agency facilitated key meetings between Home Chef and its various resource partners such as the city of San Bernardino, GO-Biz and the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Agency, to ensure the company could take advantage of a number of incentives.
“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.”
The county also provided assistance related to Home Chef’s site selection efforts including assessment of cost comparisons between San Bernardino County and other locations outside of California. The Economic Development Agency helped to expedite permitting between city and county departments to meet project management milestones associated with Home Chef’s expansion.
To support the firm’s staffing needs the County’s Workforce Development Agency is working with Home Chef on numerous workforce initiatives, including participation in county job fairs.
“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 CountyDeputy Executive Officer of Workforce and Economic Development Reg Javier.
About Home Chef
Home Chef is one of the largest meal kit delivery companies in the U.S., with over 3.5 million meals delivered each month. Founded in 2013, Home Chef offers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy to follow recipes delivered weekly and is designed for anyone to be able to cook and everyone to enjoy. The Chicago-based company delivers nationwide. For two years running, Home Chef has been rated #1 in customer satisfaction among leading meal kit companies, according to Market Force Information U.S. Grocery Benchmark Study. Home Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get cooking at www.homechef.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates and inspiration.
About San Bernardino County: Located at the heart of Southern California, an economy of 23 million people, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States. Its vast borders stretch from the greater Los Angeles area to the Nevada border and the Colorado River encompassing a total area of 20,160 square miles. Comprised of 24 cities, San Bernardino County encompasses more than two million residents with a workforce of nearly 950,000. Its assets include an innovation corridor of close to two dozen colleges and universities supporting a strong, diverse workforce along with an unparalleled collection of roadways, runways and railways that lead to regional, national and international business centers. Visit www.SBCountyAdvantage.com.
