Vegan Meal Kit Delivery Service Simple Feast Makes Its U.S. Debut in LA

by Jeremy Porr
April 13, 2021
Simple Feast’s meal kits consist of locally-sourced, plant-based dishes.
photo: simple feast

Denmark-based vegan meal kit delivery service Simple Feast has made the jump from across the pond with its eyes set on U.S. expansion. The B Corp-certified company announced Tuesday that it would begin selling its meal kits to LA residents.

Simple Feast was founded with a mission to solve environmental issues through sustainable food practices and consumption. The company has been operating in beta over the last couple of months to test out supply chain logistics and figure out the best ways to work with California farmers.

“I feel like if there’s anywhere in the world where there’s innovation within the plant-based space, it’s California,” Jakob Jønck, founder and CEO of Simple Feast, said in an interview with Built In. “We don't have to convince a lot of people about the relevance of plants as a substantial part of the future of food. It’s not a difficult argument to run here.”

Jønck’s point is driven home by the fact that California-based companies have been at the forefront of what appears to be a plant-based food revolution. Over the last year, several alt-meat and dairy companies in the Golden State raked in loads of cash from climate-conscious investors.

“The essence of healthy living, from a food perspective, is extremely simple. The more plants you put in your body, the better it is for you,” Jønck continued. “The more whole those plants are, the better it is. One meal makes a difference. A day makes a difference. The journey is, quite frankly, that simple.”

Simple Feast’s meal kits consist of locally sourced, plant-based dishes. Some of the meals offered include crispy potato tacos with lime-cilantro slaw, kale-walnut pesto pizza and layered tikka masala with curried lentils and rice.

Meal kits are delivered in compostable and recyclable packaging. Any unused meals are donated to locals in need, according to the company. Dinner for two over the course of three nights will cost you $98 per week, roughly $12 per serving.

Dinner-for-two over the course of three nights will cost you $98 per week, roughly $12 per serving.
photo: simple feast

Jønck was motivated to get Simple Feast up and running for more than just dietary concerns. A former political scientist, he remains fiercely passionate about issues related to climate change.

“Buying an electric car is nice, but it’s far down the list in terms of immediate impact on the climate,” he continued. The biggest impact can be made by transforming our diets and, eventually, our food systems, according to Jønck.

Simple Feast estimates that, for every plant-based meal served, they save on 2,235 pounds of carbon dioxide when compared to an average meat-centric diet.

Over the last year Simple Feast has grown its headcount from 90 to 162 employees across its Denmark, Sweden, Berlin and California-based offices. In a month and a half, the company plans to open a 30,000-square-foot food prep facility in Oxnard.

Four positions are currently open on Simple Feast’s LA-based marketing team, with flexibility to work remote.

“We’re a food company at heart, but when you look at what has to change, to truly be transformative as a company and also inspire other food companies to do things in a different way, that’s also built into what we try to do,” Jønck continued. “We want to be in front of the pack not because it’s a competitive advantage, but because we want to inspire others to do the right thing.”

Earlier this year, the company raised a little over $11 million in financing courtesy of Swedish investment firm Kinnevik. Simple Feast has raised $45 million in financing to date, according to the company.

Additional investors include Balderton, Sweet Capital, 14W and byFounders.

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Jobs at Simple Feast

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