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Vancouver, BC-based Fresh Prep Foods received $96,746 in funding for a project titled Increasing Adoption of Specialty, Nutrition Focused Diets Through Advanced Fulfillment Software.
We spoke to co-founders Husein Rahemtulla, Dhruv Sood and Becky Brauer to find out more about the company and its project.
Q: Please explain what your company does and how your products and services are improving the food industry
A: Fresh Prep is a meal kit delivery service operating in BC and Alberta. We deliver fresh, pre-portioned ingredients to create delicious meals at home in about 30 minutes. We also offer ready-to-eat meals, salads, grocery items, snacks and more.
All our deliveries arrive in reusable cooler bags with reusable ice packs, instead of the industry standard single-use cardboard boxes, insulation, and ice packs. To further combat the problem of packaging waste, we developed our patented Zero Waste Kit, a reusable meal kit container that significantly reduces the single-use plastic of each meal and allows for an easier cooking experience. Since we launched our Zero Waste Kits in 2021, we’ve diverted over 41,000 kilograms of plastics from landfill, an amount equivalent to around 2,080,000 plastic water bottles.
Q: What is your company’s mission?
A: To deliver quality and convenience in a sustainable way by simplifying complex food challenges through creative innovation. In a nutshell, we aim to empower Canadians to eat well and live better.
Q: Why did you apply for this funding and how will you use it?
A: At Fresh Prep, we aim to make eating well effortless and affordable, no matter what your lifestyle or dietary preferences. The funding will support the development of a new AI-powered menu planner. This tool will help our customers achieve their nutritional goals with customized guidance and flexibility, at no additional cost. We believe the unique blend of customization and convenience this technology offers will set us apart in the meal kit industry, while revolutionizing the way Canadians approach their diets and mealtime routines.
Q: What excites you most about working in this area of the food industry?
A: What excites us most is the chance to transform the way Canadians experience food. For us, eating well is about more than just satisfying hunger; it’s about nourishing our bodies, our communities, and the planet. Food is such a big part of everyday life and therefore small changes have the power to make a big impact.
From the beginning, we’ve been on a journey to prove that you don’t need to sacrifice quality or sustainability in creating convenient, accessible food. Initiatives like our Zero Waste Kits and the integration of electric vehicles into our fleet demonstrate how technology and innovation can drive us forward in this mission. We aim to continue to raise the bar in customer experience and reduce our environmental footprint.
Q: Why is collaboration so important for accelerating innovation in the food industry? Is it difficult to find good collaborating partners, and what would make the process easier?
A: The complexity of challenges in the food industry, from the impacts of climate change on the supply chain to escalating food costs, demand creative solutions, which can only arise from a collaborative approach to problem-solving. Every player in the food industry needs to find solutions to suit their own unique circumstances and, in coming up with solutions, typically has tried numerous different approaches. By collaborating with members of similar industries, we can capitalize on each other's experiences and find faster solutions to problems that would otherwise require multiple attempts to solve.
Q: Please comment on the importance of public funding to help companies clear innovation hurdles and access leveraged funds.
A: Rapid advances in technology are challenging industry norms and creating positive change. Public funding allows companies to capitalize on these opportunities. In our case, it enabled us to tackle long-standing issues in the food industry, such as packaging and food waste. The ability to access public funding significantly accelerated the development and implementation of our Zero Waste Kit program – a sustainable solution that improves business efficiency and profitability, without adding any cost to our customers.
Q: Looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for your company?
A: Thanks in part to CFIN’s Innovation Booster funding and support, we’re currently working on new personalization software and new packaging types that will continue to improve our customers’ experience and drive down our impact on the planet. We’re also exploring expanding our technology to new regions within Canada, to allow for increased environmental impact and sustainable growth.
Q: If you had to pick one person to make you a meal, who would you choose?