Cook it is a french Canadian meal kit service available in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Based in Montreal, it’s established as the first meal kit company in Canada. Cook it’s subscription service includes the delivery of boxes consisting of ingredient bags and recipe cards for breakfast and dinners and also offers ready-to-eat meals and complementary products such as beverages, snacks and lunch items. In December 2019, Cook it acquired the competing company Missfresh, and counts 30,000 subscribers to its service. Following a significant sales growth resulting in a wave of hirings, Cook it counts more than 500 employees and quits the status of SME in May 2020.
History
Cook it’s Foundation
Cook it was founded by Judith Fetzer, Patrick Chamberland and Thomas Dubrana in 2014. It was then the first meal kit company in Canada. Since its creation, the company's mission has focused on families and the idea of simplifying meal preparation for parents and young professionals. In June 2014, Judith and Patrick presented the company on the show Dans l'oeil du dragon, the Quebec version of Dragon’s Den. In 2016, Judith Fetzer presents once again Cook it on television, this time on the Canadian version of Dragon's Den. This time, she receives offers from four “dragons”, and concludes a partnership with Arlene Dickinson. The same year, the registration of Judith Fetzer in the Adopte Inc. program, dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs, led to her "adoption" by Alain Bouchard, who then became a mentor for Cook it’s development.
Acquisitions
In April 2017, 5 months after the arrival of Alain Bouchard as a mentor for the company, Cook it acquires Kuisto, a competing company, and merges its activities. Cook it makes a second competing business acquisition on December 9, 2019 with the purchase of MissFresh from the Metrosupermarket chain. This operation doubles the size of Cook it, which therefore has 260 employees and 30,000 subscribers to its services.
Diversification and growth
In 2017, Cook it launched the first of its three À table avec Cook it magazines. In 2018, the company added a “pantry” shop to its offer, offering its customers the possibility to add various complementary food products to their box, such as snacks, lunch items and ready-to-eat meals. In November 2018, Cook it launches its “Sustainable Kit” as a pilot project, with the aim of making its service more eco-friendly and reducing packaging and waste. The sustainable Cook it Kit, then available in certain areas of Montreal, is delivered by bicycle with a cooler bag and reusable containers reclaimed with the next delivery. In April 2020, Cook it is expands its meal offer with “Brunch” recipes, decadent breakfasts suitable for different times of the day. This novelty follows the craze of Canadians for lunches, which the company observed with its “pantry” shop sales. In the spring of 2020, the containment situation linked to COVID-19 in Canada leads to a high increase in sales as the result of being classified as an essential service and delivering food to homes. This rapid growth leads to a massive hiring wave of around 200 new employees, Cook it then counts more than 500 employees.
