Blue Apron expands to 11 new markets via DoorDash

Blue Apron’s microwaveable Heat & Eat meals are now available in 11 new markets through the delivery service DoorDash.  

Blue Apron President and CEO Linda Findley revealed in a mid-March conference call that the expansion of the Heat & Eat line of meals runs in tandem with the expansion of its meal options.  

“We continue to work with DoorDash via their DashMart storefront and have expanded the availability of our Heat & Eat microwavable product to 11 markets in the Northeast, including New York City,” she said in March. The company now offers 84 options for various “meal moments,” according to Findley.  

John Adler, Blue Apron senior vice president of physical product, said in a statement that the expansion of the relationship with DashMart and DoorDash comes as a result of a successful pilot program in Philadelphia in 2022.  

“These types of strategic partnerships are an important market opportunity for us to expand our reach and provide customers with access to our products without a subscription,” Adler said. “We’re committed to providing them with even more convenient ways to bring Blue Apron into their kitchens each week.” 

Along with New York, the Heat & Eat meals—including fan customer favorites such as Cheesy Truffle Cavatappi and Spanish-Style Beef & Rice—are also now available in New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Blue Apron said. 

The move is part of Blue Apron’s continued effort to return to profitability after reporting net losses in fiscal year 2022.  

That turnaround effort also includes launching an equity offering program in February to periodically sell share of Class A common stock. That move came in response to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) determining the company was not in compliance with continued listing standards for minimum average closing price and average global market capitalization. 

In May, Blue Apron announced its “The Next Course” strategy, which entailed expanding beyond its subscription service to make its meal kits available on Walmart.com and Amazon.  

“In all, we continue to manage our operations to set the business on a path to profitability,” Findley said in the March earnings call, noting that the NYSE “accepted our plan to regain compliance within 18 months with the global market capitalization listing standard.” 

Meanwhile, DoorDash has continued its expansion into non-restaurant markets via retailers such as Aldi, Lush Cosmetics, Victoria’s Secret and Party City. The delivery service, which has now partnered with more than 100,000 non-restaurant businesses, also recently released its own DoorDash Rewards Mastercard through a partnership with JPMorgan Chase.