Dutch startup Crisp has just acquired local meal box supplier De Krat as it establishes itself as a leader in the market and diversifies its product offering. The Amsterdam-based team is on a mission to make better food available for all and it’s growing fast as the demand for sustainable food options grows.
When it comes to grocery shopping, there are a couple of trends which have changed the game for retailers, suppliers and producers in recent years. While tech has become an increasingly influential part of life, digital solutions and online shopping options are more and more demanded by consumers. Alongside this, the appetite for sustainable produce that is healthy to consume and healthier for the planet to produce is growing.
Dutch startup Crisp offers an app-only supermarket that is stocked with sustainable, healthy food options – tapping into these two influential trends in the grocery space.
Crips’s proprietary technology and a zero food waste model make the supply chain shorter and more transparent, building a lasting solution to the pitfalls of traditional online supermarkets. The solutions offer ultra-fresh, seasonal products sourced directly from local suppliers. Ordered through a mobile shopping app, customer orders are delivered within one-hour time slots across the whole of the Netherlands.
As the startup expands its product offering, market reach and consolidates its position as a leading player, it has just acquired a local meal box supplier, De Krat. With the take-over, Crisp offers its customers a growing number of high-quality convenience food options.
Eric Klaassen, co-founder of Crisp: “De Krat is a proven recipe for success. It is a strong, financially healthy, and profitable family business with a very loyal, ever growing customer base. Above all, it is a great example of local entrepreneurship and a product that’s worth making available to more people. Especially for busy families, a meal box is an ideal solution to unburden the need to source fresh and healthy food throughout the week.”
Founded in 2010, De Krat pioneered the meal box trend in the Netherlands. De Krat offers meal boxes that are put together with mostly organic products that are sourced directly from local farmers. A strong focus on healthy products and a more sustainable, local food system resulted in De Krat becoming B Corp certified in 2015.
Tessa Venker, director of De Krat: “It is important that we can trust the food that we eat. Consumers are increasingly looking for local and sustainable produce, meaning food that’s in-season and produced by trusted Dutch farmers. With that shared philosophy, we saw a perfect match and a logical accelerator in Crisp. With its logistical resources and digital expertise, an even larger group of people can now enjoy better food. Together, we make the most impact.”
This acquisition deal comes on the back of Crisp’s takeover of local supplier De Eetfabriek in September, through which Crisp offers freshly prepared, ready-to-eat meals from its own kitchen.
In terms of product, vision and operational structure both Crips and De Krat show clear business synergies – particularly for their shared commitments to sustainability, supporting local, and encouraging access to better produce for all.
Eric Klaassen: “We combine the offering of a full-fledged supermarket with a flexible meal box subscription. This allows you to organize all of your nutritional necessities in one place. The biggest advantage is that you no longer have to think about your meal planning. But it also provides more grip on your personal spends -with the security of a fixed budget per week- in times when this is becoming increasingly important for everyone. As a meal box user, you now have the assortment of an entire supermarket at your disposal. And vice versa, with your grocery shopping you can add the option to always have all ingredients delivered at home for your weeknight meals.”
Since the beginning of this year, De Krat customers can already add groceries from Crisp to their basket. The upcoming period will be used to scale up De Krat’s offerings with Crisp’s own software and logistics. The first Crisp customers will have the option to choose a meal box subscription starting in February. All recipe and meal box preparation expertise will be further integrated within Crisp’s infrastructure with full brand and supply chain integration taking place in the spring. All De Krat employees will join Crisp’s team.
