Recipe kit challenger Cookaway has beaten a £500k crowdfunding target to raise money to support its first retail partnership.
The business, founded by Sahil Verma with his wife Nidhi in 2019, is launching larder kits of specialist dry ingredients themed around Greek, Malaysian, Indian, Japanese and Spanish cuisine in Ocado next year.
The online supermarket will provide the perishables for each menu coded as a recipe in the background, which can be added by shoppers to the basket with a single click.
Cookaway is continuing to overfund on the Republic platform, with almost 100 investor committing £523k so far, and will also use the cash to scale D2C marketing and secure new commercial partnerships.
“At Cookaway, we’ve productised world cuisines with a truly unique approach, redefining how global food experiences are created and delivered to inspire every kitchen,” Sahil Verma told The Grocer.
“Our move into retail takes this vision further, offering a fresh, elevated alternative to the diluted meal kit options currently available in supermarkets. This marks an exciting new chapter as we launch a one-of-a-kind bundled product that brings innovation to retailers and transforms the way customers experience global cuisines at home.”
It is the second time Cookaway has turned to the crowd, following an £800k raise in 2021.
Cookaway offers a subscription-free recipe kit service for a variety of world cuisines, with a choice of more than 180 recipes. As well as the traditional meal kit offer, it hosts a monthly virtual cook-along with celebrity chefs, including a number of MasterChef champions, is live on the QVC shopping channel and a corporate ‘Powered by Cookaway’ business putting on events for the likes of Sainsbury’s, Charlie Bigham’s and Ikea.
The company has generated revenues of £1.4m to date and registered 84% sales growth in 2024, with DTC orders almost doubling.
Cookaway is targeting to capture 8.5% of the UK meal kit market by 2030, translating to estimated sales of £115m, according to the Republic pitch.
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